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CRUEL PERSECUTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PROTESTANTS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 KINGDOM OF FRANCE 
 
 FIRST AMERICAN REPRINT 
 
 OV THE ENGLISH TRANSLATION 
 
 Published in London in 1707 
 
 WITH A BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR 
 
 JEAN CLAUDE 
 
 BY 
 
 PUBLISHER 
 
 BOSTON, 
 1893 
 
 /v/v-^V 
 
 ^Pl 
 
JIG I 
 
 n 
 
 COPYRIGHT, 1893, 
 
 BY 
 
 NARCISSE CYR. 
 
 THB LIBRA&T 
 or CONGRESS 
 
 VASHINOTOK 
 
 <-^ w- 1 . 
 
S: 
 
 TO THE 
 
 REV. CHARLES CHINIQUY, 
 
 THE 
 
 Venerable and Eloquent Champion 
 
 OF 
 
 EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY, 
 
 DURING MANY YEARS OF ARDUOUS LABORS AND FREQUENT 
 PERSECUTIONS, HAS NOT ONLY EXPOSED 
 
 THE ERRORS OF ROME, 
 
 BUT BROUGHT THOUSANDS OF SOULS TO JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 THIS FIRST AMERICAN REPRINT 
 
 ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF CLAUDE'S MASTERPIECE IS 
 RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 
 NARCISSE CYR, 
 
CLAUDE AND HIS MASTERPIECE. 
 
 The author of this remarkable book, which is 
 offered to the American public for the first 
 time, is Jean Claude, one of the most eloquent 
 French Protestant ministers, and certainly the 
 ablest defender of the Reformed Faith in the 
 17th century. After he was called to the 
 church at Charenton — a parish which included 
 the Protestants of Paris and vicinity — he be- 
 came the natural champion of Protestantism in 
 France, and fought valiantly against such men 
 as Arnauld, Nicole and Bossuet, who was then 
 the Goliath of Rome. 
 
 Our author was born, in 1619, at Sauvetat, a 
 small town near, Agen, in the Southwest of 
 France. His father was a Protestant pastor, 
 who attended himself to the early education 
 of his son. The latter after going through the 
 usual course of study, was ordained at the age 
 of twenty-six, and called first to the little 
 church of La Freyne. He remained there 
 only one year, having been promoted to a 
 
VI 
 
 more important pastorate, -that of the church 
 of Sainte Affrique. After eight years of 
 faithful work in that old interesting- town, 
 he was invited to the church at Nimes, then, 
 as now', the most important outside of Paris. 
 This call was highly complimentary as well 
 as very encouraging to the comparatively 
 young pastor. He was then thirty-five, a 
 good age to assume important and responsible 
 duties. 
 
 In the city of Nimes, Claude found more 
 ample opportunities to develop his talents for 
 the pulpit. A daily preaching service was held 
 in the church, each of the three pastors officiat- 
 ing in turn ; the children were taught carefully 
 the principles of Evangelical Christianity, thor- 
 oughly catechized, in the first and best sense of 
 the word, as they are still by the French pas- 
 tors ; moreover, the sick and feeble of the flock 
 were cared for and protected from Romish 
 proselytism. Such a pastorate, we can easily 
 understand, involved duties which greatly taxed 
 the time and strength of Claude ; yet he chose 
 to add to them the voluntary work of private 
 lectures to the students of the Protestant Liter- 
 ary and Theological Academy in that city, 
 lectures which were very much appreciated by 
 these students for the ministry. 
 
 Claude was not only an eloquent preacher 
 
VI 1 
 
 and a faithful pastor, but a man of strong 
 convictions and a bold defender of what he 
 considered the truth. So that when a Protes- 
 tant, whom the court had gained to the idea of 
 a Reunion of the Protestants with the Catholics, 
 appeared in a Synod of the Lower Languedoc, 
 to advocate that plan, Claude opposed it with 
 energy and ability. He was successful, and 
 for that offence punished by a Decree of the 
 Council, which forbade him to exercise the 
 ministry in that Province of which Nimes was 
 the capital. 
 
 Claude immediately went to Paris to appeal 
 from this arbitrary decree ; he remained there 
 six months, but his efforts were unsuccessful. 
 His residence in the Metropolis, however, was 
 useful to him in more ways than one. He 
 became better acquainted with some of his 
 distinguished co-religionists, as well as with the 
 enemies of the Protestant faith. He was 
 doubtless invited to preach at Charenton, and 
 thus the way was prepared for his call to that 
 charge two or three years later. 
 
 When Claude became convinced that there 
 was no justice to be obtained from the govern- 
 ment, he returned to the south of France, and 
 was soon called to the important church of 
 Montauban, which he served faithfully until 
 
Vlll 
 
 1666, when he accepted the most responsible 
 post, that of Charenton. 
 
 Even under the reign of toleration, secured 
 to them by the Edict of Nantes, the Huguenots 
 were not allowed to have a place of worship in 
 Paris, nor within five miles of that city. At 
 first, and for many years, they were obliged to 
 have their church at the little town of Ablon, 
 about eight miles from the capital, a place not 
 at all central for them. After many petitions 
 and supplications, they were permitted to ex- 
 change Ablon for Charenton, which is precisely 
 five miles southeast of ~ Paris. There a place 
 of worship, a Temple^ as it was called, was con- 
 structed by the famous architect, DeBrosses. 
 It was a plain building, but well adapted to the 
 wants of the Protestants of the Metropolis and 
 vicinity. Fourteen thousand persons could be 
 seated in it, and the three pastors who min- 
 istered to that parish, scattered over a large 
 extent of country, preached in turn eloquent 
 and earnest sermons to interested audiences; 
 hearers who came five, ten and even fifteen 
 miles to hear the Evangel of light and life, 
 which the glorious Reformation had restored 
 to the world. 
 
 It was from this large, appreciative and be- 
 loved flock that the eminent pastor was torn 
 away, on the very day that the Edict of Revo- 
 
IX 
 
 cation was registered in the Parliament of 
 Paris. The Court would not grant him the 
 fifteen days allowed by the Edict to all the min- 
 isters, without distinction, but as soon as this 
 document was published in the Metropolis, 
 Claude was "commanded to leave Paris within 
 four and twenty hours, and forthwith to depart 
 the Kingdom. For this end they put him into 
 the hands of one of the King's footmen, with 
 orders not to leave him till he was out of his 
 dominions." He took the coach at Paris, the 
 next day, for Brussells, with his escort, who, it 
 is said, was very civil to himall the way to the 
 frontier, where they separated. The criminal, 
 of whom France was not worthy, had evidently 
 made a very favorable impression upon the 
 royal servant. 
 
 It is interesting to know that the senior pas- 
 tor of Charenton, as he journeyed through 
 France, received many marks of kindness, not 
 only from his brethren, but even from some of 
 his enemies. 
 
 From Brussells, Claude proceeded to Hol- 
 land, where many distinguished exiles had pre- 
 ceded him. He met there with a warm recep- 
 tion from his fellow countrymen and the 
 inhabitants of that hospitable country. He was 
 honored soon after his arrival with a consider- 
 able pension by William, the Prince of Orange^ 
 
X 
 
 a fact which shows in what high estimation 
 this Huguenot pastor was held. Thus relieved 
 from pecuniary anxiety, the old soldier of 
 Christ who had fought valiantly all his life in 
 favor of the Reformed Religion, could at last 
 enjoy days of a well deserved and much needed 
 rest. He was then sixty-six years of age. For 
 men like our author there is little respite in 
 this world, where they see so much work to be 
 done. While Claude found in Holland a very 
 congenial society — for that country had really 
 become a great intellectual and religious center 
 for the French Protestants — his heart was in 
 France, with his suffering brethren, and he 
 soon concluded that he could not better serve 
 the cause of religious Freedom, Humanity and 
 Justice, than by publishing to the Vv^orld the 
 details of the cruel persecutions which had pre- 
 ceded and followed the Revocation of the 
 Edict of Nantes, protesting before Heaven and 
 Earth against all the violences, persecutions and 
 horrors perpetrated by the agents of Louis XIV, 
 at the instigation of Pere La Chaise, Le Tellier 
 and other Jesuits. 
 
 'This book, written in French, which was then 
 the language not only of diplomacy and of 
 courts, but also that of all educated people, was 
 destined to be wddely read and to awaken 
 deep sympathy for the persecuted Huguenots 
 
XI 
 
 while showing the persecutors in their true 
 light. As well says Prof. Henry M. Baird, 
 of the University of the City of New York, "it 
 was the most scathing indictment which that 
 generation knew of the atrocities perpetrated 
 by Louis XIV., and it produced such a sensa- 
 tion as did no other book. Louis himself 
 winced under the lash, and desired to destroy 
 every copy of the book he could lay hand 
 upon. It is no wonder that he persuaded the 
 weak king of England to cause it to be burned 
 by the public hangman of the city of London. 
 To us this is a recommendation." 
 
 It is worthy of notice that the spies of the 
 French monarch had discovered that a transla- 
 tion of this book into English was being made 
 and would soon be published. The French 
 embassador in London hastened to inform 
 James II of the fact, and denounced the work 
 as a most abominable production, not only full 
 of slanders against his royal master, but also 
 of republican and revolutionary ideas ! The 
 king of England showed great readiness to 
 please his brother monarch, and immediately 
 ordered the book to be suppressed and the 
 printer punished. All the copies of the trans- 
 lation that could be found, were immediately 
 seized and burnt publicly, by the hangman, in 
 the court of the Royal Exchange of the English 
 
Xll 
 
 capital ! As for the publisher, although the 
 work bore no name, he was soon discovered by 
 the spies of Rome, imprisoned and financially 
 ruined. The translator was also severely pun- 
 ished. And yet these two men had omitted 
 the most forcible passages of Claude's master- 
 piece, in fact nearly a third of the work, so as to 
 evade prosecution from the government. What 
 would have been their fate, had they published 
 the book as it was in 1707 and now with its 
 strong but well merited denunciations of the 
 most outrageous persecutions that Christians 
 ever suffered, with its mighty protests against 
 the horrors perpetrated in the name- of religion, 
 and v/ith its most touching appeals to the con- 
 science of Europe, and to the entire world? 
 
 Thank God, the government which burnt 
 Claude's book, disappeared two years later, and 
 a new era dawned for England when William 
 of Orange landed on the British Isle, accompan- 
 ied by his Huguenot regiments, his best and 
 most heroic soldiers. 
 
 Claude, alas, was not privileged to hail that 
 glorious day, but he lived long enough to see 
 of the fruits of his last labors in behalf of his 
 persecuted brethren, and his end was peace and 
 joy. Having been called to deliver the sermon 
 on Christmas, 1666, he preached with his 
 ordinary unction. The Princess of Orange was 
 
Xlil 
 
 present and enjoyed the discourse as usual. 
 The preacher was apparently well, but that 
 very day was taken ill and died on the 13th of 
 January following. Not much is known of his 
 illness, but enough to warrant the statement 
 that he died a most edifying death, sustained 
 by that Faith, " which is the substance of things 
 hoped for, the evidence of things unseen." 
 
 Claude, by giving the details of the cruel 
 persecutions suffered by the Prench Protes- 
 tants at the close of the 17th century, has left 
 to the world a legacy, whose value can hardly 
 be overestimated. His graphic account has 
 stirred the hearts of thousands in Europe and 
 will have the same effect in America. The 
 reprint of this book has been greatly encouraged 
 by a number of our representative men in this 
 country who have become acquainted with its 
 contents. It comes opportunely with its les- 
 sons and warnings at the present time. The 
 learned Prof. Coussirat, of the Presbyterian 
 College of Montreal, a descendant of the 
 Huguenots, did not exaggerate the importance 
 of the present reprint when he wrote to the 
 undersigned : " You are doing a good work in 
 showing free American citizens what they may 
 expect, should the Catholic church ever obtain 
 supremacy in the United States." He further 
 called attention to a fact, too much overlooked 
 
XIV 
 
 in this country, saying : " It is certain that 
 Rome has never repudiated the acts of her 
 agents, nor has she ever given up her pre- 
 tended right to coerce those whom she stig- 
 matizes as heretics. God grant that Claude's 
 Flamtes des Protestants may be a warning to 
 Americans ! " 
 
 Narcisse Cyr, 
 
A 
 
 the COMPLAINTS, 
 
 AND 
 
 el PERSECUTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 I N T H £ 
 
 KINGDOM of FRANCE. 
 
 I O N D O N, 
 Printed by W. REDMAYNE. 1707. 
 
 ^ 
 
TO THE 
 MOST REVEREND 
 
 FATHER IN GOD, 
 
 His Grace the Lord Archbishop 
 
 OF 
 
 CANTERBURY, 
 
 And the Right Reverend Father 
 in God the Lord Bishop 
 
 OF 
 LONDON. 
 
 MY LORDS, 
 
 I have newly caused to be translated 
 into English the Book intituled, The Com- 
 plaints OF THE Protestants in the 
 Kingdom of France with this design, to 
 
4 The Epistle Dedicatory. 
 
 let Great Britain know and understand by 
 Examples, how it is that Popery, when it 
 has the power on its Side uses to proceed 
 against all them that are not of its own 
 Communion; and how much this united 
 Kingdom is therefore indebted to the 
 Divine Goodness, for having both hitherto 
 preserved, and for Posterity also secured 
 it from those great Evils, which so con- 
 siderable a Part of those professing with 
 them the same Holy Faith have suffered, 
 and still do suffer, in other Parts. 
 
 This YOUR LORDSHIPS know per- 
 fectly well ; and have no need to be told it 
 over again ; But the Generality of People 
 in this Nation are greatly Ignorant in this 
 Matter, and can hardly be persuaded to 
 believe the Excess, Violence and Barbarity 
 which by our Enemies has been and still is 
 used. Wherefore for the Information of 
 such, and for the disappointment of the 
 Emissaries of France, who would gladly 
 have the Remembrance hereof to be lost; 
 I have thought it might be very proper to 
 address to YOUR LORDSHIPS the Part 
 I have in this valuable Piece ; which is the 
 
The Epistle Dedicatory, 5 
 
 Translation of it ; and lay before your 
 Eyes the matters which it contains, both 
 because 'tis well known how your LORD- 
 SHIPS have, as with all your might, so 
 with a Success answerable, labored to dis- 
 sipate the Storm, which lately seem'd to 
 gather here, and threaten this flourishing 
 Kingdom with the like Calamities : And 
 how you have moreover greatly refreshed 
 and comforted the French Protestants, 
 who fled hither for Refuge, as became true 
 Fathers in Christ. 
 
 YOUR LORDSHIPS are not ignorant, 
 how they then made their Complaints, and 
 their Protestations against the persecu- 
 tion of France : Nor can it be a Secret to 
 you what was done here, consequently 
 to the publishing this true and faithful 
 Memorial of theirs, to give a just Repre- 
 sentation of their State. But the Copies 
 hereof were not only suppressed, but pro- 
 hibited so strictly, and in such a manner 
 watch'd as they were hardly ever known 
 to this Nation, as I can find. And hence 
 it is that the very Children of the Refugees 
 themselves, who either came hither very 
 
6 The Epistle Dedicatory, 
 
 young, or else are born here, do not know 
 the Cause of the Exile and Transmigration 
 of their Fathers and Mothers ; a thing 
 which they certainly ought to be well in- 
 formed of, and never to forget. It is with 
 a Prospect of perpetuating to future Gen- 
 erations the sad Remembrance of the Sub- 
 version of the State and Condition of the 
 Protestants of France, by the unjust Rev- 
 ocation of the Edict of Nantes, that one 
 who is a refugee here has caused the said 
 Book, containing their Complaints and 
 Protestations to be reprinted for all the 
 rest. 
 
 And whereas by a Declaration of King 
 Charles II. of the 28th of July, 168 1, 
 YOUR LORDSHIPS are marked out ex- 
 presly by the Dignities of the Archbishop 
 of Canterbury and the Bishop of Lon- 
 don, on purpose to receive the Petitions 
 and Complaints of the distressed Refugees, 
 in order to be communicated as need shall 
 require; YOUR LORDSHIPS are there- 
 fore humbly supplicated to cast your Eyes 
 upon the Preface of this Book, which 
 showes the several Estates of these poor 
 
The Epistle Dedicatory, 'j 
 
 persecuted People, as it is at present, to- 
 which either by the Lapse of Time, or hj 
 the Juncture of War, or both, great Num^ 
 bers of them have been reduced. 
 
 The poor among them are hence forc'd? 
 to cry again for your Help at this time : 
 And they presume also to promise them-- 
 selves the same from your great Charity,^: 
 and that from you, Her Majesty shall be 
 informed of the pressing Necessity there 
 is to recommend it to her British Parlia- 
 ment, in Order to the Relief of their ex- 
 treme Poverty and Indigence. And this 
 they are the more encouraged to, since 
 under the late Reign the House of Com- 
 mons did make no Scruple to acknowledge,, 
 and publicly notify, that all things con- 
 sider'd these Poor were not any charge at 
 all to the Nation : And since that the; 
 House of Lords also under the present 
 happy Reign of her Majesty has declar'di 
 to the Kingdom that the foreign Protes- 
 tants are profitable to it. 
 
 Nevertheless, the Old, the Sick, the 
 Widows, the Orphans, and all those whO) 
 are uncapable among them to get thein 
 
8 The Epistle Dedicatory, 
 
 Livelihood, being by long Continuance of 
 the Persecution in the Country of their 
 Nativity left destitute of everything, do 
 liere implore as with one common Voice 
 the Pity of YOUR LORDSHIPS, and 
 beseech your Help, so far at least as to re- 
 quest in their Favour from this charitable 
 Nation the Conveniences of Life in so 
 abounding a Country as this, where Provi- 
 dence has cast them.* And 
 * Your Lordship, fQj- ^g much as Humau 
 
 ■will see their Num- 
 ber, Names, Ages, Naturc has uccd of bcmg 
 QuaHtiesandHab. gustaiucd by Food and 
 
 itatioiis by a New / -^ _ ^ 
 
 List that is a mak- raiment no Ics 3 in time of 
 ^^^* War than in time of Peace, 
 
 they hope that YOUR LORDSHIPS 
 will be pleased, notwithstanding the great 
 Occasions of the Nation, to solicit for them 
 the Means whereby they may subsist, both 
 now and hereafter; as being Objects 
 spoil'd of their Goods, and all they had in 
 the World, who have been constrained to 
 forsake their ungrateful Country, because 
 they would not bow the Knee to Baal. 
 
 For these Reasons and the Royal Decla- 
 ration that I alledge, which never has been 
 
The Epistle Dedicatory. g 
 
 altered, I take the Liberty to put this 
 Book^ which contains a short but faithful 
 Recital of Matter of Fact, under the Pro- 
 tection of the Two most worthy Prelates 
 of Europe. All the Refugees have ex- 
 perienced in generak the Effects of your 
 Christian Compassion and Generosity : 
 They desire gratefully to acknowledge as 
 much, both before God and before the 
 World. What you, my Lords, have done 
 for them so honourably, and so piously, 
 they must all with one Mouth and one 
 Heart needs own and confess. May 
 YOUR LORDSHIPS continue to them 
 always the same Good Will and Affection, 
 and also survive their Miseries. 
 
 Now I cannot here mention their Ac- 
 knowledgements, without being oblig'd to 
 speak at the same time of your Benefac- 
 tions : And here indeed would be the 
 Place to publish them to the World, for 
 the Promotion of Piety and Charity ; but 
 this I dare not undertake, but shall leave 
 to some others to perform who can do it 
 better. In the mean while least my 
 Silence on this Head might be of bad Con- 
 
10 The Epistle Dedicatory. 
 
 sequence and Example, I could not but 
 give this small Hint : Tho' I forbear, 
 YOUR LORDSHIPS may be assured 
 there is no person has a deeper Sense 
 than I of your eminent Qualities and Ser- 
 vices in Favour both of Religion and of 
 the State ; and am not the less for conceal- 
 ing my name. 
 
 Your Lordships, 
 
 Most Humble 
 Faithful and 
 Obedient Servant. 
 
THE 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 This Book was first published in 
 French in the Year 1686, and then 
 Translated into English ; a Copy 
 whereof a Merchant of London sent 
 to one of his brothers in France ; and 
 some time after acquainted him, that 
 upon the instances of the French 
 Ambassador at this Court, the same 
 had been order'd to be burnt, and 
 the Translator and Printer thereof 
 almost ruin'd by Imprisonments and 
 Fines, and that the Papists took a 
 great deal of Care to suppress all the 
 Copies, least the Nation should be 
 made acquainted with the Truths 
 contained therein ; where the Cruel- 
 
14 The Preface, 
 
 ties exercis'd against the Protestants 
 of France, who would not abjure their 
 Religion, and embrace the Romish, are 
 so truly represented: 'Twas at the 
 same time that Preparations were 
 making in order to put the same 
 methods in practice against the Pro- 
 testants in England, where the Pope 
 kept openly a Nuncio, besides sev- 
 eral Monks and Jesuits : There were 
 also several Writers, as Sir Roger 
 L*Estrange and others, imploy'd, and 
 well paid, to assert that there was no 
 Persecution in France, but contrari- 
 wise voluntary Conversions to the 
 Romish Religion; ^ And that as to 
 the great number of People who left 
 their Country to come over into this, 
 under pretence of Religion, they did 
 it only for private ends and self inter- 
 est. But these Impostures were soon 
 born down by the sight of so many 
 poor Wretches that throng'd hither 
 for Refuge from those dreadful ca- 
 lamities which were inflicted on 
 them ; The consideration of which 
 made the Nation seriously think of 
 
The Preface, 15 
 
 securing the Protestant Religion, 
 which its Enemies design'd to destroy 
 here as they had done in France and 
 elsewhere. 
 
 Some Years after, the Gentleman 
 who had received this Book mEnglish, 
 came over to augment the number of 
 the Refugees in this Kingdom, and 
 inquiring after it, 'twas impossible for 
 him to light on any other Copy here : 
 But having been told since, that the 
 Anonimous Author, was that Excel- 
 lent Man of God, the late Mr. Claude, 
 Minister of Paris, who died in Hol- 
 land soon after he had written this 
 Book, by this means he got one in 
 French: and very lately by the care 
 of a *" Reverend Divine, another in 
 English, (perhaps the only one ex- 
 tant.) which being compar'd together, 
 it appears, that the Translator for 
 some regard he had to those times, 
 when the Enemies of our Holy 
 Religion were in great credit did 
 designedly omit several matters of 
 fact, and them the most important to 
 the Cause of the Refugees ; inso- 
 
 *Doctor Manningham. 
 
1 6 The Preface, 
 
 much, that above the fourth part of it 
 was cut off in the Translation ; tho' 
 the Translator far'd none the better 
 for it. 
 
 Seeing then the great efforts made 
 to suppress this Book, it the rather 
 deserves to be preserv'd among Pro- 
 testants to all Posterity. And for as 
 much as the Refugees in this King- 
 dom durst not by reason of the strict 
 Prohibition keep any of them, 'tis 
 thought of the utmost Importance to 
 revive it again, especially at this Junc- 
 ture, which seems so much more fav- 
 orable than the former, and to offer 
 it intire as if it were a new Work to 
 the Nation, according to the Re- 
 fugees first intent, in which view it is 
 now reprinted in both Languages, for 
 the convenience of those that under- 
 stand but one. 
 
 The .Public will see that this Book 
 is an Abridgment of the cruel and 
 inhumane Persecution, exercis'd a- 
 gainst the Protestants in France for 
 several Years together, to the Pre- 
 judice of the Edict of Nantes, and its 
 
The Preface.. 1 7 
 
 dismal consequences to the begin- 
 ning of the Year 1686. 'Tis likewise 
 a solemn Protestation of above 150,- 
 000 Refugees in several Protestant 
 States, who both for themselves and 
 their Brethren, that could not escape 
 the hands of the Dragoons, do call 
 to Heaven and Earth for vengence of 
 the outrages done to them or their 
 Relations, as also for the Cruelties 
 still exercis'd against those that have 
 the misfortune to be yet kept in 
 Prisons, Dungeons, Convents, or Gal- 
 leys, for the sake of their Religion, to 
 the prejudice of Natural Rights, 
 Treaties, Public Faith, Edicts, Prom- 
 ises and Oaths. 'Tis to be hoped 
 there are other writers since Mr. 
 Claude^ who wall have gather'd to- 
 gether the further Transactions re- 
 lating to this subject, in order to 
 transmit the Memory thereof to Pos- 
 terity, inspight of the Disguises and 
 Lies, the Authors of those Evils, and 
 malicious Reports have spread a- 
 broad, by means of the Declarations 
 and Subscriptions which they have 
 
1 8 The Preface, 
 
 forc'd from those they persecuted, 
 obliging 'em to say that their pretend- 
 ed Abjurations were voluntary. But 
 these foul Imputations so well known 
 to the Refugees in this Country, 
 obliged them to challenge 'em as 
 false, and to put this Question to 
 their Enemies ; To what purpose 
 (were things as you say) are the Pas- 
 sages by Sea and Land shut up, and 
 guarded with so much Cost and Pre- 
 cution, even against those that have 
 given you such Declarations ? Why 
 are so many Thousands of both Sexes 
 come into this country ? 'Tis well 
 known, they will return this Answer, 
 That the loss of those People is but 
 inconsiderable to France, since there 
 are only the poorer, and meaner sort 
 that go away, for the Rich are so nar- 
 rowly watch'd, that they cannot es- 
 cape : But this is another notorious 
 Falsehood, for on the contary there 
 are in genereal only those who had 
 Money or Credit that could be at the 
 vast Expenses necessary for their Es- 
 cape, which is computed to amount to 
 
The Preface. ig 
 
 at least 200,000 1. Sterling in specie 
 paid to the Masters of English ships, 
 merely for the passage of those that 
 came over into this Country; and as 
 for their Quality (without undervalu- 
 ing in the least any of those that fled 
 into others Countries) there are come 
 hither a Duke, and a Mareschal of 
 France^ some Generals of Armies, a 
 Dutchess, several Counts and Count- 
 esses, Marquises, and Marchionesses, 
 Judges of Soverign Courts, Viscounts, 
 Barons, Noblemen, and Gentlemen, 
 Ladies and Gentlewomen, Men of 
 Learning, Lawyers, Physicians, Sub- 
 stantial Merchants, Tradesmen of all 
 sorts, and many Captains, Masters, 
 Mariners, Gardners, and Husband- 
 men ; besides the great number of 
 Ministers who were banish'd that 
 Kingdom, with orders, to depart forth- 
 with upon pain of the Galleys. These 
 are the Persons who are said to be 
 of little Consequence; whilst their 
 Enemies do say in other places, that 
 the loss is irreparable. Now its plain 
 on the one hand, that the love of 
 
20 The Preface. 
 
 one's Country, Estate, Settlement, 
 Relations, Friends, plenty of Wine 
 and other enjoyments of this Life are 
 very strong tyes; from whence it 
 must be confess'd on the other hand, 
 that there must be some stronger 
 Motives to induce such Multitudes to 
 forsake all the afore-mentioned Ad- 
 vantages, and seek an Azilum in 
 Foreign-Countries and unknown Lan- 
 guages, against the persecutions of 
 an ungrateful Country, where one is 
 not allowed to Worship God accord- 
 ing to ones Conscience, as the Author 
 of this Book has manifestly evidenc'd. 
 This is nevertheless the dismal Lot 
 of the Refugees, and were this a 
 proper Place to speak of the Hazards, 
 Shipwrecks, and Dangers which so 
 many Thousands have been expos'd 
 to, and how many have perish'd be- 
 fore they arriv'd in this free Country, 
 no doubt but the Reader would 
 pass a Charitable Judgement upon 
 those that are come over ; But 
 this would require a Volume by itself ; 
 however, to hear the Emissaries of 
 
The Preface, 21 
 
 Rome.viho do not stick impudently to 
 affirm it, one would think there had 
 never been any Persecution in France, 
 or at least if there had, that it has 
 ceased, seeing they say, that there 
 are now no Protestants left; which 
 they endeavour the more to insinuate 
 in this time of War, when all Corre- 
 spondence is intirely cut off. 'Tis 
 therefore the Duty of those that are 
 here, to refute that falsehood, by as- 
 serting real and sensible matters of 
 fact, such as may convince the World, 
 and Great Britain in particular, that 
 since the Revocation of the Edict of 
 Nantes, the Reformed of France have 
 continually being persecuted; For, , 
 not to speak of the Slaugthers com- 
 mitted in the Cevennes, nor of what 
 has passed elsewhere, but only of cer- 
 tain matters of fact which have hap- 
 pened since the Death of the A uthor of 
 this Book, as may be proved by Per- 
 sons living here, and transacted in a 
 little District of the Parliament of 
 Guienne, (reputed to be one of the 
 most indulgent of that Kingdom in 
 
22 The Preface. 
 
 point of Religion, by reason of the 
 Trade of that Country with the 
 Northern Protestants,) one may there 
 by judge, whether there is still such a 
 thing as a Persecution in France, 
 To which end, the Paptists in this 
 kingdom are desir'd to address them- 
 selves to Martha Guisard living in 
 F^Hth-Street Soho. She will tell them 
 that she came out of France, because 
 John Guisard her Father was Burnt 
 at Nera, being accused of having ir- 
 reverently receiv'd the Cost. Let 
 them speak to Mrs. Tinel, Wife of a 
 French Minster at Bristol, and to his 
 Sister in Law, they will tell them, 
 that the Sieur ^ Mar- 
 *The History of his ^ucron their Father 
 
 Edifying Death ts <> 
 
 to be Sold at the was Haug'd at Ste. Foy, 
 ^t.rJ^t:::. for having -heia a Re- 
 ligious Assemby in his 
 House, his Estate was confiscated and 
 the House pulled down, their Mother 
 condemned to make Ameitde Honour- 
 able, her head shav'd by the Hang- 
 man, bare-footed, and in her Shift, 
 holding in her hand a lighted Torch, 
 
The Preface. 23 
 
 and afterwards to a perpetual Impris- 
 onment; and that they escaped the 
 like Severities by their flight into this 
 Kingdom, with their Brother since 
 kill'd in Our Army. Let them ask 
 of the Sieur Peyferie and his family, 
 what made them a great Estate, to be 
 reduc'd to great Streights in Tower- 
 street in Soho? He will answer that 
 being accused with some Neighbours 
 of his, of having exercis'd his Relig- 
 ion in his Country-house, he was con- 
 demned to be hang'd, his House de- 
 molished, and his Woods destroy'd, 
 but God of his mercy delivered him 
 from that danger : Let them inquire 
 of* Mrs. Charlotte, and Mrs. Mary, 
 Daughters of the Sieur ^^ la Ramiers, 
 who died in the Service of England } 
 They will tell them that his Castle 
 was pull'd down, and his Woods de- 
 stroy'd, for having held there a Re- 
 ligious Assembly. The Sieurs Dupre, 
 and Moses dii Boiist, now living in 
 the Parish of St, Giles in the Fields, 
 will testify, that they were persecuted 
 in their Persons and Estates, their 
 
24 The Preface, 
 
 Houses demolished before they fled 
 into this Country, where they are 
 necessitated to live upon the Charity 
 of the Nation, the one being 80 years 
 old, and the other grown Invalid in 
 our Army ; Martha Trapeatc and 
 Mary Lade living in Soho will an- 
 swer: That being Sick they receiv- 
 ed a visit from the Priest and Magis- 
 trate, to whom they declar'd, that 
 notwithstanding they had through 
 their persecution, been forced to ab- 
 jure their Religion, they were resolv'd 
 however to die in it; but being re- 
 covered, they were condemned to 
 make Amende Honourable, and to be 
 perpetually confined in the Manufac- 
 ture of Bourdeatix, from whence they 
 made their escape to the great danger 
 of their Lives. 'Tis into the same 
 place of Torment that Olympe Passe- 
 laigue of Bergerac, Joan Darrat, and 
 Joan her Sister of Faugeroles, Joan 
 GrotcXj judiih Chabot, Catherine 
 Mtilb, the two Mrs. Gormx, Martha 
 Cove, and others now here, to the 
 number of 18 were confin'd for en- 
 
The Preface. 25 
 
 deavouring to fly from the Persecu- 
 tion, having had the misfortune to be 
 taken going out of France, from 
 whence they afterwards made their 
 escape in the Night through the 
 Windows; as for the Men, if any of 
 them are surpris'd making their es- 
 cape; 'tis Amende Hoiiourable and 
 the Galleys^ and the Sieurs Co7ista7is 
 and Bessete of Dtiras have under- 
 gone that punishment for assisting in 
 the Assembly with the Sieur Mar- 
 gueron, and do there keep company 
 to a great many others that suffer 
 Persecution for the Cause of Religion. 
 The Sieur Augier of Casteljaloux, 
 who Died in the Fortress of Blaye. 
 is also an example of the Rigor exer- 
 cis'd by the Persecutors. 
 
 To shew how they still deal in 
 France with the Protestants, here 
 is an undeniable matter of fact, 
 Mary Perreau living in Spittlefields, 
 will tell you, that she was married 
 at Plymouth to Peter Perreau a 
 French Pilot, who a Month after 
 their marriage being Sail'd for the 
 
26 The Preface. 
 
 Straights was taken, and carried into 
 France, where he was condemned to 
 the Galleys for loi Years. Since 
 then as 'tis Death or the Gallevs for 
 the Men who refuse to change their 
 Religion, "or, are found making their 
 escape, so 'tis Amende Honourable 
 and perpetual Imprisonment for the 
 Women, where a great number have 
 Dyed, among others the Illustrious 
 Wife of the Holy Martyr the Sieur 
 Margueron, and lately the Confessors 
 Mrs. La Serre, and Mrs. Gentillot ; 
 the Prisons continue still filled with 
 Women, some of which have been 
 above 20 Years in the Town-house of 
 Bordeaux^ glorifying God by their 
 Sufferings; and amongst others, Mrs. 
 Villotes a Gentlewoman of 80 Years 
 of age, that has a Daughther living 
 in Soho, Claudine le May^ and Joan 
 her Daughter, Mrs. Bar dot, Mrs. 
 Charlemont, and a great many more 
 do sufficiently testify, that were it 
 not for the Persecution, so many Per- 
 sons would hardly be kept in Prison. 
 These are living Witnesses for 
 
The Prefdce. 27 
 
 such as desire to be further satisfied 
 of the Truth, and this small number 
 (which might be infinitely increased), 
 its hop'd will suffice both to manifest 
 the Truth, and to confute the Malice 
 of those who are endeavouring to 
 subvert it by their false slanders a- 
 gainst the Refugees ; As for in- 
 stance they gave out sometime since 
 that all the Protestants in France 
 went to Mass, and were really con- 
 verted to the Romish Religion ; than 
 which nothing is more notoriously 
 false, for proof whereof one needs 
 only observe, that the present War 
 having necessitated the raising the 
 Militia in France; Personal Taxes 
 have been laid on the Protestants 
 who refuse to go to Mass, which 
 serves as a Fund for the Payment of 
 the said Militia. So that the Clergy 
 of France^ who had promis'd the 
 French King to extirpate the Pro- 
 testant Religion, and to make the 
 Romish triumph, have done the quite 
 contrary : For let them Banish the 
 Ministers, Prohibit the Assemblies, 
 
28 The Preface. 
 
 Exile 'em and inflict even Death it- 
 self, if they please, this doth not de- 
 stroy Religion, but only as it were cuts 
 off those rivulets whose Springs re- 
 main, for they can not Banish the Light 
 of the Reform'd, nor hinder the Con- 
 solation of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 But say they, the Persecutors do 
 not now use Rigors, they will instruct 
 the Reform'd by Degrees, who being 
 once well instructed, will have no re- 
 pugnance to remain in the Romish 
 Church, This is a great mistake, 
 the Reformed are not desirous of 
 Instructions from such Ministers; let 
 them be told never so often, that 
 their Ministers have misrepresented 
 the Romish Religion, and that they 
 are to harken to their Converters 
 who will give them a right Informa- 
 tion of it, to this they will readily 
 answer, we are not so to be Instruct- 
 ed by you, for the Edicts and Decla- 
 rations you have obtained from the 
 King against us, our Ministers Ban- 
 ish'd at your sollicitations our Breth- 
 ren condemned to the Galleys, and 
 
The Preface, 2g 
 
 to Death by your Persecutions, the 
 Cruelties exercis'd against us by the 
 Dragoons, all your Treacheries, In- 
 justices, and Cruelties do sufficiently 
 shew us what your Religion and 
 Faith is, and plainly convinces us, 
 that it is not from God, what Profes- 
 sion soever you pretend to make of 
 Christianity. Let this suffice to be 
 said in justification of the Protestants 
 that still remain in France, under the 
 longest and sharpest Persecution 
 that ever was heard of, and in which 
 Fraud and Imposture are counten- 
 anced by force, and this is the reason 
 the matters of fact Jiere-mentioned 
 have been produced from one little 
 part of the Kingdom only, because 
 they may so easily be proved here 
 Viva Voce. And then let any one 
 judge what is transacted in other 
 Places, where the Protestants are us'd 
 with greater severity. And by the 
 way one may here see the Causes 
 and Motives, of the depopulating of 
 France, and the Reasons why so many 
 Thousands fled into Protestant Coun- 
 
30 The Preface. 
 
 tries to shelter themselves, from the 
 Injuries their Brethren are still ex- 
 pos'd to. 
 
 Having now represented the sev- 
 eral Qualities of the French Refugees 
 in this Kingdom, (who must not be 
 suppos'd to be of higher rank than 
 those that have taken Sanctuary 
 in other Countries), it may confi- 
 dently be affirm'd that such an en- 
 crease of People, is an advantageous 
 Acquisition to this Kingdom, for 
 they were not all poor as is well 
 known at the Exchequer, and Royal 
 Exchange, especially, if we give any 
 credit to the Computation that has 
 been made in France, of what they 
 brous^ht over, and of the loss that 
 Kino^dom has sustain'd. 'Tis confi- 
 dently reported there, that sometime 
 before the Revocation of the Edict 
 of N'antes, and during the great Per- 
 secution, many Protestants foresee- 
 ing the Misfortunes likely to befall 
 'em, sent away a great part of their 
 Estate out of France, insomuch that 
 it's computed, the Refugees, one 
 
The Preface, 3 1 
 
 with another, either in Money, 
 Goods, Jewels or other movables, 
 have brought over at least the value 
 of one Hundred Pounds Sterling, 
 whereby that Nation is so much im- 
 poverish'd in its Funds, (which it 
 has so much wanted since) to this 
 they add; that of necessary Con- 
 sumption which is reckoned at 7 1. 
 Sterling /^r Head per Annufn ; and 
 therefore by the Rule of contraries, 
 that Country whither they have 
 transplanted themselves, is by so 
 much the gainer. However 'tis hop'd 
 none will be so uncharitable as to 
 doubt, that out of Gratitude as v^^ell 
 as Affection, the Refugees are intire- 
 ly devoted to the Nation that has re- 
 ceiv'd 'em with so much Humanity. 
 This will appear if it be consider'd 
 how great a share they had in the 
 Reduction of Ireland, where upwards 
 of 7000 of them perish'd either by 
 Sword or Sickness, which must 
 otherwise have fallen upon the Eng- 
 lish ; Some of the Refugees have en- 
 deavoured to subsist both by liberal 
 
32 The Preface. 
 
 and mechanic Arts, and Husbandry, 
 but above all by their mutual Trade 
 and Correspondence with their Ac- 
 quaintance and Friends that have 
 settled in others Countries, as in 
 Switzerland^ Geneva^ Germany^ Hol- 
 land and the Northern Crowns, 
 which has much increas'd all the 
 Revenues of this Kingdom, and 
 given a greater blow to France, than 
 six Civil Wars could other ways have 
 done, and at the same time have pro- 
 cur'd to this Kingdom in particular, 
 A real and lasting advantage, as the 
 House of Lords, was pleased to take 
 notice in a Conference with the Com- 
 mons, about the Bill for preventing 
 Occasional Conformity, in 
 ^Printed ^]^g words foUowins: page 
 
 tn February / \ n, . 7^ 
 
 770J. (24) "^ As to the Foreign Pro- 
 
 testants^ there is great reason to 
 give them all just encouragement^ for as they 
 have brought among us many New Manu- 
 factures, so they have carried them so far, 
 that of late years we have exported to the 
 value of a Million of Woollen Manufac- 
 tures, more than was done in King Charles s 
 
The Preface. 33 
 
 Reign, before they came among us ; and 
 the putting them tender Apprehensions or 
 D iscouragem,ents , may be a means to drive 
 them to a Cotmtry where they are sure 
 of an intire Liberty. The Lords add, We 
 have felt the happy effects of the liberty 
 granted the^n in the last Reign, and. it is 
 to be hoped, that jiothing will be done in 
 this to im,peach that, or to raise Apprehen- 
 sions and Fears in the minds of Men, that 
 are so useful to us in the m,ost important 
 Article of our Trade. 
 
 The opinion oi that Noble House, 
 who have thus eniinently stood up 
 for the Refugees, ought one would 
 think to have silenced that multitude 
 of malicious Libels that are daily 
 Publish'd against 'em, whose Authors 
 have so little modesty as to affirm, 
 that the French are come over for 
 want of means of subsistancej and 
 not out of Zeal for Religion ; which 
 Calumny the English Tradesmen 
 magnify exceedingly because they say, 
 that the French Refugees work cheap- 
 er than they do. Now supposing 
 
34 The Preface, 
 
 that were true ; it can be no damage 
 in the least, even to them that com- 
 plain; For if a Shoemaker, for ex- 
 ample, get 3 or 4 Pence less in a Pair 
 of Shoes, he on the other hand will 
 save that in his Gloves, and much 
 more in his Hat, which by the same 
 reason will be render'd as cheap in 
 proportion, and so of all other things. 
 But if any one would contest this 
 matter farther, we shall leave their 
 justification to the Landlords of those 
 Houses that have been built since 
 their coming over, the Rent of which 
 by a modest Computation cannot 
 amount to less than 8O5OO0I. yearly, 
 and they without doubt will afifirm 
 that their Refugee Tenants are no 
 ways prejudicial to the Nation, for 
 those of 'em that subsist of them- 
 selves, relieve to the utmost of their 
 Power such of their Brethren as are 
 necessitous, and readily pay both 
 Parish and National Taxes; They 
 have most of them been Naturaliz'd, 
 tho' at their own proper Charges, and 
 pay the Rent of their Churches, and 
 
The Preface. 35 
 
 the Salaries of their Ministers, Read- 
 ers and Schoolmasters, whereas in 
 other Countries, especially in Hol- 
 land, the Refugees are naturaliz'd 
 gratis, they have the Freedom of 
 keeping Shops, and exercising their 
 respective Callings, and have been 
 supplied with above 100 Churches, 
 either in the United Provinces, or in 
 Germany, at the charge" of the States 
 General, who very far from suffering 
 'em to pay the Ministers of the 
 Country, where they reside, do them- 
 selves pay the stipends of the Refu- 
 gee Ministers, Readers and School- 
 masters, which are very considerable. 
 But what is yet more to their advan- 
 tage is, that since the Persecution 
 which hath lasted now above 21 
 Years, most of which time the States 
 General have in Conjunction with 
 this Kingdom, being engaged in an 
 Expensive War against France ; not 
 one Refugee in Holland has ever 
 pay'd one Farthing for his Personal 
 Estate or Stock in Trade. One 
 might enlarge very much on this sub- 
 
36 The Preface. 
 
 ject, were it not fear'd that the Libel- 
 lers would insinuate from hence, 
 as tho' the Refugees complained, 
 whereas they are so far from it, that 
 'tis unwillingly they are forc'd to in- 
 stance in these things, to defend 
 themselves against those that en- 
 deavor to asperse them, with the tak- 
 ing away the Bread out of English- 
 men's Mouths, in order to render 
 them odious to the common People ; 
 'Tis also in that view alone the Refu- 
 gees alledge the advantagious settle- 
 ment of their Brethren in Branden- 
 bourgh, the History whereof has been 
 printed at Berlin, by Robert Roger, 
 in 1690, which shews they believe in 
 that Country that the Refugees are a 
 very great Benefit to them, seeing his 
 Prussian Majesty is not content only 
 to favour them in his own Domin- 
 ions, but likewise causes his Ambas- 
 sadors in other Protestant Courts to 
 make * Collects in the behalf of all 
 such Protestants as take Refuge in 
 his Countries. 
 
 * Her Majesty'' s Brief for the Protestants of the Princi- 
 pality of Orange^ Owned Subjects of his Prussian Majesty , 
 Dated the 77 November^ 1703. 
 
The Preface, 37 
 
 If therefore all Politicians agree, 
 that multitudes of People make the 
 Glory of Kings, and the Riches of a 
 country, why are then so many Li- 
 bels suffer'd here to be Publish'd in 
 opposition to those General Maxims ? 
 The Refugees think themselves un- 
 der an obligation to declare it, and 
 let the Fublick know, that this 
 Evil proceeds from the Enemies of 
 their Religion ; some unquestionable 
 Proofs whereof shall be brought here- 
 after : But first 'tis proper to give 
 an Account of a very remarkable thing 
 that happened in the Year 1664. 
 Some Popish Villages of the Dis- 
 trict of Lalew in the Low Countries 
 Corresponding with Amsterdam, and 
 coming accidently by some Books of 
 Controversy, were soon perswaded of 
 the Falsehood of the Popish Relig- 
 ion, and thereupon forsook it, which 
 the Curates perceiving made their 
 complaints to the Bishop, and the 
 Bishop to the French King, after 
 several Citations, Sentence was pro- 
 nounced, that they should either go 
 
38 The Preface. 
 
 to Mass, or leave the Country, those 
 Pious Christians rather chose the 
 latter; at which King Charles II. 
 was pleas'd to order Deputies to be 
 sent thither to invite them over into 
 England^ and to make 'em very ad- 
 vantageous offers, besides the de- 
 fraying their Charges; But the Kings 
 of Sweden and Denmark^ the States 
 of Holland, and the Electors Pala- 
 tine, Saxony and Brandenbourg, hav- 
 ing at the same time sent their Dep- 
 uties, the Conditions offerd on the 
 part of the Elector * Palatine being 
 more advantageous than 
 ^Privileges othcrs, thcy Settled in 
 
 granted to the i * /^ jl i. i-1 
 
 LiiesofLaiew, his Couutry to the num- 
 
 in 17 Articles by bcr of 180O MCU, WO" 
 
 Charles Lewis i r^\ '\ ^ 
 
 Earl Palatine, "^'Gn, aud Children, 
 5 August ibb4. Tradesmen and Hus- 
 bandmen, destitute of 
 everything. But by reason of the 
 late Wars in the Palatinate, and the 
 destruction of Billingheim, they were 
 obliged to leave that Country and 
 settle in Pomerania., where they now 
 are. This may serve to confute the 
 
The Preface. 39 
 
 unthinking Libellers ; for no suffici- 
 ent reason can be given why such 
 numbers of Protestants as come over 
 of themselves should be less esteem'd 
 than those who are invited by great 
 Offers. For they as well as these 
 encrease the Consumption of our 
 Manufactures and Products, espec- 
 ially that of Corn, and thereby save 
 the Five Shillings per Quarter on 
 what they consume, which would 
 otherwise be paid on Exportation ; 
 Add to this the Sentiments of Sr. 
 Thofnas Culpeper in his Political 
 Treatise, Sr. William Petty in his 
 Political Arithmetic, Sr. Josiah Child 
 in his new discourse of Trade, and 
 Sr. Francis Brewster in his Essays 
 on Trade, wherein its manifest all 
 their efforts chiefly aim at inculcating 
 the absolute necessity of an increase 
 of People, which they say is the 
 Source of Riches, and confess that 
 this Nation being under-peopled 
 stands in need of being Recruited. 
 
 It has already been said that the 
 Refugees to testify their Acknow- 
 
40 The Preface. 
 
 ledgements have readily exposed 
 themselves to the perils of War, and 
 that in the Reduction of Ireland 
 above 7000 of 'em have perished ; 
 which must once more be repeated, 
 because 'tis the sad Spring from 
 whence proceeds the great number 
 of Sick and Maimed Persons, Wid- 
 ows, and Orphans, that have lost 
 their Husbands, Fathers, Brothers 
 and other Relations, who during-their 
 Lives supplied their Wants, besides 
 several Old Gentlemen, Old Minis- 
 ters, and their Wives, who in Process 
 of time being grown weak and out of 
 employment, after having spent all 
 they had saved out of France, are re- 
 duc'd to the necessity of begging the 
 Public Charity of the Nation, and be- 
 cause 'tis these that are the most ex- 
 pos'd to the continual Machinations 
 of their Enemies, let this Preface in- 
 form the Reader of what perhaps he 
 may be unacquainted with, which is 
 the manner of their subsistance; since 
 a more favorable opportunity will 
 hardly ever offer it self, than the pres- 
 
The Preface, 4 1 
 
 ent Publication of their Complaints 
 against their Country-men. And to 
 this purpose 'tis necessary to remind 
 him of what pass'd in the Sessions of 
 Parliament in 1695, when those Poor 
 People presented a petition to the 
 House of Commons, whereupon a 
 Committee was appointed, in which 
 upon the examination of their several 
 Qualities, Ages and Callings; 'twas 
 found that the number of Old Gentle- 
 men, and Ministers, their Wives, Chil- 
 dren, Widows and Orphans, was then 
 2460 Persons worthy of the Public 
 Charity of the Nation, as appears by 
 the Committee's Report to the House, 
 containing the Declarations of King 
 Charles the \\. of the 28th of July 
 1 68 1 , and of King William and Queen 
 Mary of the 25th of April 1689. men- 
 tioned in the said Report, importing, 
 That the French Protestants having 
 been invited with great promises of 
 assistance, to come hither, it were a 
 great scaridal to the Government and 
 Religion, if they were not speedily re- 
 lieved, and that it would be strange if 
 
42 The Preface, 
 
 this Nation should suffer itself to be 
 outdone by their Neighbours in so ex- 
 cellent a work, seeing, that what Char- 
 ity soever is bestow' d upon them (be- 
 sides the Blessing that redounds from 
 it) the Nation is ne'er the Poorer since 
 it receives it back by Consumption as 
 fast as it is given, Tn consideration 
 of which Report the House of Com- 
 mons Voted 1 5000I. Sterling /^r ^4;^- 
 nuTn for the subsistance of those 
 Poor Refugees. But 3000I. being ap- 
 pointed for the Ministers out of the 
 said sum, there remain'd but 12000I. 
 for the Laity, both here and in Ireland^ 
 which being then Paid in Remote 
 Taillys and Malt Tickets, and the 
 same being ordered to be Sold by the 
 Lords appointed for regulating the 
 Manner of distributing the Charity of 
 the Nation. There was in 1696, 1697, 
 and 1698, lost by them 6559I. 9s. lod. 
 which deprived the Poor of Seven 
 Months Subsistance, during which 
 time they were obliged to Borrow, 
 what they could without having any 
 prospect of repaying the same, unless 
 
The Preface, 43 
 
 the Deficiency upon the Tallies should 
 be made good, which as it was never 
 done, has increas'd their Number. 
 This is the Account of what pass'd in 
 Parliament, one might add to the 
 Misfortune of that Deficiency, a yet 
 heavier loss for the Poor French Refu- 
 gees, which is that they did not re- 
 ceive the Charity of the Nation, the 
 Year King William died, which was 
 then due and never paid, (the Warrant 
 for which is yet unsatisfied ;) Which 
 losses inevitably oblig'd 'em to con- 
 tract Debts for their daily Sustenance, 
 which being wholly unable to satisfy 
 their Creditors, many of them have 
 acted rigourously to the utter ruin of 
 such as were left destitute by these 
 unexpected Deficiencies, which to- 
 gether with the Continuation of the 
 War, and the Calamities that attend 
 it have so increas'd their Misery, that 
 by a List newly Publish'd by Order 
 of His Grace the Lord Archbishop of 
 Canterbury, and the Lord Bishop of 
 London, containing the Quality, Age, 
 Sex and Habitation of every one, it 
 
44 l^he Preface. 
 
 appears that from the Year 1696, and 
 the Report then made to this present 
 time, they are increas'd to more than 
 double the Number, and that for some 
 Years the 12000I. has not been suffi- 
 cient to pay the rent of their Lodg- 
 ings, and besides most of them being 
 Old and Sick, let any one imagine the 
 straights these Poor People are re- 
 duc'd to, (which is not fit to be Pub- 
 lish'd) and what Assistance can they 
 expect from the other Refugees, who 
 according to the Enemies Computa- 
 tion, have so little for themselves as 
 will hardly suffice to maintain them; 
 so that unless some more effectual 
 means be found out for their Support, 
 their Numbers without a miracle must 
 daily increase ; for humanly speak- 
 ing, tho' the Refugees should 
 *2Con5. exceed the ^Macedonians 
 in Charity to one another, 
 nothing is to be expected but an ad- 
 dition of Misery. But there is reason 
 to expect better things from this 
 Charitable Nation, when with their 
 wonted Compassion, they will be 
 
The Preface. 45 
 
 pleased to take notice of the great 
 occasion there is of exercising their 
 Clemency towards such a number of 
 miserable Objects, it being to be 
 hop'd there are many who will follow 
 the example of the Right Honorable 
 Mr. Secretary Harley, whose Kind= 
 nesses and Charitable Offices proceed- 
 ing from meer motives of Religion 
 and Humanity towards these Poor 
 Sufferers, they have often felt the 
 good effects of. as well as of so many 
 other Worthy Members of Parlia- 
 ment, who know, That giving to the 
 Poor is lending unto the Lord!^ 
 
 It has already been observ'd that 
 the Enemies of the Reformed Relig- 
 ion are those Libellers who are always 
 endeavoring to propagate that of 
 Rome, and strive to render the con- 
 dition of the French Protestants 
 bitter and grievous, they have Emis- 
 saries who make it their Business to 
 descend from the general, even to the 
 particular Persons of the Poor, whom 
 they attack with grievous Calumnies, 
 Reproaching them with having left 
 
 * Proverbs, chapter 19, verse 17. 
 
46 The Preface, 
 
 their Wooden Shoes, and the Garlick 
 and Onions they lived upon, to come 
 hither to live at ease, and rob Green- 
 wich Hospital, and the Widows, and 
 Orphans of the Nation, of the Chari- 
 ties which they so much better de- 
 serve, and are now bereft of, by their 
 being bestowed on such unworthy 
 People. Thus they endeavor to de- 
 prive them of all manner of comfort, 
 that they may be obliged to return to 
 France, whilst on the other hand they 
 make the Ways and means of repair- 
 ing thither, very easy to such as are 
 willing to go. Several instances of 
 such Intrigues might be brought 
 whereby they have enticed away many 
 Children, who in France are put in 
 Possession of the whole Estate of the 
 Family, provided they abjure their 
 Religion. Those Emissaries of Rome 
 pretend to do those Evils that Good 
 may come of it, but that is to accu- 
 mulate Crime upon Crime, one of 
 their Creatures had the Confidence 
 to present a Petition to Her Majesty, 
 and to his Grace the Lord Arch- 
 
The Preface. 47 
 
 bishop of Canterbury, and the Lord 
 Bishop of London, importing that 
 the French Committee appointed by 
 the Lords ^Commissioners for dis- 
 tributing the Public Charity, were 
 false to their Trust, beseeching Her 
 Majesty to give him leave to secure 
 their Persons, and that in the mean- 
 time the Charity of the Nation should 
 be suspended ; Upon this and such 
 like Representations Her Majesty 
 was pleased to order Sr, Owen Buck- 
 ingham the then Lord Mayor to 
 Summon the English Committee to 
 Examine the Matter, and make their 
 Report. The Person thereupon ap- 
 pearing before them could not make 
 out the least appearance of Misde- 
 meanor in the French Committee, 
 and finding that the * Report would 
 not be in his favour, and that Her 
 Majesty had order'd the Attorney 
 General to prosecute him, he made 
 his escape beyond Sea, since which 
 it was discover'd that he was a Papist 
 in disguise, that fled from Piedmont 
 for having killed a Priest; and his 
 
 * Report made the 26th July, 1705. 
 
48 The Preface. 
 
 wife confess'd that he was to receive 
 a Reward, could he have compass'd 
 the Design of annulling the French 
 Committee, which consist of Persons 
 beyond all Suspicion, who give an 
 exact Account of their Administra- 
 tion to the English Commissioners, 
 who both the one and the other em- 
 ploy their Time, Care and Pains 
 from no other Principle than their 
 Duty to God and Charity to their 
 poor Brethren, and yet such Repre- 
 sentations, false as they are, having 
 pass'd for current without any de- 
 fence from afflicted Innocence, have 
 proved of dangerous Consequence; 
 for it hath been observed for some 
 Years past, that the Charitable Ex- 
 ample of several Worthy Christians, 
 who have formerly left Gifts and 
 Legacies at their Death, is very little 
 followed at this time when there is so 
 great an occasion for it, the Disuse 
 of which Laudable Custom is in a 
 great measure attributed to the subtle 
 and crafty Insinuations of the Emis- 
 saries of France and Rome, who leave 
 
The Preface. 4g 
 
 no means unattempted for the De- 
 struction of the Refugees, whilst the 
 Popish Tenet of the Merit of Good 
 Works by the Pope's Indu]gencies,and 
 the Priests' Exhortations, is an almost 
 incredible Support to the necessitous 
 English and Irish Papists in France. 
 To sum up all from what has been 
 said, 'tis to be hop'd no one will 
 suffer himself any longer to be preju- 
 diced against the Poor Refugees; 
 But that all will submit to the favour- 
 able Declarations of those August 
 Bodies the Houses of Lords and 
 Commons, that so the great number 
 of poor Members of Jesus Christ, who 
 have escaped the Persecution and 
 now implore the Charity of the Nation 
 in a manner proportionable to their 
 Wants, should live comfortably and 
 Die in Peace, which might be ef- 
 fected, could it be contrived that each 
 of Her Majesty's Subjects in England 
 should give but a Penny every Year 
 towards their Relief, (and that would 
 suffice them,) which would not in the 
 least be felt, if it be considered that 
 
50 The Preface. 
 
 it would all be spent here ; besides 
 as most of them are old and sickly, 
 Death, humanly speaking, will in a 
 very little time rid the Nation of 
 them, and the Younger of them, who 
 do not remember France, but with 
 Sentiments of Resentment, are dayly 
 blended among the English ; Inso- 
 much, that, after the present War is 
 ended, there should be liberty of re- 
 turning, there are few will go back, 
 but those that now seem to be 
 chargeable to the Nation, and have 
 left great Estates there, but their 
 Number will be compensated doubly 
 by the Parents and Friends of those 
 that shall remain, who will be induced 
 to come hither, w4iere joynin^ with 
 those whose Abilities and Talents 
 permit 'em to enjoy the Happiness 
 and Liberty they find, under the 
 Reign of Her most Sacred Majesty, 
 will altogether esteem it their Glory 
 and Felicity to live here, and be faith- 
 ful and zealous Subjects of the 
 Country that has been their Sanctu- 
 ary, and thereby encrease the Power 
 and Glory and Riches thereof. 
 
A 
 
 SHORT ACCOUNT 
 
 Of the COMPLAINTS, 
 
 AND 
 
 Cruel PERSECUTIONS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 PROTESTANTS 
 
 IN THE 
 
 KINGDOM of FRANCE. 
 
 The Barbarities committed of late 
 against the Protestants of France,, 
 must appear so detestable to all who 
 have not quite divested themselves 
 of Humanity, and are such terrible 
 Prodigies of Fury and Iniquity, as 'tis 
 not to be wonder'd they who have 
 
54 1^^^ Complaints of the 
 
 been the Authors thereof, should use 
 all sort of means to extenuate as 
 much as they can and to their utmost 
 endeavours keep from the knowledge 
 of the Publick the down right Truth 
 of the matter. Did we not know 
 that this was a project, which they 
 for a great while together, had con- 
 certed, and plotted, and into which 
 after long Deliberation they had pur- 
 posely introduced all those Injust 
 Passions, which have therein ap- 
 peared in all their Colours, we might 
 possibly then say, that this their ex- 
 tenuation might be a mark of the 
 tacit condemnation of what they had 
 done, and suppose this their palliat- 
 ing an acknowledgment of their own 
 Displeasure at it. 
 
 Bilt when Men Act in cold Blood, 
 and with a premeditated fury, how 
 extravagant soever their Actions are, it 
 is not usual for them to repent of 'em, 
 'tis therefore better to say, that if 
 this be not an effect of some remains 
 of shame, and remorse of Conscience, 
 we may suppose at least 'tis out of 
 
Protestants of France. 55 
 
 some respect and regard to the 
 World, which do's not permit 'em to 
 expose to its View, those violences in 
 their true and natural Form, but on 
 the contrary obliges them to disguise 
 'em in order to diminish their horrour. 
 But whatever fine gloss may be set 
 on these Proceedinsfs, it must be 
 however confessed, that it is an un- 
 conceivable Impudence thus to pre- 
 tend to impose on the whole World 
 in matters of fact, so certain and so 
 publick as those are, and to endeavour 
 to put a cheat upon all Europe, as to 
 Transactions known, not barely by- 
 Gazettes, or by Publick Prints, but 
 which is much more authentick, by 
 an almost infinite Number of the 
 very Persons themselves of all Ranks, 
 who are escaped, to set before the 
 Eyes of the remotest Nations their 
 Miseries and Calamities : Nay, it can- 
 not be denied, but that after hav- 
 ing so terribly overwhelm'd Innocent 
 People in their own Country, it is 
 beyond Barbarity it self, to endeavour 
 to stifle their Complaints in other 
 
56 The Complaints of the 
 
 Countries whither they are driven. 
 And by this means deprive them of 
 a Compassion which even the bare 
 Instincts of Nature, never refuse to 
 the miserable. However, this is the 
 course our Persecutors in France 
 hold at this Day, Cruelty by their 
 Order marcheth first, and then Im- 
 posture followeth after; That so 
 all the Mischief which Cruelty hath 
 brought forth, Imposture at the Heels 
 of it may not only cover over, but 
 likewise aggravate; to the end that 
 the objects of their Fury may be left 
 destitute of every Remedy, or Relief, 
 be it never so small. 
 
 It were not reasonable to suffer 
 them to go on, in this Second ^^'SA^n, 
 as they have done in the First; and 
 therefore, till a more exact Account 
 may be given of all the Particulars 
 transacted in the different Acts of 
 this Trajedy, we shall choose some 
 principal Instances upon which we 
 shall make such Reflections, as will 
 enable the World to pass an equita- 
 ble and impartial Judgment on the 
 
Protesla7tis of France. 57 
 
 whole Proceeding. And as we shall 
 say nothing as to matters of fact, but 
 what is certainly and notoriously 
 known ; So we shall advance nothing 
 in our Reflections, but what all, even 
 of the meanest Capacity, may easily 
 comprehend. 
 
 To begin with matters of fact ; 
 there is no Body but knows, that a 
 little after his present Majesty of 
 France came to the Crown, there 
 arose in the Kingdom a Civil War, 
 which proved so sharp and desperate, 
 as brought the State within a Hair's 
 breadth of utter Ruin. 'Tis also well 
 known, that in the midst of all these 
 Troubles, those of the Reformed Re- 
 ligion still kept their Loyalty so in- 
 violable, and accompanied it with 
 such a Zeal, and with a fervour so 
 extraordinary, and so successful, that 
 the King found himself oblig'd to 
 give Publick Marks of it, by a Decla- 
 ration made at St. Ger^nains, in the 
 Year 1652. Then as well at Court 
 as in the Armies, each strove to pro- 
 claim loudest the Merits of the Re- 
 formed, and even the Queen Mother 
 
58 The Complaints of the 
 
 herself was the first who set the Ex- 
 ample, readily acknowledging, that 
 they had indeed preserv'd the State. 
 This is known by all; but 'twill 
 hardly be believed, though it be too 
 true, what our very Enemies them- 
 selves have an Hundred times told us ; 
 and which the sequel has but too 
 shrewdly confirmed, that this was 
 precisely the principal and most es- 
 sential Cause of our Ruin, and of all 
 the Mischiefs which we have since 
 suffer'd ; For endeavours were used to 
 envenom all these important Services 
 in the King's and his Ministers' 
 minds, by perswading them, that if 
 on this Occasion this Party could 
 preserve the State, this sheweth they 
 could likewise have overthrown it, 
 had they ranked themselves on the 
 other side? and might still easily do 
 it if such a like Occasion should 
 again offer itself. That therefore 
 this party must by all means be 
 crush'd, and the good they have done 
 utterly disregarded, and look't on 
 only, as an Indication of the Evil 
 
Protestants of France. 59 
 
 which they may one Day be capable 
 of doing. 
 
 Now, that this way of reasoning 
 which refines upon all that is most 
 malicious and Diabolical, and pro- 
 ceeds, even so far as to hinder the 
 Subjects from discharging their Duty 
 to their Sovereign for fear of drawing 
 on themselves thereby Punishments 
 instead of the Recompenses which 
 they might reasonably expect, should 
 be relished as a piece of most excel- 
 lent Policy, is that, which we could 
 never have thought, had we not been 
 convinced by experience; For as 
 soon as the Kingdom was settl'd in 
 Peace, the design of destroying the 
 Reformed was resolv'd on, and the 
 better to make 'em comprehend that 
 their Loyalty had ruin'd them, those 
 Cities which had shewed most of it, 
 were first begun with. Immediately 
 then, on slight pretenses, they fell 
 furiously on RocheL, Montaubau, and 
 Millau, these three towns, where 
 those of the Reformed Religion had 
 most signalized themselves for the 
 Interests of the Court; Rocket undtY- 
 
6o The Complaiftis of the 
 
 went an incredible number of Pro- 
 scriptions, Moiitaubau and Millau 
 were sack'd by the Soldiers. 
 
 But these being but particular 
 stroaks and meer Preludes as it were, 
 which decided nothing; They tarried 
 not long before they made appear 
 the great and general Machines, they 
 were to use in the carrying on of 
 their intended design to the last ex- 
 tremity. It would be too difHcult a 
 matter to give an exact Account of all 
 these several Methods and Engines, 
 the number of them was so prodig- 
 iously multiplied : For never did Hu- 
 mane Malice before produce such a 
 Fertil Crop of them, every Day bring- 
 ing forth new ones for Twenty Years 
 together, and the Fund thereof all the 
 while never exhausted. To take only 
 notice therefore of the Chief of them, 
 and such as were most obvious to every 
 Eye ; they may be reduced to these 
 Six Orders, i. Those which relate 
 to the vexatious Suits and Trials in 
 the ordinary course of Judicature. 2. 
 Those which concern the Deprivation 
 
Protestants of France. 6 1 
 
 from all kinds of Offices and Employ- 
 ments, and from all other ways of 
 Subsistance. 3. The Infractions of 
 the Edict of Nantes, under the Notion 
 and Title of Explications. 4. New 
 Laws and new Regulations. 5. 
 Juggling contrivances and tricking 
 Amusements. 6. And lastly, those 
 which had for their end the animating 
 of People, and inspiring them with 
 hatred and animosity against us. 
 These are the most considerable 
 means which the Persecutors have 
 employed to attain their Ends, and 
 the Paths which thev have chosen to 
 tread in for several Years ; / say for 
 several Years, for what they had in 
 Prospect being no easy matter, they 
 needed therefore time to order their 
 Engines, and dispose their Materials; 
 not to take notice of their Traverses 
 also, and Interruptions by some 
 Foreign Wars, whose success did not 
 a little contribute to blow up their 
 courage, and to confirm them in 
 the design which they had formicd 
 ao:ainst us. 
 
62 The Complaints of the 
 
 * The First of these 
 ^ First Method ^gans has had an al- 
 
 of Fersecution. , 
 
 most infinite extent, as 
 would easily appear if we should 
 make a recital of all the Condemna- 
 tions of Churches, or Suppressions 
 of the Exercises of Religion, with all 
 the other Vexations which have been 
 brought about by the establishing of 
 Commissioners of both Religions. 
 
 This Appointment of Commission- 
 ers out of both the Religions was a 
 Snare the most Dextrously contriv'd 
 that could be, for, immediately after 
 the Pirenean Treaty, the King under 
 pretense of redressing the Contraven- 
 tions against the Edict of Nantes^ es- 
 tablish'd them in the several Provinces. 
 The Roman Catholic Commissioner 
 was every where his Majesty's In- 
 tendant; who was to be sure a fit 
 Man for the purpose, arm'd with all 
 the regal Authority, and well in- 
 structed in the Secret. The other, 
 was either some hungry Officer a 
 Pensioner to the Court, or at best 
 some Poor Gentleman, who had usu- 
 
Protestants of France. 63 
 
 ally neither the Understanding requi- 
 site in these sorts of Affairs, nor the 
 Liberty of Speaking his Mind. The 
 Clergy who had set them up, were 
 the Spring that made them move or 
 lie still at pleasure. The Syndicks 
 were received before them as formal 
 Parties in all our Affairs ; the Assign- 
 ations were given in their Name, the 
 Persecutions also, and as well the 
 Judgments of the Commissioners 
 when they were divided, as the Ap- 
 peals from their Ordinances, were fi- 
 nally to be decided in the King's 
 Council. 
 
 Thus in general all the Priviledges 
 of the Churches, as well with Relation 
 to the Exercise of Religion, the 
 places of Publick Worship, and the 
 Rights of Burial, as all other depend- 
 encies were called in Question, and 
 consequently exposed to the fresh 
 Pursuits of the Clergy, and the ill In- 
 tention of the Judges. In which 
 there was not the least spark of 
 Equity, for the Edict having been 
 once executed, according to the In- 
 
64 The Complaints of the 
 
 tention of him that gave it, there 
 needed no second touches ; it being 
 moreover wholly unlikely those of the 
 Reformed Religion, who had been 
 ever in the Kingdom the suffering- 
 Party, could usurp anything therein, 
 and extend its Limits beyond wdiat 
 belonged to them. But the providing 
 against the Contraventions was the 
 least of their Intention; and there- 
 fore by this Order, the greatest part 
 of the Churches, cited for the Justify- 
 ing of their Rights, saw themselves 
 soon condemned one after another, 
 by Decrees of Council, how good and 
 sufficient soever their Titles and De- 
 fences were. Scarcely passed there 
 a Week, wherein these kind of De- 
 crees were not made; and if it so 
 happen'd that at any time the Judges 
 for very shame, saved any of them, 
 through the great Evidence of their 
 Right, as this sometimes happened ; 
 besides that the number was small in 
 com.parison of those that were con- 
 demned, the Judges often received ex- 
 press Orders to pass Sentence against 
 
Protestants of France. 65 
 
 them, when they declared they could 
 not do it with a safe conscience. 
 
 But the Oppressions of this kind 
 did not terminate in the bare Con- 
 demnation of Churches; for particu- 
 lar Persons bore likewise their part. 
 In ordinary and Civil Affairs, where 
 the Matter was concerning, Meunt 
 and Tuum as perhaps a piece of 
 Land, an House or a Debt between a 
 Roman Catholick and a person of the 
 Reformed Religion, Religion was al- 
 ways one of the chief Heads of the 
 Accusation, The Monks, the Mis- 
 sionaries, the Confessors, and all the 
 whole tribe of that Crew, interested 
 themselves in the Affair. And in 
 Courts of Justice all the cry was ; T 
 Plead against an Heritick, 1 have to 
 do with a Man of a Religion odious 
 to the State, and which the King is 
 resolved to extirpate. 
 
 By this means, there was very little 
 Justice to be expected, few Judges 
 were proof against this false Zeal, for 
 fear of drawing the Fury of the whole 
 Cabal against them, or passing for 
 
66 The Complaints of the 
 
 favourers of Heriticks. 'Tis not to 
 be imagined how many unjust Sen- 
 tences these sorts of Prejudices have 
 procur'd, in all the Courts of the 
 Kingdom ; and how many families 
 have been ruined by 'em. And 
 whenever any one complained, the 
 Answer w^as ready. You have the 
 Remedy in your ozvn Hands ; zvky do 
 yoiA, not turn Catholick? 
 
 Yet all this had been nothing had 
 the Persecution stopp'd here, and not 
 proceeded to fasten on the Reputa- 
 tion, the Liberty, and even the very 
 Lives of Persons, by a general Inun- 
 dation (as, one may term it,) of crimi- 
 nal Processes and oppressive Trials. 
 Orders w^ere Printed at Paris, and 
 sent from thence to all Cities and 
 Parishes of the Kingdom, which 
 imoowered the Parochial Priests, 
 Church-wardens and others, to make 
 an exact inquiry into whatsoever any 
 of the pretended Reformed might 
 have done or said for Tv/enty Years 
 past, as w^ell on the subject of Relig- 
 ion, as otherwise, to make Informa- 
 
Protestants of France. 67 
 
 tion of this before t\\^ Justices of the 
 Place, and Punish them to the ut- 
 most extremity. Thence have we 
 seen for several Years in execution 
 of these Orders, the Prisons and 
 Dungeons every where fill'd with 
 these kind of Criminals. Neither 
 v/ere false Witnesses lacking; But 
 that which v/as most detestable was, 
 that though the Judges were sufficient- 
 ly convinced they were Knights of the 
 Post, yet they maintained them, and 
 carry'd them through such Points, as 
 they knew to be palpably false. 
 
 Upon the Testimony of such Wit- 
 nesses, and these too sufficiently 
 known to be so, they frequently 
 condemn'd the most Innocent and 
 Worthiest Persons to be whipt, to the 
 Galleys, to Banishment, and Amende 
 Honourable, And if ever any Spark 
 either of Honor or Conscience did at 
 any time herein stop their hand, there 
 was always however a full Impunity 
 for those false Witnesses, 
 
 This kind of Persecution fell chiefly 
 on the Ministers ; for of a long time 
 they might not Preach, without hav- 
 
68 The Complai7its of the 
 
 ing for Auditors, or to speak better 
 Observators, a Troop of Priests, 
 Monks, and Missionaries, and such 
 kind of People, who made no scruple 
 to charge them with Words, which 
 they not so much as thought of ; and 
 to turn others into a quite contrary 
 meaning. They also went so far as 
 to divine the very Thoughts, that so 
 they might charge them with Crimes; 
 for as soon as ever any Minister 
 spake but of Egypt, of Pharaoh, of 
 the Israelites, of the Godly or the 
 Wicked (as it was difficult not to 
 speak of these Matters, when they ex- 
 plained the Scripture) those Spies 
 never failed to report, that by Egypt, 
 and by the Wicked, they meant the 
 Catho licks, by Pharaoh, the King, by 
 the Israelites \\\^ pretended Reforr^ed. 
 The Judges seemed to believe it, and 
 fell in with it, and what is yet most 
 surprising, the Ministers of State 
 themselves respected these presump- 
 tive Interpretations, as so many evi- 
 dent Proofs. On these grounds, the 
 Magistrates filled the Prisons with 
 these poor People, keeping them 
 
Protestants of France. 6g 
 
 therein for whole Years together and 
 often inflicted on them also several 
 corporal Punishments. 
 *'Tis already seen by 
 this first kind of Perse- * seamd Method 
 
 . oj Ferseciition. 
 
 cution, what were the 
 Usao^es in France towards the Re- 
 formed before they came to the ut- 
 most Violence. But we shall see 
 them appear more evidently, in what 
 we have to add, touching the Priva- 
 tion of OfHces and Employs, and in 
 general of the m.eans of gaining their 
 Livelihood; which is the second 
 Way we mentioned, that has been 
 used to effect their Ruine. 'Tis not 
 hard to comprehend, that in a great 
 Kingdom as France is, where the 
 Protestants were dispersed, over all 
 Parts, there was a vast Number, who 
 could not subsist or maintain their 
 Families, but by the Privilege of 
 serving the Publick, either in Offices, 
 Arts, Trades, or Faculties, each ac- 
 cording to his respective Calling. 
 Henry the Great was so well con- 
 vinc'd of the Necessity and Justice of 
 this, that he made it an express Arti- 
 
yo The Complaints of the 
 
 cle, the most distinct perhaps and 
 formal, of any contained in his Edict. 
 And therefore in this Point the Per- 
 secutors the most exerted themselves, 
 and stuck at nothing to compass 
 their End. 
 
 'Twas in this View they - began 
 with the Freedom of Companies and 
 handicraft Trades ; - which under 
 several pretences, they rendered al- 
 most inaccessible to the Protestants, 
 by the Difficulties of arriving to the 
 Livery and Mastership of them, and 
 by the excessive Expences, they must 
 be at to be received into 'em ; There 
 being no Candidate, but was forced, 
 for this purpose to be at the charge 
 of tedious and expensive Law-Suits ; 
 under the Weight of which they were 
 most commionly crushed. But this 
 not sufficing by a Declaration made 
 in 1 669, they were reduced to one third, 
 in the Towns where the Protestants 
 were more in number than the other 
 Inhabitants ; and Orders were given 
 not to receive any therein, till such 
 Diminution was made: which at one 
 Stroak excluded all the Pretenders. 
 
Protestants of France. 71 
 
 Some time after they absolutely 
 drove ail the reformed from the Con- 
 sulships, and all other municipal Offi- 
 ces of the Cities which was in effect, 
 to deprive them of the Cognisance of 
 their own Affairs, and Interests, 
 wholy to invest the Catholicks with it. 
 
 In 1680, the King issued out an 
 Order, which deprived them in gen- 
 eral, of all kind of Offices and Em- 
 ploys, from the greatest to the smiall- 
 est in his Farms and Revenues; they 
 were made incapable so much as to 
 exercise any Employ in the Custom- 
 Houses, Guards, Treasury, or Post- 
 Oflice, or even to be Messengers, 
 Stage Coach Men, or Waggoners, or 
 anything of this Nature. 
 
 In the year 1681, by a Decree of 
 Council, all Notaries, Attorneys, So- 
 licitors, Pursuivants, and Sergeants, 
 making Profession of the reformicd 
 Religion w^re turned out and incapaci- 
 tated throughout all the Kingdom. 
 
 The next Year they turned out of 
 Place all the Officers who w^ere 
 Protestants belonging to the Nobility 
 
72 Tke Complaints of the 
 
 and Gentry, particularly to the Judg- 
 es: strictly prohibiting at the same 
 time any of the said Lords and Gen- 
 tlemen to employ them in their Ser- 
 vice, or even so much as to call them 
 in to assist them in difficult Cases, as 
 Assessors, or to give them simply 
 their Opinions in Matters of Law 
 and Right, and this upon no other 
 Account but that of their Relio^ion. 
 
 In 1683, All Officers belonging to 
 the King's Household, and those of 
 the Princes of the Blood ; were also 
 rendred uncapable of holding their 
 Places, notwithstanding they were 
 by Patent. The Counsellors and 
 other Officers of the Court of Ayds, 
 and Chambers of Accounts, and 
 those of Seneshalships, Presidial 
 Courts, Bayliwicks, and Royalties ; 
 Those also of the Admiralties, Pro- 
 vostships, and Marshalseas, with the 
 Treasurers, Receivers and others who 
 belonged to the Toll-Offices, and the 
 publick Revenues, were ordered to 
 quit their Places in Favour of the 
 Roman Catholicks. 
 
Pi^otestaiits of France. 73 
 
 In 1684, all Secretaries belonging 
 to the King, or the great Officers of 
 the Household or Crown of France, 
 as well Titular as Honorary, and 
 their Widows were by an Act of 
 Revocation deprived of all their Priv- 
 ileges of what Nature soever they 
 were. They also deprived all those 
 that had purchased any Privileges for 
 exercising of any Profession, as Mer- 
 chants, Surgeons, Apothecaries, Vint- 
 ners, and all others, without exception. 
 
 Nay, they proceeded to this Excess, 
 that they would not suffer any Mid- 
 wives of the Reformed Religion to do 
 their Office, and expressly ordained 
 that for the future, our Wives should 
 not receive Assistance in Child-birth 
 from any but Roman Catholicks. 
 
 'Tis not to be exprest how many 
 particular Persons, and Families they 
 reduced every where, by these strange 
 and unheard of Methods, to Ruine 
 and Beggary. But because there 
 were yet many who could sustain 
 themselves other Methods of Oppres- 
 sion must be invented. To this Pur- 
 pose they issued out an Edict from 
 
74 ^-^'^ Complaints of the 
 
 the Council, by which, the new Con- 
 verts, as they call them, were dis- 
 charged from any Payment of Debts, 
 for three Years. This, for the most 
 part, fell on the reformed, who, having 
 had a more particular Tye of Interest 
 and Affairs with these pretended Con- 
 verts because of their Communion in 
 Religion, were reckon'd among their 
 chief Creditors. By this Invention 
 they had found the Secret to recom- 
 pense those that changed at the ex- 
 pense of those that did not; and this 
 they did likewise by another Decree; 
 for they discharged the new Converts 
 of all the Debts which those of the 
 Protestant Relis^ion had contracted 
 in common ; which by consequence 
 fell on the others. 
 
 Add to this, the Prohibition to 
 sell or alienate their Estates, on any 
 Pretence whatsoever, the King an- 
 nulling and breaking all Contracts, 
 and other Acts relating to that Mat- 
 ter, if it did not appear, that after 
 these Acts, they had stayed in the 
 Kingdom a whole Year: so that the 
 last Remedy of helping themselves 
 
Protestants of France. 75 
 
 by disposing of their Estates in ex- 
 tream Necessity, was taken from 
 them. They deprived them likewise 
 of another which seemed the only one 
 remaining, which was, that of seeking 
 their Bread elsewhere, by retiring into 
 foreign Countries, there to get their 
 Living by Labour, since this was not 
 permitted them in Fraitce ; by repeat- 
 ed Edicts the King forbad them to 
 leave his Kingdom, on severe Penal- 
 ties, which drove them to the last De- 
 spair, since they saw themselves re- 
 duced to the horrible Necessity of 
 Dying with Hunger in their own 
 Country, without daring to go to 
 live elsewhere. But the cruelty of 
 their Enemies stopt not here, for there 
 yet remained some Gleanings in the 
 Provinces, though very few, and as 
 thin as those in Pharaolis Dream. 
 The Intendants in their Districts 
 had Order to Load the Reformed 
 with Taxes ; which they did, either 
 by lading upon them the Tax of the 
 Nezv Catholicks, who were discharged 
 thereof in favour of their Conversion, 
 or by laying Arbitrary Taxes, which 
 
76 The Complaints of the 
 
 were called Taxes of Offices. That 
 is to say, he who in the Ordinary 
 Roll was assessed at Forty or Fifty 
 Livres, was charged by this exhorbi- 
 tant Imposition at Seven or Eight 
 Hundred. Thus had they nothing 
 more left, for all was a Prey to the 
 Rigour of the Intendants. They ex- 
 acted the Payment of those Taxes by 
 Quartering of Dragoons, or Rigourous 
 Imprisonment; from whence they 
 were not freed till they had pay'd the 
 utmost Farthing. 
 
 These were the Two First Ma- 
 chines which the Clergy made use of 
 against us : To which they added 
 a * Third, which we 
 
 * 7;/w Method Yi^^^ term.ed the Infrac- 
 
 of Fersectdton. , 7— r • 
 
 tion or the Edict of 
 Nantes, under pretence of Explica- 
 tion. Those who would know their 
 Number and Quality, need only Read 
 the Books Written and Publisli'd on 
 this subject, as well by the Jesuit 
 Meynier, an Author, famous for his 
 Cavilings, as by one Fillau of Poi- 
 tiers, and Bernard, an Officer in the 
 Presidial Court of Besiers in Langue- 
 
Protestants of France. 77 
 
 doc. There you will find all the 
 Turns, which the meanest and most 
 unworthy Sophistry, could invent to 
 elude the clearest Texts of the Edict, 
 and to corrupt the sincerity thereof. 
 But because we here give you only, a 
 brief Abstract of our Troubles, and 
 the Molestation we met with, we will 
 content ourselves, wdth observing 
 some few of the principal only, issuing 
 from this Fontain. 
 
 What was there, for Example, more 
 clear and unquestionable in the Edict 
 than this, viz. That 'twas given with 
 an intention to maintain those of the 
 Reformed Religion, in all the Rights 
 that Nature and Civil Society have 
 endued Mankind withal? To argue 
 thereupon would be but meer Trifling, 
 and yet under pretence that the Edict 
 contained not in Express Words, that 
 the Natural Children should be left 
 under the Tuition of their Fathers 
 and Mothers to be brought up by 
 them in their own Religion; the King 
 without any regard, that this is one of 
 the first and most Inviolable Rights 
 
yS The Co77zplatnts of the 
 
 of human Nature, and as if the Edict 
 aforesaid had made no Provision 
 thereupon, by a Declaration of Janu- 
 ary 1682. Ordained that ail Natural 
 Children of either Sex, and of what 
 Age and Condition soever, should be 
 Instructed and Educated in the Ro- 
 man Catholick Religion. It is very 
 important in this place to take notice 
 of the Words, 0/ what Age soever they 
 be. For that gave Birth to a World of 
 Persecution, since the Adversaries 
 were not content to use this Order 
 with restriction to the time to come, 
 but all Natural Children Vv^ere enquir- 
 ed after. Among whom were some 
 of at least Four score Years of h^'^, 
 that had passed all their Life in the 
 Protestant Religion, who by virtue 
 of this Order w^ere Imprison'd and 
 grievously Oppress'd uppon the sup- 
 position that they were obliged to be 
 Catholicks by their birth. 
 
 Nor must it be omitted that in the 
 Year 1683, there cam.e out an Edict, 
 that Children might at the Age of 
 Seven Years, Abjure the Reformed 
 
Protestants of France. 70 
 
 Re]iq;iori, and Embrace the Catholick 
 under pretence, that the Edict did 
 not precisely mention, that at this 
 Age they should continue at their 
 Parents Disposal. Who sees not that 
 this was a meer Fetch, seeing that on 
 one Hand, the Edict positively Pro- 
 hibited to take awav Children from 
 their Parents by force, or persuation, 
 by which it was undoubtedly meant 
 till Age of Discretion or Maturity 
 should Emancipate them; And on 
 the other hand it suppos'd, and con- 
 firm'd all the Natural Rights, of 
 which without Controversie, this is 
 one of the most inviolable. 
 
 Was there ever also a more mani- 
 fest Infraction of tlie Edict, than that, 
 which forbad those of the Protestant 
 Religion, w^ho had passed over to the 
 Roman, to return to that they had 
 left, under pretext, that the Edict did 
 not formally give them in express 
 terms this liberty? For when the 
 Edict permits to all the Kings Sub- 
 jects in general Liberty of Con- 
 science, and forbids the perplexing or 
 
8o The Complaints of the 
 
 troubling them, or offering any Force, 
 contrary to this Liberty ; Who sees 
 not, that this Exception touching the 
 pretended Reiapsers, is so far from 
 being an Explication of the Edict, that 
 'tis indeed a notable Violation of it ? 
 
 Where-unto we may add the Pro- 
 hibition to the Roman Catholicks not 
 to change their Religion, and em- 
 brace the Reformed. For when the 
 Edict gives Liberty of Conscience, it 
 does it in proper Terms. For all 
 those who are, and shall be, of the 
 said Religion. Yet if we believe the 
 Clergy, this was not Henry the Great's 
 meaning, who according to them must 
 have intended only to grant it to those, 
 who made Profession of it, at the 
 time of the m.aking his Edict. 
 
 The Edict of Nantes gave also to 
 the Reformed, the Privileges of keep- 
 ing small Schools in all places where 
 they had the Exercise of their Relig- 
 ion, and by this Term of small or lit- 
 tle Schools, according to the common 
 explication, those were always Under- 
 stood where one might Teach Latin 
 
Protestants of France. 8 1 
 
 and Humanities. This is the Sense 
 which has been evei* given all over 
 the Kingdom, to this expression ; and 
 which is still given when it concerns 
 Roman Catholicks, yet by a new sort 
 of Interpretation, this Permission was 
 restrained to the bare Liberty of 
 Teaching to Read, and Write, and 
 cast Accounts, as ii: the Reformed 
 were unworthy of Learning anything 
 further, and this on purpose to tire 
 out the Parents, and drive them to 
 this extremity, either not to know 
 how to Breed up their Children, or 
 else be forced to send them to the 
 Roman Catholicks for Education. 
 
 The Edict gave them Power 
 in all Places where they had 
 Churches, to instruct publickly 
 their Children, and others, in all 
 what concerns Religion^ which vis- 
 ibly establish'd the Right of teaching 
 'Theology ; seeing their Theology is 
 nothing else but their Religion, and 
 as to Colleges, wherein they might 
 be instructed in Philosophy and other 
 liberal Sciences, which is properly 
 
82 The Co77tplai7tts of the 
 
 called a College, the Edict promis'd 
 Letters Patent in good form. Yet 
 'twas interpreted that the Edict gave 
 no Right to the Reformed to instruct 
 them in Divinity, nor to have Col- 
 leges; and on this supposition it was, 
 that Three Universities were con- 
 demned, which were all that remained, 
 viz. Saumur, Puilaurans, and Die : 
 That of Sedan, although founded on 
 a particular Edict, v/as supprest as 
 well as the rest, and even before them. 
 But amongst all the Infractions of 
 the Edict of this sort, there has been 
 none more solemn or more daring 
 than the annulling or abolishing of 
 the Courts of Justice, which had been 
 granted by Henry the Great as a per- 
 petual Establishment, with an equal 
 number of Judges of both Religions, 
 for administring Justice without Prej- 
 udice or Partiality, and for causing 
 his Edict to be religiously observ'd. 
 Nevertheless under Pretence that it 
 was said that the Two Courts estab- 
 lished at Castres and Bourdeaux 
 might be incorporated with their 
 
Protestants of France. 83 
 
 Parliaments, when the Reasons that 
 had moved his Majesty to have them 
 separated, should cease. The pres- 
 ent King by his Edict supprest also 
 those of Paris and Rotten, and then 
 by another soon after those of Greno- 
 ble^ Toulouse^ and Bourdeaux. Leav- 
 ing by this means his Protestant 
 Subjects expos'd to the Rage and 
 Injustice both of the Parliaments, 
 and other inferiour Courts, insomuch 
 that it is not to be conceived what 
 Vexations they have hence endured 
 both as to their publick and private 
 Concerns. 
 
 But we must go further, and seeing 
 we have undertaken to shew in this 
 Abridgment, the principal things 
 they have done to exercise our Pa- 
 tience, before they came to the ut- 
 most Fury : We are not to pass over 
 the new Orders, * or new 
 Laws, which were as many * ^f^/"""^^^' 
 
 ' . J Method of Per- 
 
 ne w I nventions to torment secuuon. 
 us. The first of these 
 Orders which appear'd was touching 
 the manner of Burials and Interring 
 
84 The Complaints of the 
 
 the Dead. The Number of Attend- 
 ants were reduc'd to Thirty Persons, 
 in those Places where the Exercise 
 of our Religion was actually Estab- 
 lished, and to Ten where it was not. 
 And the like Regulations as to Num- 
 ber were afterwards made as to most 
 other occasions which we might 
 have for meeting together about 
 our Affairs, 
 
 Orders were also issued out to 
 hinder the Communications of Prov- 
 inces one with another, by Circular 
 Letters or otherwise, though about 
 Matters of Alms, and Disposal of 
 Charity, Prohibitions were likewise 
 made of holding Colloquies in the 
 interval of Synods ; excepting in two 
 Cases, the Providing for Churches 
 destitute by the decease of their 
 Ministers, and for the Correction of 
 certain Scandals. They likewise 
 took away from those Places allowed 
 by the Edict, which they call'd Ex- 
 ercises in Fief^ all the Marks of 
 Public Religious Exercise, as the 
 Bell, the Pulpit, and other things of 
 
Protestants of France. 85 
 
 this nature. They were likewise 
 forbidden to receive those Ministers 
 in Synods to Vote, or to Register 
 them in the Catalogue of those that 
 belong to Churches. 
 
 The Ministers in general were for- 
 bidden to take on them the Title of 
 Pastors, or any other, beside that of 
 Minister of the Pretended Reformed 
 Religion. Others forbad the Singing 
 of Psalms in Private Houses ; Some 
 too commanded them to cease Sing- 
 ing, even in their Churches when the 
 Sacrament pass'd by, or at the time 
 of any Procession, Others were 
 made to hinder Marriages, at such 
 times as were forbidden by the 
 Church of Rome. Others forbad 
 Ministers to preach anywhere, except 
 in the place of their usual Residence. 
 Others forbad their sethng in Places 
 unless sent by the Synods, though the 
 Consistories should call them hither 
 in due form. Others were made to 
 hinder the Synods from sending to 
 any Churches more Ministers, than 
 were there in the preceeding Synod. 
 
86 The Complaints of the 
 
 Others to hinder those that design'd 
 for the Ministry, to be Educated in 
 Foreign Universities. Others Ban- 
 isht all Foreign Ministers, though 
 they had been Ordained in the King- 
 dom, and spent there the greatest 
 part of their Lives. Others forbad 
 Ministers, or Candidates for the Min- 
 istry, to reside in Places where Preach- 
 ing was forbidden, or nearer than Six. 
 Leagues of the same. Others for- 
 bad the People to Assemble in the 
 Churches, under pretence of Praying, 
 Reading or Singing of Psalms, except 
 in the presence of a Minister appoint- 
 ed by the Synod. One ridiculous 
 one was made to take away all the 
 Backs of the Seats in the Churches, 
 so to reduce them all to an exact 
 Uniformity. Another, to hinder the 
 Churches that were somewhat Rich- 
 er, to assist the Weaker either 
 towards the Maintenance of their 
 Ministers, or other Necessities. 
 
 Another was made to oblige Par- 
 ents to give their Children, who 
 should change their Religion, great 
 
Protestants of France. 87 
 
 Pensions. Another to forbid Mar- 
 riage betwixt Parties of different Re- 
 ligions, even in the case of scandal- 
 ous Cohabitation. Another to Pro- 
 hibit those of the Reformed Religion, 
 from that time, to entertain in their 
 Houses any Domesticks, or Servants, 
 that were Roman Catholicks. Anoth- 
 er which made them uncapable of 
 being Named Trustees or Guardians. 
 And consequently put all the Mi- 
 nors, whose Fathers Dyed in the 
 Profession of the Protestant Relig- 
 ion, under the Power and Education 
 of Roman Catholicks. Another for- 
 bidding Ministers and Elders to hin- 
 der any of their Flocks, either direct- 
 ly or indirectly from embracing the 
 Roman Religion, or to dissv/ade 
 them from it. Another forbidding 
 Jews and Mohametans to embrace 
 the Reformed Religion, and the Min- 
 isters either to Instruct, or receive 
 them into it. Another subjecting Sy- 
 nods to receive such Roman Catho- 
 lick Commissio7iers as should be sent 
 them from the King, with an express 
 
88 The Complaints of the 
 
 Order to do nothing but in their 
 Presence. Another forbidding the 
 Consistories to assemble oftener than 
 once a Fortnight, and then always in 
 the presence of a Catholick Commis- 
 sioner. Another forbidding the Con- 
 sistories to assist, on pretence of 
 Charity the poor Sick Persons of 
 their Religion ; and ordaining that 
 the sick should be carried into the 
 Hospitals, strictly forbidding any 
 Man to entertain them in their 
 Houses. Another Confiscating in 
 favour of the Hospitals, all the Lands, 
 Rents, and other Profits of what na- 
 ture soever, which might any Wise 
 have appertained to any of the con- 
 demned Churches. And another for- 
 bidding Ministers to come nearer 
 than Three Leagues to the Place 
 where the Privileges of Preaching 
 were in question or so much as con- 
 tested. Another Confiscated to the 
 use of the Hospitals all the Reve- 
 nues, and Rents, set apart for the 
 Maintenance of the Poor, even in 
 such Places where the Churches were 
 
Protestants of France. 8g 
 
 yet standing. Another subjecting 
 Sick and Dying Persons to the ne- 
 cessity of receiving Visits from Judg- 
 es, Commissaries, or Church-War- 
 dens ; as well, as from Parish Priests, 
 or their Curates, Monks, Missiona- 
 ries, or other Ecclesiastics ; thereby 
 to induce them to change their Re- 
 ligion, or require of them express Dec- 
 larations concerning it. Another for- 
 bidding Parents to send their Children 
 under Sixteen Years of Age to Trav- 
 el in Foreign Countries on any Pre- 
 tence whatever. Another prohibiting 
 Lords and Gentlemen to continue the 
 Publick Exercise of Religion in their 
 Families without first producing their 
 Titles before the Commissioners, and 
 obtaining their License for the same. 
 Another which restrained the Right 
 of Entertaining a Minister to those 
 only, who were in possession of their 
 Lands, even since the Edict of Nan- 
 'tes, in a direct or collateral Line. 
 Another which forbad the Bailywick 
 Churches to receive into them any of 
 another Bailyzvick, Another which 
 
go The Complaints of the 
 
 enjoined Phisicians, Apothecaries, and 
 Chirurgions, to advertise the Par- 
 ish Priests, or Magistrates, of the con- 
 dition of Sick Protestants that they 
 might visit them. 
 
 But amongst ail these new Laws, 
 those which have most served the De- 
 sign and Intention of the Clergy have 
 been, on one Hand, such, as Prohib- 
 ited the receiving into their Assem= 
 blies any of those who had changed 
 their Religion, or their Children, or 
 any Roman Catholick of what A^t^ 
 Sex or Condition soever, under pain 
 of forfeiting their Churches, and the 
 Ministers diOm^ Amende Honourable^ 
 with Banishment and Confiscation of 
 their Estates ; and on the other hand 
 such, as that which enjoined the set- 
 ting up in all the Protestant Churches 
 a particular Bench for the Catholicks 
 to sit on ; For by this means, as soon 
 as any one, but resolved to change his 
 Religion, there needed no more but 
 to make him do it in private, and then 
 to find him next morning in the 
 Church, there to be observed by the 
 
Protestants of France. gi 
 
 Catholicks, who were in their seat ; 
 Upon which immediately Informa- 
 tions were constantly made, and Con- 
 demnations procured according to all 
 the Rigour of the Law. The Roman 
 Cathoticks needed only to come into 
 the Church under pretence the}^ had 
 a place there, and then they slipt in 
 amongst the Crowd, and immediately 
 this was a Contravention, to the Dec- 
 laration, and was followed by an un- 
 avoidable Condemnation. 'Tis by 
 this means they have destroyed an in- 
 credible number of Churches, and 
 put into Irons a great many Innocent 
 Ministers, for Villains and False Wit- 
 nesses were never wanting on those 
 occasions. 
 
 *A11 those Proceed- 
 inp:s were so violent, * Fifth Method 
 
 c> ' of FersectiUo7i. 
 
 that they could not but 
 make a strange impression on the 
 Minds of the Reformed ; And indeed 
 a very little stock of Penetration was 
 sufficient to discern the Drift and . 
 Design of such ways. And in effect 
 there were many of them that opened 
 
g2 The Complaints of the 
 
 their Eyes and bethought themselves 
 seriously of their safety, by leaving 
 the Kingdom ; transporting them- 
 selves some into one Kingdom, and 
 some into another, according as their 
 several Inclinations led them. But 
 this was what the Court no wise in- 
 tended, for more than one reason ; 
 and therefore to hinder them, they 
 renewed from time to time, the De- 
 crees we have mentioned, which 
 strictly Prohibited, under the most 
 severe Penalties, any to depart the 
 Realm without Leave ; And to this 
 End they strictly guarded all Pas- 
 sages on the Frontiers. But all these 
 Precautions did not Answer their 
 Expectations ; And 'twas thought 
 worth their while to Blind the People, 
 by hopes of abating this rigourous 
 usage at Home, and hiding from 'em 
 the mighty Design they had in View; 
 And to that End in 1669, the King 
 was persuaded to Revoke several Vi- 
 olent Decrees, formerly given in Coun- 
 cil, which produced the desired effect. 
 For though the Judicious -saw well 
 
Protestants of France. 93 
 
 enough that this Moderation sprang 
 not from a Right Principle ; and that, 
 in the Sequel, the Former Decrees 
 were put in Execution ; yet the most 
 part imagined they would still Confine 
 themselves within some Bounds, and 
 not pass to a total destruction of us. 
 We have often Drawn the same 
 Conclusions from the several Verbal 
 Declarations, which came many times 
 from the King's own Mouth, as that 
 he pretended not to indulge us, but 
 would do us perfect Justice, and per- 
 mit us to enjoy the Benefits of the 
 Edicts in their full Extent. And 
 that although he should be very glad 
 to see all his Subjects Re-united to 
 the Catholick Religion, and would 
 for the effecting thereof contribute all 
 his Power, there should yet be no 
 Blood shed during his Reign, nor any 
 Violence exercis'd on this account. 
 These precise and often reiterated 
 Declarations, gave us hopes the 
 King Vv^ould not forget them ; 
 and that especially in Essential 
 Matters he would suffer us to en- 
 
g4 ^/^^ Complaints of the 
 
 joy the effects of his Equity. 
 This we were the more induced to 
 believe from a Letter he Wrote to His 
 Electoral Highness of Brandenbourg^ 
 the Copies of which the Ministers of 
 State took care to Disperse through 
 the whole Kingdom. Wherein his Maj- 
 esty assured him, that he was so well 
 satisfied with the Behavior of his Prot- 
 estant Subjects, and that having en- 
 gaged his Royal Word to maintain 
 them in their Rights and Privileges, 
 his Intention was to let them enjoy 
 the same, from whence we Drew this 
 Natural Conclusion ; that he intended 
 not utterly to Extirpate us at that time. 
 To which we may add the Manage- 
 ments sometimes used in the Council, 
 where some Churches were preserved, 
 at the same time others were ordered 
 to be demolished, to make the World 
 believe, they observed some measures 
 of Justice ; and that those which they 
 condemned, were consequently not 
 grounded on good Titles. Some 
 timxes they softened several too rigour- 
 ous Decretal Orders of the Provin- 
 
Protestants of France. 95 
 
 cial Parliaments ; Other times they 
 seemed not to approve of the Violen- 
 ces offered by the Intendants and in- 
 feriour Magistrates, so far as even to 
 give Orders to moderate or suspend 
 them. And accordingly they hinder- 
 ed the execution of a certain Decree 
 made in the Parliament of Rouen, 
 which enjoined those of the Reformed 
 Religion to kneel when they met the 
 Host. Thus did they stop too ; the 
 Persecutions of a Puny Judge at 
 Ckaranton^ who ordered us to strike 
 out of our Liturgy a Prayer composed 
 for the Faithful, that groaned under 
 the Ty7^a7iny of Antichrist. 'Tis thus 
 also, that they did not extreamly fa- 
 vour another Persecution, which be- 
 gan to be general in the Kingdom 
 against the Ministers, under pretence 
 of obliging 'em to take an Oath of 
 Allegiance, wherein other Clauses 
 were incerted, contrary to what Min- 
 isters owe to their Charges and Re- 
 ligion. 'Twas thus likewise they 
 suspended the execution of some 
 Edicts, which themselves had made, 
 
g6 The Complaints of the 
 
 as well to compel the Ministers to 
 pay taxes as to oblige them to reside 
 constantly in the Place where they ex- 
 ercis'd their Function. With the 
 same design the Svndicks of the 
 Clergy, had the Art to let the princi- 
 pal Churches of the Kingdom alone 
 for many Years, without disturbing 
 their Assemblies ; whilst in the mean 
 time they took away all those in the 
 Country. They suspended also the 
 condemnation of the Universities, 
 and reserved 'em for the last. It 
 w^as also in this view that at 
 Court, they seemed at first not able 
 to believe, and at last not to ap- 
 prove, of the excesses, which were 
 committed in Poitou by one Maril- 
 lac, an Intendant of that Province, a 
 Man both cruel and greedy to the 
 highest degree; and fitter much to be 
 sent in the Highway, than to be 
 made Intendant of a Province ; 
 though indeed he was let loose, on 
 purpose for these Exploits. 
 
 But amongst all these tricking 
 ways, there are none more remarka- 
 
Protestants of France. gj 
 
 ble, than Five or Six, which it will not 
 be improper here to relate. The 
 First was, That at the very time, 
 when at the Court they issued out all 
 the Decrees, Declarations, and Edicts, 
 which we have before spoken of, and 
 which they caused to be put in Exe- 
 cution with the greatest Rigour ; Nay 
 while they Interdicted the Churches, 
 Demolish'd the Temples, deprived 
 Particular Persons of their Offices 
 and Employments, reduced People to 
 Poverty and Hunger, Imprison'd 'em, 
 Loaded 'em with Fines, Banish'd 'em, 
 and in a word, ravaged almost all ; 
 yet at the same time the Intendants, 
 Governours, Magistrates, and other 
 Officers in Paris^ and over all the 
 Kingdom, cooly and gravely gave out 
 that the King had not the least inten- 
 tion to touch the Edict of Nantes y 
 but would still most Religiously ob- 
 serve it. The Second vi2.^,\\\2X in the 
 same Edict, which the Kingpublish'd 
 to forbid Roman Catholicks to em- 
 brace the Reformed Religion, which 
 was in the Year 1682. (That is to 
 
The Complaints of the 
 
 say, at a time when they had already 
 greatly advanced the Work of our 
 Destruction,) they caused a formal 
 Clause to be inserted in these express 
 Terms, That he confirmed the Edict 
 of Nantes^ as much as it was^ or 
 should be needful. The Third was, 
 that in the Circular Letters which the 
 King wrote to the Bishops and In- 
 tendants, to oblige them to signifie 
 the Pastoral Admonitions of the 
 Clergy, to our Consistories, he tells 
 them in so many words. That his 
 Intention was not that they should do 
 anything that might attempt^ upon 
 what had been granted to those of the 
 Pretended Reformed Religion, by the 
 Edicts and Declarations m^ade in their 
 favour. The Fourth, that by an ex- 
 press Declaration published about 
 the latter End of the Year 1685, the 
 King commanded that the Ministers 
 should not reside in the same Church, 
 above the space of Three Years, nor 
 return to the first within the space of 
 Twelve; and that they should be thus 
 Translated from Church to Church, 
 
Protestants of France. gg 
 
 at least Twenty Leagues distant from 
 one another; supposing by a mani- 
 fest Consequence that his Design was 
 yet to permit the Exercise of Relig- 
 ion, to the Ministers in the Kingdom 
 for Twelve Years at least. Tho' in- 
 deed they had at that Moment de- 
 sign'd the Revocation of the Edict, 
 and had resolved it in the Council. 
 The Fifth consists in an Address 
 presented to the King, by the Assem- 
 bly of the Clergy at the same time, 
 that an Edict to revoke that of Nan- 
 tes^ was drawing up, and actually put 
 into the hands of the Attorney Gen- 
 eral to model it; and in the Decree 
 which was granted on this address, 
 the Clergy complained of the Misrep- 
 resentations which the Ministers are 
 wont to make of the Roman Church, 
 to which they attribute, say they, 
 Doctrines which they do not hold, 
 and beseech'd his Majesty to provide 
 against it, expressly declaring that 
 they did not yet desire the Revocation 
 of the Edict, upon which the King by 
 his Decree peremptorily forbad the 
 Ministers to speak either good or bad 
 
ICX) The Complaints of the 
 
 directly or indirectly, of the Church 
 of Rome in their Sermons, from 
 whence it was natural for every one 
 to conclude 'twas his Intention they 
 should still preach. Were ever such 
 pitiful and treacherous Shifts seen ! 
 Or was there ever any greater than 
 this which was put into the very 
 Edict we are speaking of; The King 
 after having cancell'd and annull'd the 
 Edict of Nantes, and all that depended 
 thereon ; and having interdicted for- 
 ever all publick religious Exercises, 
 after having forever banish'd all the 
 Ministers from his Kingdom, yet ex- 
 pressly declares, that his will is, that 
 his other Subjects, who were not will- 
 ing to change their Religion, might 
 abide within the Realm in full Liberty, 
 enjoy their Estates, and live with the 
 same freedom as heretofore, without 
 being at all molested on Account of 
 their Religion ; till it should please 
 God to enlighten and convert them. 
 These were Amusements and Snares 
 to trapan the simple and unwary, as 
 it has since appeared, and still does 
 more and more every day by the horri- 
 
Protestants of France. loi 
 
 ble Usages they suffer, and of which we 
 shall have occasion to speak hereafter. 
 
 ^ But we shall first 
 mention another pre- ""Th^ sixth Method 
 
 1 • 1 ^ Fersecutton. 
 
 paratory Stroak which 
 the Persecutors have not failed to 
 make use of, which we have reckoned 
 the sixth in order. It consists in dis- 
 posing the People insensibly to desire 
 our Destruction, to approve it when 
 done, and to diminish in their Minds 
 that Horror which they must natural- 
 ly have had, at the Cruelties and Injus- 
 tices of our Persecutors. For this pur- 
 pose several Methods were used, and 
 the commonest have been the Ser- 
 mons of the Missionaries and other 
 controversialPreacherSjWith which the 
 Kingdom was for some Years stock'd 
 under the Title of Royal Missions. 
 It was ordinary to choose in France 
 for this End the most virulent and 
 hot-brain'd Zealots, who had such an 
 Education given them, which far from 
 making them moderate, rather enflam- 
 ed them ; so that 'tis easy to appre- 
 hend what Actors these were like to 
 
102 The Complaints of the 
 
 be, when they not only found them- 
 selves upheld but saw themselves 
 moreover set on, and had express 
 Orders given them to inspire their 
 Hearers with Fury. And so well did 
 they acquit themselves in this matter, 
 that 'twas not their Fault if popular 
 Commotions did not follow in the 
 great Cities, even in Paris it self, had 
 not the prudence of the Magistrates 
 prevented them. 
 
 To the Preachers we must joyn the 
 Confessors and Directors of Con- 
 science, the Monks, the Parish Priests, 
 and in general, all Ecclesiasticks from 
 the highest to the lowest ; for as they 
 were not ignorant of the true Inten- 
 tion of the Court in this Affair, every 
 one would be striving who could 
 show most Zeal, and Aversion to the 
 Reformed Religion, because they all 
 found their Interest therein ; this be- 
 ing the readiest Way to raise and es- 
 tablish their Fortunes. In this Design 
 of animating the People, there past 
 few Days wherein the Streets did not 
 ring, as well with the Publication of 
 
Protestants of France. 103 
 
 Decrees, Edicts, and Declarations 
 against the Protestants, as also with 
 satyrical and seditious Libels, of 
 which the People in the Towns of 
 France are very greedy. 
 
 But these things served only for the 
 meaner sort of People, and the Perse- 
 cutors had the Mortification to see 
 this their Design disapproved by all 
 those who were one Degree above the 
 Mob. Wherefore they imploy'd the 
 pens of some of their Authors, who 
 had already acquired some Reputation 
 in the World; and amongst others 
 that of the Author of the History of 
 Theodosius the Great, and that of Mr, 
 Maimbourg, heretofore a Jesuit. This 
 last publish'd his History of Calvin- 
 ism, which he has since had the leis- 
 ure to repent of, by the smartest and 
 weighty Answers which have been 
 made to it. Their Example was fol- 
 lowed by several others ; and Mon- 
 sieur Arnand who loves always to 
 make one in such Matters where he 
 may vent his Spleen would not deny 
 himself the satisfaction here, of pleas- 
 
104 ^'^^ Complaints of the 
 
 ing his Humour ; and at the same 
 time of endeavouring to recover the 
 Favour he had lost at Court. But 
 altho his Apology for the Catholicks, 
 was a work as full of Fire and Passion 
 as the Bigots themselves could have 
 wish'd, vet was it not relish'd because 
 his Person was not; he was so ill grat- 
 ified for it, that he complained thereof 
 to the Archbishop oiRheims in a Let- 
 ter, the Copies whereof were dispersed 
 all over Paris,2in\ongsi other things he 
 exaggerated his Misfortune and com- 
 pared himself with another, who for 
 much less Service had received from 
 the King a Reward of Twenty Thou- 
 sand Livres. This more and more ex- 
 pos'd the Character of the Person. 
 However they stood in no great 
 need of him, as not wanting vir- 
 ulent Writers ; amongst whom we 
 must not forget one Souldier, formerly 
 (as they say) a Tailor, and at present 
 Author of the History of the Edicts 
 of Pacification ; nor Mr. Nicole oncQ 
 a great fansenist, and now a Prose- 
 lite of the Archbishop of Paris ; Au- 
 
Protestants of France. 105 
 
 thor of the Book entitled, Protestants 
 convinced 0/ Schism. Nor the Author 
 of the journal des Savans, who in 
 his ordinary Diaries fiercely contends 
 for the Catholick Faith's being planted 
 by Fire and Sword : alledging for the 
 proof thereof the example of a King 
 of Norway, who converted the Nobles 
 of his Country by threatning them to 
 slay their Children before their Eyes^ 
 if they would not co7isent to have them 
 baptized and be baptized themselves. 
 And for a long while together we 
 have seen in Parisy and elsewhere, 
 nothing but such sort of writings : 
 To such a Degree was their Passion 
 heightened. 
 
 Whilst all these things, which we 
 have observed, were transacting in 
 France, and they by great steps ad- 
 vanced to their End; 
 
 ^ Tis not to be imagined that 
 the Reformed nes^lected 
 
 ^, . T I ^ *TJie Methods 
 
 their common Interests, t^ken by the Re~ 
 or did not all that be- formed for their 
 
 , -11 /•I Defence. 
 
 came a just and lawful 
 
 Defence. They frequently sent from 
 
Io6 The Complaints of the 
 
 the remotest Provinces their Deputies 
 to Court: They maintained their 
 Rights before the Council; thither 
 they brought their Complaints from all 
 parts. They employed their Deputy 
 General to solicit their Interests, as 
 well with the Judges and Ministers of 
 State, as with the King himself, some 
 times also they presented general Ad- 
 dresses, in which they represented 
 their Grievances with all the Humility 
 and Deference that Subjects owe to 
 their Sovereign. But they were so far 
 in this from being heard, that their 
 Troubles were continually increased : 
 and so their second Estate became 
 worse than the first. The last Pe- 
 tition presented to the King himself 
 by the Deputy General in March 
 1684, was express'd in Terms the most 
 submissive, and the most capable of 
 moving Pity, as every one may judge, 
 it having been since printed ; and yet 
 it produced no other Effect but the 
 hast'ning on of what had been long 
 resolve'd upon, namely by open force 
 to compass our Ruine. 
 
Protestants of France. 107 
 
 * This was effectual- 
 ly brousfht about some \An account of 
 
 _■'_ ^ . the Dragooning. 
 
 Months after, and ex- 
 ecuted in a manner so terrible and so 
 outragious, that, as we said in the 
 beginning, there are few in Europe^ 
 how distant soever from the noise of 
 the Public Occurrences who have not 
 heard the Report of it ; but 'tis cer- 
 tain the Circumstances are not Known 
 to all, and therefore we shall- give an 
 Account of them in few Words, 
 were it but to stop or silence the 
 Impudence of such who are not 
 ashamed to publish, that no Violences 
 have been committed in France, and 
 that all the Conversions there have 
 been made with free and full Consent. 
 They forthwith took the Method of 
 quartering Soldiers in all the Provin- 
 ces almost at one and the same time, 
 which were chiefly Dragoons that are 
 generally the basest Troops of the 
 Kingdom, and Fellows that will stick 
 at nothing. Terror and Dread march- 
 ed before them : and, as it was 
 concerted, all France was in an in- 
 stant filled with this News, that the 
 
Io8 The Complaints of the 
 
 King would no longer suffer any Hu- 
 guenots in his Kingdom ; and that 
 they must resolve to change their Re- 
 ligion, nothing being able to prevent it. 
 They began with the Province of 
 Beam, where the Dragoons did their 
 Tirst Executions, which were followed 
 soon after in the higher and lower 
 Guienne, Xaintonge, Aunix^ Poitou^ 
 the upper Languedoc, Vivarets, and 
 Dauphine, after which they came 
 to the Lioneois, the Cevennes^ the 
 lower Languedoc, Provence, the Val- 
 lees, and the Country of Gex; after- 
 wards they fell on the rest of the 
 Kingdom, Normandy, Burgundy, the 
 Nivernois and Berry ; the Countries 
 also of Orleans, Touraine, AnjoUy 
 Britany, Champagne, Picardy, and 
 the Isle of Fra^tce, even extend- 
 ing to Paris itself, which have all 
 undergone the same Fate. The first 
 thing the Intendants were order'd to 
 do, was to summon the Cities and 
 Commonalities. They assembled the 
 Inhabitants thereof, who profest the 
 reformed Religion, and told them, 
 'twas the King's Pleasure they should 
 
Protestants of France. 109 
 
 without Delay turn Catholicks, which 
 if they would not do freely, they 
 should be made to do it by force. The 
 poor People, surprised with such a 
 Declaration, made Answer, Theywere 
 ready to sacrifice their Estates and 
 lives to the King, but their Conscien- 
 ces being God^s they could not in that 
 manner dispose of them. 
 
 There needed no more to make 
 them immediately bring the Dragoons, 
 which were not far of, the Troops 
 immediately seized on the Avenues 
 and Gates of the Cities ; they placed 
 Guards in all the Passages, and often 
 enter'd with Sword in Hand, crying, 
 Dye or be Catholicks: They were 
 Quartered at Discretion on the Re- 
 formed, with a strict charge, that none 
 should depart out of their Houses, 
 nor conceal any of their Goods or Ef- 
 fects on great Penalties ; yea, even on 
 the Catholicks, that they should either 
 receive or assist 'em in any manner. 
 They began with consuming all the 
 Provisions the House afforded, and 
 gutting them of all their Money, 
 
no The Complaints of the 
 
 Rings, and Jewels ; and in fine, Bleed- 
 ing them of whatsoever was most val- 
 uable. After this they distrained the 
 Household Goods, inviting not only 
 the Catholicks of the Place, but also 
 those of the neighboring Cities and 
 Towns to come and Buy the said 
 Goods, and other things that would 
 yield Money. Afterwards they fell 
 on their Persons, and there was no 
 wickedness, or Horror, which they did 
 not put in Practise, to force them to 
 change their Religion. 
 
 Amidst a Thousand hideous La- 
 mentations and horrid Blasphemies, 
 they hung Men and Women by the 
 Hair of the Head, or the Feet to the 
 Roofs of the Chamber, or to the Racks 
 in the Chimneys, and there smoked 
 *em with whisps of wet Hay, till they 
 were no longer able to bear it; and 
 when they took 'em down, if they 
 would not sign, they hung 'em up im- 
 mediately again. They pluck'd off the 
 Hair of their Heads and Beards, with 
 Pincers, till they left none remaining. 
 
 They threw them on great Fires 
 
Protestants of France. Ill 
 
 kindled on purpose, and pull'd them 
 not out til they were half Roasted. 
 They ty'd Ropes under their Arms, 
 and Plung'd them again and again in 
 Wells from whence they would not take 
 them up, till they had promised to re- 
 nounce their Religion. They bound 
 them as they do Criminals, put to the 
 Question; and in this Posture with a 
 Funnel they poured Wine down their 
 throats, till the fumes of it depriving 
 them of their Reason, they were made 
 to say they would consent to be 
 Catholicks. They stript them naked, 
 and after having offered them a Thou- 
 sand infamous Indignities, they stuck 
 them with pins from top to bottom. 
 They lanc'd them with Pen-knifes, and 
 sometimes with red hot Pincers, took 
 them by the Nose, and so dragged 
 them about the Room till they prom- 
 ised to turn Catholicks, or till the 
 Cries of those poor Wretches, that 
 in this condition called on God for 
 Assistance, constrained them to let 
 'em go. They Bastinadoed them 
 most cruelly, and then dragg'd them 
 
112 The Complaints of the 
 
 thus Bruised to the Churches where 
 this forced appearance of theirs was 
 accounted an Abjuration; They kept 
 them from Sleeping, Seven or Eight 
 Days together, by relieving one 
 another that they might Watch them 
 Night and Day, and keep them still 
 Waking: They some times threw 
 Buckets of Water on their Faces ; 
 They tormented them a Thousand 
 ways, and held over their Heads Ket- 
 tles turned downwards, whereon they 
 made a continual Dinn, till these poor 
 Creatures had even lost their Senses. 
 If at any time they found any Sick 
 Persons, either Men or Women, that 
 kept their Beds, with Feavers or other 
 Diseases, they had the Cruelty to 
 bring a number of Drums, to Beat an 
 Alarm about them for whole weeks to- 
 gether, without any Intermission, till 
 they should give their Word they 
 would change. It has in some places 
 happened, that they have tyed Fathers 
 and Husbands to the Bed Posts, while 
 before their Eyes they Ravished 
 their Wives and Daughters without 
 
Protestants of France. 113 
 
 even being brought to condign Punish- 
 ment for it. They plucktoff the Nails 
 from the Hands and Toes of some^ 
 which was not to be endured without 
 intolerable Torment. They Blew both 
 Men and Women up with Bellows 
 even till they were ready to burst. 
 If after these horrid usages, there 
 were yet any that refused to turn, 
 they Imprisoned them ; and for this 
 chose Dungeons the most Dark and 
 Noysom, in which they exercised on 
 them all sorts of inhumanity. In 
 the mean time they demolished their 
 Houses, desolated their Lands, cut 
 down their Woods, and seized their 
 Wives and Children to Imprison them 
 in Monasteries. When the Soldiers 
 had devour'd and consumed all that 
 was in an House, the Royal Farmers 
 furnished them with subsistence, and 
 to reimburse themselves. Sold by Au» 
 thority of Justice the Estates of such 
 Gentlemen, and put themselves in 
 Possession thereof. If some to secure 
 their Consciences, and escape the 
 Tyranny of these Merciless Men, en- 
 
114 '^^^ Complaints of the 
 
 deavoured to save themselves by 
 Flight, they were pursued and hunted 
 in the Fields and Woods and shot at 
 like Wild Beasts. In order to which 
 the Provosts Patrolled upon the High 
 Ways, and the Magistrates of Towns 
 had orders to stop all them without 
 exception, and bringing them back to 
 the Places from whence they fled, they 
 used them like Prisoners of War. 
 
 But we must not fancy that this 
 Storm fell only on the common sort, 
 Noblemen and Gentlemen of the best 
 Quality were not exempted from it. 
 They had Soldiers Quartered upon 
 them in the same manner, and were 
 treated with the same fury as Citizens 
 and Peasants were. They plundered 
 their Houses, wasted their Goods, 
 rased their Castles, cut down their 
 Woods, forced away their Children, 
 and their very persons were exposed 
 to the Insolence and Barbarity of the 
 Dragoons, no less than others. They 
 spared neither Sex, Age, nor Quality, 
 where ever they found any unwilling- 
 ness to obey the Command of chang- 
 
Protestants of France. 115 
 
 ing their Religion, they practised the 
 same Violences. There were still re- 
 maining some Officers belonging to 
 the Parliaments, who underwent the 
 same Fate, after having been first de- 
 prived of their Offices; nay even the 
 Military Officers, who were actually 
 in Service, were ordered to quit their 
 Post and Quarters, and repair imme- 
 diately to their Houses there to suf- 
 fer the like storm ; if to avoid it, they 
 would not become Catholicks, Many 
 Gentlemen and other Persons of 
 Quality, and many Ladies of great 
 Age, and of Ancient Families, see- 
 ing all these Outrages, hoped to find 
 some Retreat in Paris, or at Court; 
 Never imagining the Dragoons would 
 come to seek them out so near the 
 King's Presence. But this hope was 
 no less vain than all the rest, for im- 
 mediately there was a Decree of Coun- 
 cil, which commanded them to leave 
 Paris and the Court within few 
 Days, and to return without delay to 
 their own Houses with a Prohibition 
 to all Persons to entertain or Lodge 
 
1 16 The Complaints of the 
 
 them in their Houses. Some having 
 attempted to petition the King, 
 complaining of these cruel Usages 
 and humbly beseeching his Majesty 
 to stop the Course of them, could 
 obtain no other Answer, but that 
 of being sent to the Bastille where 
 they suffered the same Persecutions. 
 Before we proceed any 
 Six Remarks, furthcr, 'twill uot bc amiss 
 to make here some re- 
 marks; the first shall be, that almost 
 every where, at the Head of these 
 infernal Legions, besides the Com- 
 manders and Military OfHcers, the 
 Intendants and Bishops march'd 
 every one in his Province or Diocese, 
 with a Troop of Missionaries, Monks, 
 and other Ecclesiasticks. 
 
 The Intendants gave such Orders 
 as they thought most effectual to 
 carry on Conversions ; and to re- 
 strain natural Pity and Compassion; 
 if at any time it should find (which 
 was not often) a Place in the Hearts 
 of the Dragoons or of their Com- 
 manders. And as for my Lords 
 
Protestants of France. 1 17 
 
 Bishops, they were there to keep 
 open House, to receive Abjurations, 
 and to have a general and severe 
 Inspection, that every Thing might 
 pass according to the Intentions 
 of the Clergy. The Missionaries 
 and Ecclesiasticks were there to 
 animate the Soldiers to such an 
 Execution so agreeable to the 
 Church, and so glorious to God and 
 his Majesty. 
 
 The second Thing observable is, 
 that when the Dragoons had made 
 any yield, by all the Horrors which 
 they practiced, they immediately 
 changed their Quarters, and sent 
 them to those who still persever'd. 
 This Order was strictly observ'd 
 in this Manner, even to the End, 
 insomuch that those who persever'd 
 to the last, and had shewn the 
 greatest Constancy, had at last the 
 whole Number of the Dragoons, 
 which at the beginning were dis- 
 pers'd amongst all the Inhabitants 
 equally, quarter'd upon them alone, 
 which was indeed a Load impossible 
 to be born. 
 
Il8 The Complaints of the 
 
 A third Remark, which we shall 
 make, is, that in almost all the con- 
 siderable Cities and Towns, they 
 took care before they sent Troops 
 thither, to gain by means of the In- 
 tendants or some other underhand 
 Way, a certain Number of Persons 
 not only to change their Religion 
 themselves, when it should be re- 
 quired ; but also to assist in pervert- 
 ing others. So that when the Dra- 
 goons had sufficiently play'd their 
 Part, the Intendants with the Bishop, 
 and the Commander of the Forces, 
 would again assemble these misera- 
 ble Inhabitants, that were now ut- 
 terly ruin'd to exhort them to obey 
 the King, and become Catholicks ; 
 adding wathal the most terrible 
 Threats that could be to over-awe 
 them ; and then those they had 
 before gain'd never fail'd to exe- 
 cute what they had preingag'd, which 
 they did with the more Success 
 inasmuch as the People did as yet, 
 put some kind of Confidence in them. 
 
 A fourth Observation is, that when 
 
Protestants of France. I ig 
 
 the Master of the House thinking to 
 get rid of the Dragoons, had obey'd 
 and sign'd what they would, he was 
 not freed for all this, if his Wife, 
 Children, or the meanest of his Do- 
 mesticks did not do the same ; and if 
 his Wife, or any of his Children, or 
 Family fled, they ceas'd not torment- 
 ing him, till he had made them re- 
 turn : which often times being impos- 
 sible, the change of his Religion did 
 not at all avail him. 
 
 The fifth is, that when these poor 
 Wretches fancied their Consciences 
 might be at rest, by signing some 
 Form of an equivocal Abjuration, 
 which was so tender'd on purpose, to 
 ensnare them, these Villains would 
 in some short time after come to 
 them again, and make them Sign one 
 sufficiently strong and binding, which 
 drove them into the utmost Despair. 
 Nay farther, they had the Baseness 
 to make 'em declare, that they em- 
 braced the Romish Religion of their 
 own full and free Consent without 
 having been won to it by any indirect 
 
120 The Complaints of the 
 
 or violent means. If after this they 
 scrupl'd to go to Mass, or did not 
 communicate, if they did not assist 
 at Processions, or omitted going to 
 Confession, if they did not tell over 
 their beads, or if a Sigh slip'd from 
 them, signifying their unwillingness 
 they had immediately Fines laid on 
 'em and were forc'd to receive again 
 their old Guests the Dragoons, 
 
 The sixth and last remark is. As 
 fast as the Troops ravaged in this 
 manner the Provinces, spreading Ter- 
 ror and Desolation in all Parts, Or- 
 ders were sent to all the Frontiers and 
 Seaport Towns, strictly to guard the 
 Passes, and stop all such as pretended 
 to escape out of the Kingdom; so that 
 there was hardly any Hope for these 
 poor Wretches, to save themselves by 
 Flight, None being permitted to pass 
 without having a certificate, either 
 from his Bishop, or Curate, that he 
 was a Catholick, those who had not 
 were put in Prison, and used like 
 Traytors. As for any Permission 
 freely to depart, 'twas in vain to at- 
 
Protestants of France. I2I 
 
 tempt it. That was constantly deni'd ; 
 And all foreign Vessels lying in the 
 several Ports were narrowly searched ; 
 the Coasts, Bridges, Passages to Riv- 
 ers, and the High-ways were all care- 
 fully guarded, both Night and Day. 
 And the Persecution was carry'd to 
 that height, that some of the neigh- 
 bouring States were requir'd not to 
 harbour any more Refugees, and even 
 to send back such as they had already 
 received. Attempts were also made 
 to seize on, and carry away some, who 
 had escaped into foreign Countries. 
 Whilst all this was now acting in 
 the Kingdom, the Court was no less 
 busy in consulting to give the finishing 
 * Stroak ; which con- 
 * The Revocation gistcd in riofQ'ins: out an 
 
 of the Edict , ^O p 
 
 of Nantes, tdict to repeal that of 
 
 Nantes, Much Time 
 was spent in drawing it up, both for 
 Matter and Forrn, for some would 
 have the King detain all the Minis- 
 ters, and force them as well as the 
 Laity to change their Religion, or 
 else condemn them to perpetual Im- 
 
122 The Complaints of the 
 
 prisonment. They alledged, that if 
 that were not done, they would be as 
 so many dangerous and inveterate 
 Enemies against him, in foreign Na- 
 tions. But others on the contrary a£- 
 firm'd, that as long as the Ministers 
 continued in France, their presence 
 would encourage the People to perse- 
 vere to the utmost in their Religion, 
 whatsoever Care might be taken to 
 hinder it; and that supposing they 
 should change, they would be but as 
 so many secret Adversaries, sheltered 
 within the Bosom of the Romish 
 Church, so much the m.ore dangerous 
 as their Knowledge and Experience 
 in controversial Matters was great. 
 This last Reasoning prevailed, and so 
 the resolution was taken to banish 
 the Ministers, and to allow them no 
 longer time than fifteen Days to de- 
 part the Kingdom. And then the 
 Draught thereof was deliver'd to the 
 Attorney General, of the Parliament 
 of Paris to draw it up in such Form, 
 as he should judge most fitting. But 
 before the publishing of it, two Things 
 were thought necessary to be done; 
 
Protestants of France. 123, 
 
 the first was to oblige the Assembly 
 of the Clergy at their breaking up, to 
 present to the King the above men- 
 tion'd Address, in which they told 
 his Majesty, they desired not for the 
 present the repealing the Edict of 
 Nantes, And the other was to issue 
 out an Order of Council to suppress 
 all kind of Books made by those 
 of the reformed Religion, by the first 
 of these, the Clergy thought to shel- 
 ter themselves from the Reproaches,, 
 which might be cast on them as the 
 Authors of so many Miseries, Calam- 
 ities, and Oppressions, as this Repeal 
 would inevitably occasion. And by 
 the other they pretended to make the 
 Conversions, (as they styled them,) 
 much more easy, and confirm those 
 which had already been made, by tak- 
 ing from the People all Books, which 
 might either instruct, fortifie, or bring 
 them back again. 
 
 To conclude, this Revocative Edict 
 of Nantes, was seal'd and publish'd 
 on Thursday, the i8 of Oct, in the 
 year 1685. The Court being then at 
 Fontainbleati, 'Tis said Mounsieur 
 
124 The Complaints of the 
 
 I^etelier the then Chancellor of France 
 shew'd an extream Joy at the sealing 
 it ; but that lasted not long, this be- 
 ing the last time of his holding the 
 Seals, for as soon as he return'd from 
 Fontainbleau,\i^ fell immediately sick, 
 and died within a few Days ; leaving 
 both the reformed and others matter 
 for Reflection on the Fate of the Per- 
 secutors, into the Number of whom 
 his Politicks rather than his natural 
 Inclination had forc'd him in his latter 
 Days. 
 
 This Edict was registerd in the 
 Parliament of Paris on Monday the 
 2 2th following in the Vacation con- 
 trary to all Form. And presently 
 after it was passed in like manner in 
 the other Parliaments. 
 
 It contains in it, a Preamble and 
 twelve Articles. In the Preamble the 
 King shews how neither Henry the 
 Great his Grandfather, did give the 
 Edict, nor Lewis the XIII his father 
 confirm it. by his other Edict of Nimes^ 
 but with a Design of endeavouring 
 more effectually the Reunion of their 
 
Protestants of France. 125 
 
 Subjects of the pretended reformed 
 Religion, to the Catholick Churchy 
 and that this was also the very Design 
 which he had himself at his first Ac- 
 cession to the Crown. That he had 
 been hindered in this by the Wars, 
 which he was forced to carry on 
 against the Enemies of his Crown and 
 State; but that at present being at 
 Peace with all the Princes of Europe^ 
 he wholly gave himself to the bring- 
 ing about this Reunion. That God 
 had been graciously pleased to enable 
 him to accomplish it, seeing the great- 
 est and best Part of his Subjects of 
 the said Religion had embraced the 
 Catholick, these Edicts of Nantes and 
 JS/imes with others were consequently 
 become void and useless. 
 
 By the Jlrst Article he therefore 
 suppresses and repeals them in all 
 their Extent ; and ordains that all the 
 Protestant Churches yet standing in 
 the Kingdom of France and in all the 
 Countries, Territories, and Lordships 
 under his Obedience should immedi- 
 ately be demolished. By the Second 
 
126 The Complaints of the 
 
 he forbids all Sorts of Assemblies for 
 the Exercise of said Religion be they 
 of what kind soever. The Third ^xo- 
 hibits religious Exercise in the Fami- 
 lies to all the Lords and Gentlemen 
 of Quality, under penalty of corporal 
 Punishment and Confiscation of their 
 Estates. The Fourth banishes all 
 the Ministers out of his Kingdom, 
 and Territories thereto belonging, 
 and enjoins them to depart thence 
 within fifteen Days after the Publica- 
 tion of this Edict under Pain of being 
 sent to the Gallies. By the Jl/th and 
 sixth he promises Rewards and Ad- 
 vantages to the Ministers who should 
 change their Religion, as also to their 
 Widows after them. In the seventh 
 and eighth. He forbids the instruct- 
 ing of Children in the pretended re- 
 formed Religion : and ordains that 
 those who shall be born henceforward 
 shall be baptiz'd, and educated, in the 
 Catholick Religion ; enjoining the 
 Parents to send them for this End to 
 the Churches, under the Penalty of 
 being fined 500 Livres. The ninth 
 
Protestants of France. 127 
 
 gives four Months time to such Per- 
 sons as have already departed the 
 Kingdom to return ; otherwise their 
 Goods and Estates to be confiscated. 
 The tenth, with repeated Prohibitions, 
 forbids all his Subjects of the said 
 Religion to depart out of his Realm, 
 either they, their Wives or their Chil- 
 dren, or to convey their Effects, un- 
 der the Pain of the Gallies for the 
 Men, and of Confiscation of Body and 
 Goods for the Women. The Eleventh, 
 confirms the Declarations heretofore 
 made against those that relapse. The 
 Twelvth declares, that as to the rest 
 of his Subjects of the said Religion, 
 they might till God enlighten them, 
 remain in the Cities of his Kingdom, 
 Countries, and Lands under his Obe- 
 dience, and there continue their Com- 
 merce or Trade, and enjoy their Es- 
 tates, without being troubled or mo- 
 lested upon Pretence of the said Re- 
 ligion; on Condition only that they 
 hold no Assemblies under Pretext of 
 praying or exercising publickly, any 
 kind of Religious Worship. 
 
128 The Complaints of the 
 
 * In Execution of this 
 
 * The Consequent- Edict, thc wtxy Same 
 
 c^sj the Revoca. ^^^ ^^^^ j^ ^^^ ^^^.^^ 
 
 tred and published at 
 Paris^ they began to demolish the 
 Church of Charenton. The oldest 
 Minister" thereof was commanded to 
 leave Paris within four and twenty 
 Hours, and forthwith to depart the 
 Kingdom. For this end they put him 
 into the Hands of one of the King's 
 Footman, with orders not to leave him 
 till he was out of his Dominions. 
 His Colleagues were little better 
 treated; they gave them forty-eight 
 Hours to quit Paris and left them 
 afterwards, to pursue their Journey 
 upon their Parole. The rest of the Min- 
 isters were allow'd the fifteen days ; 
 but it can hardly be believed to what 
 Vexations and Cruelties they were ex- 
 posed. First of all, they neither per- 
 mitted them to dispose of their Es- 
 tates, nor to carry away any of their 
 Moveables or Effects nay they disput- 
 ed them their Books and private 
 Papers, on Pretence, that they must 
 
 * Pastor Claude. 
 
Prolestanls of France. 129 
 
 first justifie, that these their Books and 
 Papers did not belong to the Con- 
 sistories wherein they serv'd which was 
 a Thing impossible, since there were 
 no Consistories then remaining. Be- 
 sides they would not give 'em leave to 
 take along with em Father or Mother, 
 Brother or Sister, or any of their Kin- 
 dred ; though there were many of them 
 infirm, decay 'd and poor, which could 
 not subsist but by their Means. They 
 went so far, as even to deny them their 
 own Children, if they were above 
 seven Years old; nay some they took 
 from them that were under that Ag^^ 
 and even such as yet hang'd upon 
 their Mother's Breast; and refused 
 them Nurses for their new born In- 
 fants, which the Mothers could not 
 give suck to. 
 
 In some frontier Places they stopp'd 
 and imprisoned them, upon divers 
 ridiculous Pretences, sometimes aU 
 ledging they must prove, that they 
 were really the same Persons which 
 their Certificates mentioned. At 
 other times they wanted to be in- 
 
130 The Complamts of the 
 
 form'd whether there were no crimi- 
 nal Process, or informations against 
 them, and sometimes again they would 
 force them to prove that they carried 
 away nothing that belonged to their 
 Flocks. Then after they had thus 
 detained and amused 'em, they would 
 tell them that the Fifteen Days of the 
 Edict v/ere expired, and they could 
 not longer have Liberty to retire, but 
 must be sent to the Gallies. There 
 was no kind of Deceit or Treachery 
 which they did not make use of to 
 molest them. 
 
 As to the rest, whom the Force of 
 Persecution and hard Usage con- 
 strained to leave their Houses and 
 Estates, and to fly the Kingdom, 'tis 
 not to be imagined what Dangers 
 they exposed themselves to. Never 
 were Orders more severe or more 
 strict, than those that were given 
 against them. They doubled the 
 Guvards in Sea-port Cities, High-ways 
 and Foards ; They cover'd the Coun- 
 try with Souldiers ; they armed even 
 the Peasants either to stop or kill those 
 that passed : They forbad all the Offi- 
 
Protestants of France. 131 
 
 cers of the Customs to suffer any 
 Goods, Moveables, Merchandize or 
 other Effects to pass. And in a word, 
 they forgot nothing that might hinder 
 the Flight of the persecuted even to the 
 interrupting almost all Commerce with 
 the neighbouring Nations. By this 
 means they quickly filled all the 
 Prisons in the Kingdom ; for the 
 Dread of the Dragoons, the Horror 
 of seeing their Consciences forced, 
 and their Children taken from them, 
 and of living for the future in a Land 
 where there was neither Justice nor 
 Humanity for them, obliged every 
 one to think of an Escape, and to 
 abandon all to save their Persons. 
 All these poor Prisoners have been 
 since treated with unheard of Rigour, 
 confined in Dungeons, loaded with 
 heavy Chains, almost starved with 
 Hunger; and deprived of all converse 
 but that of their Persecutors. They 
 put many into Monasteries where 
 they experienced some of the worst 
 of Cruelties. Some indeed have been 
 so happy as to dye in the midst of 
 
132 The Complaints of the 
 
 their Torments, but others have at 
 last sunk under the Weight of the 
 Temptation ; and some again by the 
 extraordinary Assistance of God's 
 Grace, do still sustain it with an He- 
 roick Courage. 
 
 These have been the Consequences 
 of this new Edict, but who would not 
 have believed that the Twelfth Arti- 
 cle would have sheltered the rest of 
 the Reformed, that had a Mind still 
 to tarry in the Kingdom; since this 
 Article doth so expressly assure them, 
 that they might live therein, continue 
 their Trade, and enjoy their Estates 
 without being at all troubled or mo- 
 lested upon pretence of their Religion. 
 Yet behold what they have done, and 
 still are doing to these poor Wretches, 
 they did not recall the Dragoons and 
 other Souldiers, which had been sent 
 into the Provinces before the Edict : 
 On the contrary they to this day com- 
 mit with greater Fury, the same In- 
 humanities and Barbarities, which we 
 have before represented ; besides this, 
 they have filled those Provinces since 
 
Protestajits of France. 133 
 
 with Souldiers where there were none 
 before, as Normandy, Picardy, Berry, 
 Champagne, the Nivernois, Orleans^ 
 the Blesois and the Isle of France. 
 They exercise the same Violence, ex- 
 ert the same Fury there as they do in 
 other Provinces. Paris it self, where 
 methinks this Article of the Edict, 
 should have been best observ'd, be- 
 cause so near the King's Presence, 
 and more immediately under the Gov- 
 ernment of the Court, Paris, I say, 
 was no more spared than the rest of 
 the Kingdom. The very day the 
 Edict was published, without more 
 delay, the Attorney General and some 
 other Magistrates, began to send for 
 the Heads of Families to come to 
 them, they declar'd to 'em that 'twas 
 absolutely the King's Will they should 
 change their Religion ; that they were 
 no better than the rest of his Sub- 
 jects, and that if they would not do it 
 willingly, the King would make use of 
 those means which he had ready to 
 compell them to it. At the same time 
 they banish'd by Letters under the 
 
134 ^^^ Complaints of the 
 
 privy Seal the Elders of the Consisto- 
 ry, together with some others in whom 
 they found the most Constancy and 
 Resolution ; and the better to dis- 
 perse them, chose out such Places as 
 were most remote from Commerce, 
 where they have ever since used them 
 with a great deal of Cruelty, some 
 have comply'd, but others are yet 
 under Sufferings. 
 
 The Diligence of the Attorney 
 General and Magistrates not succeed- 
 ing so fully as they wish'd, though 
 Threats and Menaces were not want- 
 ing; Monsieur de S eigne lay, Secre- 
 tary of State would also try what In- 
 fluence he could have within his Jur- 
 isdiction at Paris, for this End he got 
 together about an hundred or an hun- 
 dred and Twenty Merchants and 
 others into his Palace, and after hav- 
 ing caused the Doors to be shut, he ^ 
 forthwith presented them with a cer- 
 tain Form of Abjuration, and com- 
 manded them in the King's Name 
 presently to sign it ; declaring that 
 they should not stir, till they obeyed 
 
Protestants of France. 135 
 
 The Contents of that Form were, not 
 only that they did renounce the Here- 
 sy of Calvin, and enter into the Cath- 
 olick Church, but also that they did 
 this voluntarily, and without being 
 forced or compelled to it. This was 
 done in a most imperious man- 
 ner, and with an haughty Air of Au- 
 thority : there were that dar'd to open 
 their Mouths, but they were sharply 
 answered, that they were not to dis° 
 pute but to obey ; so that they all 
 sign'd before they went out. 
 
 To these Methods they added oth- 
 ers more terrible, as Prisons, the actu- 
 al Seizure of their Effects and Papers, 
 the taking away of their Children, the 
 Separation of Husbands and Wives; 
 and in fine, the hard Method, that is 
 to say, Dragoons, Those that most 
 firmly stood out, they sent to the Bas- 
 tille and to the Fort Leveque ; The 
 Houses of as many as they could not 
 find, or had hid themselves, were 
 seal'd up, they plunder'd many others, 
 not sparing their Persons, just as they 
 had done in other Places. 
 
136 The Complaints of the 
 
 Thus the Twelfth Article of the 
 Edict, which promised some Relaxa- 
 tion, or Shadow of Liberty, was noth- 
 ing but an egregious deceit to amuse 
 the credulous, and keep them from 
 thinking to make their escape, a Snare 
 to catch them with the more ease. 
 
 Fury still kept on its usual course, 
 and was heated to such a degree, as 
 not content with the desolation com- 
 mitted in the Kingdom, it reached 
 even into Orange, a Sovereign Princi- 
 pality, where the King of Right has 
 no Power, and thence taking the 
 Ministers away by force, transported 
 them into his Prisons. Thither the 
 Dragoons were likewise sent, where 
 they executed all kind of Mischiefs 
 and Villany, and by force constrained 
 the Inhabitants thereof, both Men, 
 Women and Children, nay, and the 
 very Ofificers of the Prince, to change 
 their Religion. 
 
 This was the state of things in the 
 latter End of the Year 1685, and the 
 full Accomplishment of the Threats 
 the Clergy had made us three Years 
 
Protestants of France. 137 
 
 before, towards the End of their Pre- 
 tended Pastoral Letter, Ye must ex- 
 pect misery incomparably more dread- 
 ful and intolerable, than all those, 
 which hitherto your Revolt and your 
 Schism have Drawn upon you. And 
 truly they have not been worse than 
 their Word, there are some notwith- 
 standing in the Kingdom who still 
 abide firm ; and their Persecutions 
 are still continued to them ; New 
 Torments are daily invented against 
 those whom Force has made to 
 Change their Religion, because they 
 are still observed to Sigh and Groan 
 under their hard Bondage, their 
 Heart detesting what their Mouths 
 have Prof est, or their Hands signed. 
 As to such as have escaped into 
 Foreign Countries, who are at least 
 An Hundred and Fifty Thousand 
 Persons^ their Estates are Confiscated; 
 this being all the hurt they can do 
 to them at present. I say at present ; 
 for 'tis not question'd but our Perse- 
 cutors are contriving to extend their 
 Cruelties further. But we must hope 
 
138 The Complaints of the 
 
 in God, that whatsoever intentions 
 they may have of destroying the Prot- 
 estant Religion in all Places, he will 
 not permit them to effect their de- 
 sign. The World will surely open 
 its Eyes ; And this which they have 
 now been doing with an high Hand, 
 and worse than barbarous fury, will 
 shew not only the Protestants, but 
 the wise and sober Catholicks, 
 what they are to expect both one 
 and other, from such a sort of 
 People. 
 
 * In effect, he that 
 
 * Reflexions upon g|^^|J ^^^^ himSClf, but 
 all these Crnel 1 i • n 
 
 Perseaitions. the Icisurc to retlect 
 on the matters of fact 
 which we have just now related, the 
 which are most evident, notorious, 
 and acted in the face of the Sun, shall 
 see not only the Protestants opprest, 
 but the King's Honour sullied, his 
 Countries damnified, all the Princes 
 of Europe Interested ; nay, even the 
 Pope himself, with his whole Church 
 and Clergy, shamefully discredited, 
 and defamed. 
 
Protestants of France. 139 
 *For to begin with 
 
 the A^/;/^ himself. What * First Reflection. 
 
 could be more contrary 
 to his Dignity than to put him upon 
 breaking his Word, and persuading 
 him that he might lawfully and with 
 a safe Conscience violate, by a Thou- 
 sand Contraventions and Breaches, 
 and at last utterly revoke and annul, so 
 solemn an Edict as was that of Nantes. 
 That Edict which was granted by 
 Henry the Great in the Year 1598^ 
 hath Four Incontestable Characters 
 that are justified by the very Text it 
 self. I. That it was a Royal and Sov» 
 ereign Promise, which he granted, 
 not only for himself, and for the Term 
 of his own Reign, but also for that of 
 all his Descendants and Successors> 
 for ever. 2. That of being a Solemn, 
 Definitive, and Irrevocable Decree^ 
 pronounced by the Sovereign Magis- 
 trate, to continue for ever, as a Regu- 
 lation and Law between the two con- 
 tending Parties, the Roman Catho^ 
 licks and the Protestants, after both 
 had been duly and sufficiently heard^ 
 
140 The Complaints of the 
 
 3. That of being a Treaty or Accord 
 accepted, agreed upon, and consented 
 to, by the whole Realm in Quality of 
 a perpetual Law and Regulation. 
 And 4. that of having been made 
 sacred, and even divine, by the recip- 
 rocal Oath of the whole Nation. 
 
 I say, that these four Characters 
 are incontestable, and to be justified 
 from the very Text of the Edict. 
 The first is evident from the Preamble, 
 wherein the King, after having ex- 
 liorted his Subjects rightly to under- 
 stand that in the Observation of that 
 Law did consist the chief Foundation 
 of their Union, and Concord, Tran- 
 quility and Peace, and the Restora- 
 tion of the State to its primitive 
 Splendour, Wealth and Dignity, he 
 adds, We on our Part promise to 
 cause the same exactly to be observed, 
 and not to suffer it to be any ways 
 violated, and then to shew he meant 
 that his promise should oblige his 
 Posterity and Successors, he declares, 
 lie grants it as an Edict perpetual 
 ,and Irrevocable. And having partic- 
 
Protestants of France. 141 
 
 ularly express'd the Articles of it^ 
 he concludes, in these words, we de- 
 clare expressly that our Will is that 
 this our Edict be firmly and inviolably 
 kept and observed by all our Justices, 
 Officers, and all other our Subjects, 
 and that no Respect or Regard shall be 
 had to any thing that might be contra- 
 dictory to or derogatory from the same. 
 
 And accordingly Lewis XIII. at 
 his Accession to the Crown lookt 
 upon it, as a Law to the Observation 
 whereof he found himself engaged, 
 acknowledging by his Declaration, 
 that it was an Edict perpetual and 
 irrevocable which stood in no need 
 of being confirmed, the King now 
 reigning has acknowledg'd the same 
 upon several Occasions. This is then 
 a Royal Word and Promise of Henry 
 the Great, not only on behalf of himself, 
 but also in behalf of his Posterity, 
 and thence it follows ; that 'tis a Con- 
 dition annex'd to his Inheritance and 
 Crown never to be separated from it. 
 
 The second Character is no less 
 certain and manifest than the first, it 
 appears by the Preamble of the Edict 
 
142 The Complaints of the 
 
 wherein the King declares that he 
 did not grant this Law, but till after 
 he had on one Side consider'd the 
 Representations of his Catholick Sub- 
 jects, and on the other side permitted 
 his Subjects of the pretended reform- 
 ed Religion to meet by their Repre- 
 sentatives, to draw up theirs, and to 
 put together all their Remonstrances, 
 and upon that Account conferr'd v/ith 
 them at several Times. Adding, that 
 he judged it necessary to set forth at 
 present, upon Consideration of the 
 whole Matter to all his said Loving 
 Subjects, a Law that might be univer- 
 sal, clear, plain, and absolute whereby 
 they should regulate themselves upon 
 all Differences, which formerly did, 
 or hereafter might arise betwixt them. 
 This then is a Judgement after a fair 
 Hearing of both Sides, and a Regula- 
 tion no less fit to adjust all former 
 Differences, than to put an end to 
 those that might happen thereafter : 
 and consequently, V2V a perpetual and 
 irrevocable Edict, as he terms it him- 
 self ; not in a titular Way only, as 
 Kings are sometimes wont to express 
 
Protestants of France. 143 
 
 themselves, but really and in its own 
 Nature. And accordingly he further 
 declares he gives it, after having, with 
 the Advice of the Princes of his Blood, 
 the other Princes, the Crown Officers, 
 and other Grandees and notable Mem- 
 bers of his Council of State being near 
 him, diligently weighed and consider- 
 ed the whole Matter. 
 
 As for the 3d Character there can- 
 not be desir'd a better Proof than its 
 having been registred in all the 
 Courts of Parliament of the Realm, 
 in the Chambers of Accounts, Courts 
 of Ayds^ Baylewicks, Seneschalseas^ 
 Provostships, and all other Jurisdic- 
 tions whatsoever, according as it was 
 order'd by the last Article thereof. 
 The Parliament indeed of Paris and 
 Toulouse a little scrupled it at first, 
 but those Difficulties were soon over, 
 and there was no Opposition either 
 from the Clergy or from the Body of 
 the Catholicks, on the contrary, the 
 Promulgation of it was with the full 
 Consent of the whole Realm, as even 
 the aforementioned Bernard Counsel- 
 lour of Beziers hath acknowledged in 
 
144 '^^^ Complaints of the 
 
 his pretended Explanation of the Edict 
 of Nantes. After the publication of 
 this Edict, says he, the King sent Com- 
 missioners into ail the Provinces of 
 the Kingdom to put it in Execution, 
 and to re-establish his Religion where 
 it had been disused, but we do not find 
 by the verbal Relations of those Com- 
 missioners, that they did anything 
 considerable, or that any Controver- 
 sies were brought before them, con- 
 cerning the Exercises of Religion, 
 and other Important Matters, either 
 because they were willing to prevent 
 the reviving of the Differences already 
 terminated, and the kindling a-new 
 the Heats that were so lately appeas'd ; 
 or because the Exercise of the Catho- 
 lick Religion having been interrupted 
 a long while in many Places, they were 
 content to have it everywhere restored. 
 As to the 4th Character one need 
 only read the XCII Article, wherein 
 the King ordains in express Terms, 
 that the Observation of his Edict shall 
 be sworn to by all the Governours and 
 Lord Lieutenants of Provinces, Bai- 
 liffs, Seneschals, and other ordinary 
 
Protestants of France. 145 
 
 Judges, by Mayors, Aldermen, Capi- 
 touls, Consuls, and Jurats or Sheriffs, 
 either Annual or by Patent for Life, 
 also by the Principal Inhabitants of 
 Cities and Towns, as well Catholicks 
 as Protestants, and lastly, by the 
 Courts of Parliament, Chambers of Ac- 
 counts, and Court of Ayds. A 11 which 
 was punctually executed accordingly. 
 Any the least of these Characters 
 were sufficient, one might think, tho'' 
 separated from the rest, to put the 
 Edict out of the Reach of the Capri- 
 ciousness and Fickleness of such is otir 
 Will and Pleasure^ for who can doubt 
 but that a King is oblig'd to keep his 
 Word, and his faith, and likewise that 
 of his Predecessors too ; when the 
 same is become a condition insepara- 
 bly annexed to the Succession ; as un- 
 doubtedly it is, if it has been granted 
 under the Quality of a Solemn, per-- 
 petual, and irrevocal Promise. It were 
 impertinent to say, that a King can't 
 oblige himself towards his own Sub- 
 jects, or that it is inconsistent with his 
 soveraignty. For not to enter into the 
 Discussion of that Principle, which 
 
146 The Complaints of the 
 
 would lead us too far, if examin'd with 
 Application, I say, if the solemn Prom- 
 ises of Kings do not oblige them 
 towards their Subjects, they at least 
 are obligatory to themselves, A King 
 sure is no better than God. Who 
 though he be infinitely elevated above 
 his Creature, ail Divines nevertheless 
 agree that his Promise binds him so 
 far to himself ihdit it is immutable, for 
 which Reason the Scripture so often 
 speaks of his Fidelity and Veracity, 
 in the Performance of the Conditions 
 contained in his Covenant with us. 
 Who can doubt, but a King may bind 
 himself to observe and cause inviola- 
 bly to be observ'd the Laws which Jus- 
 tice has inclin'd him to grant his Sub- 
 jects, for regulating their Differences 
 by the Rules of Right Reason, and 
 preserving them all from their mutual 
 Oppressions ? How much more then 
 is he bound when his Subjects also on 
 both Sides have agreed to it ; and the 
 Law made for both their mutual Ben- 
 efits, is become the ptib lick Faith of his 
 whole Kingdom ? And how much 
 more yet when the Covenant, or Treaty 
 
Protestants of France. 147 
 
 has been reciprocally and solemnly 
 sworn to, by a whole Nation, and 
 God himself become thereby the De- 
 positary and Avenger of it? How 
 is it then possible that those evil Coun- 
 sellours should have perswaded the 
 King, to break through all the Bar- 
 riers of Justice, Fidelity, and Con- 
 science ; and without any regard 
 either to God, the State, or himself, to 
 make his Power his only Rule. 
 
 To palliate in some sort the Vio- 
 lence of this Procedure they make 
 him say in this new Edict, that the 
 best and greatest Part of his Subjects, 
 of the Pretended reformed Religion 
 have embraced the Catholick ; and 
 that therefore the Execution of the 
 Edict of Nantes, with whatsoever else 
 has been done in Favour of the same 
 Religion was become void. But is not 
 this an Evasion unworthy of his Maj- 
 est}^ seeing that if this best and great- 
 est Part of his Subjects of the re- 
 formed Religion embraced the Catho- 
 lick ; 'tis certain they have been con- 
 straint to it by Force, and the cruel 
 
148 The Complaints of the 
 
 and furious Oppression which his 
 Troops have laid on them. 
 
 Perhaps this might indeed be said, 
 had the better and greater Part of his 
 Subjects chang'd their Religion of 
 their own Accord, altho that in this 
 Case too, the Privileges of the Edict 
 must have continued for those that 
 remain'd. But after having forc'd 
 them to change by the horrible Inhu- 
 manities of his Dragoons, after having 
 depriv'd them of the Liberty which 
 the Edict gave 'em ; to say coldly, 
 that he only revokes the Edict, be- 
 cause it is now become useless, is a 
 Raillery unbefitting so great a Mon- 
 arch: for it is as much as if he said, 
 that he was indeed oblig'd to continue 
 to his Protestant Subjects all the Priv- 
 ileges due to them ; but that having 
 himself overthrown them by a Major 
 Force, he finds himself at present 
 lawfully and fairly disengag'd from his 
 Obligation: which is just as if a Father, 
 who himself had cut his childrens 
 Throats, should glory in the being 
 from that time forward freed from the 
 Care of nourishing and protecting 
 
Protestants of France. 149 
 
 them. Are Kings wont thus to ex- 
 press themselves in their Edicts ? 
 
 What they make him further say, to 
 wit, that Henry the Great, his Grand- 
 father of glorious memory, granted the 
 Edict of Nantes to those of the pre- 
 tended reformed Religion only that 
 he might the better effect their Re- 
 union to the Roman Church ; that 
 Lewis XIII also his Father of glorious 
 memory, had the same Design when 
 he gave the Edict of Nimes ; and that 
 he himself too, had entred thereinto 
 at his coming to the Crown ; is but a 
 pitiful Salvo, but taking it for granted 
 since they will have it so, and let us 
 state it nakedly and literally in the 
 Sense they give it us in, what can we 
 conclude thence, but these following 
 Propositions? (i) That Henry tho. 
 Great and Lewis the 13 granted those 
 Edicts to our Forefathers only on Pur- 
 pose to deceive them, and with an in- 
 tent afterwards to ruine them with the 
 greater Facility under the Mask of 
 this Fraud. (2) That not being them- 
 selves able to effect this, being hin- 
 dred by their other Affairs, they com- 
 
150 The Complaints of the 
 
 mitted this most important Secret to 
 his present Majesty, to the end he 
 should execute it when he met with a 
 fitting Opportunity. (3) That his 
 present Majesty entring into the 
 Thought of this, at his first coming to 
 the Crown, he confirm'd those Edicts 
 and set forth his Declarations of 1643 
 and 1652, with other Decrees advan- 
 tageous to the Reformed Religion, 
 only the more cunningly to impose 
 on them, and lay Snares in their Way, 
 or if you please, to crown them, as they 
 crowned of old the Victims when they 
 were to be sacrific'd. (4) That all 
 that has been done against them since 
 the Peace of the Pirennees, till this 
 very time, according to the Abridg- 
 ment which we have here made of it, 
 has been only the Execution of a 
 Project, yea even of a Project far more 
 Ancient than we imagin'd, seeing we 
 must date it from the time of the 
 granting of the Edict of Nantes it self, 
 and go back as far as to Henry the 
 Greatior it, and in fine, that that which 
 has been till now a great and profound 
 Mistery is no longer so ; seeing the 
 
Protestants of France. 151 
 
 King by this new Edict discovers it 
 to all the World, that he may be ap- 
 plauded for it. 
 
 Can any Body but confess, that if the 
 Enemies of France had undertaken 
 to discredit the Conduct of its Kings, 
 and render them odious to the World, 
 they could not have taken a more 
 successful Course. Henry the Great 
 gives his Edict to the Protestants 
 with the greatest Solemnity imagin- 
 able, he gives it to them as a Recom- 
 pence of their Services, he promises 
 solemnly to observe it ; and as if this 
 was not enough, he binds it on the 
 whole Kingdom by an Oath : he exe- 
 cutes it to the utmost of his Power; 
 and they peaceably enjoy'd it to the 
 end of his Reign : yet all this is but a 
 meer Snare, for they are to be dra- 
 goon'd at a proper time : but being 
 himself surpriz'd by Death he could 
 not do it, but leaves it in Charge to 
 Lewis the XIII. his Son. 
 
 Lewis the^\\\ ascends the Throne, 
 issues out his Declaration immediate- 
 ly, that he acknowledges the Edict of 
 
152 The Complaints of the 
 
 Nantes as perpetual and irrevocable, 
 and such as needed not any new 
 Confirmation, and that he would re- 
 ligiously observe every Article of it, 
 and therefore sends Commissioners 
 accordingly to see it actually put in 
 Execution. When he took up Arms 
 he protested that he had no Design at 
 Religion ; and in Truth he permitted 
 the full Liberty of it, even in those 
 very Towns he took by Assault, he 
 gives after this his Edict of Nimes as 
 the Edict of a Triumphant Prince, 
 declaring neverless that his Intention 
 therein was that, that of Nantes should 
 be inviolably kept, and accordingly 
 kept it himself to his dying Days. 
 But this is only intended, forsooth, to 
 lull the Protestants asleep till a favour- 
 able Occasion to destroy them should 
 present.- 
 
 Lewis the XIV at his coming to the 
 Crown confirms the Edict, and de- 
 clares that he will maintain the re- 
 form'd in all their Privileges ; he after- 
 wards confirms in another Declaration, 
 how highly he is satisfied with their 
 
Protestants of France. 153 
 
 Services ; and testifies his Design of 
 establishing them in the Enjoyment of 
 their Rights, but this is all but a meer 
 Amusement, and an Artifice to entrap 
 them, the better so to colour over the 
 Project of ruining them at a conven- 
 ient time. What a Character now of 
 the most Christian Kings will this 
 give to the Enemies ol France, and to 
 all foreign Nations? And what con- 
 fidence can they imagine will be hence- 
 forth put in any of their Promises 
 and Treaties ? For if they deal thus 
 with their own Subjects, and caress 
 'em only to ruin them, what can 
 Strangers expect .f' 
 
 Let us a little consider how they 
 introduce the King saying, that at his 
 first coming to the Crown, he was in 
 the Design which he has now been 
 lust executing. They mean without 
 doubt, from the time he actually took 
 the Reins of Government in hand, 
 for he was too vouno[ before, to enter 
 personally on any Design of this 
 Nature : he enter'd on it then, pre- 
 cisely at the time, when the Civil 
 
154 ^-^^ Complaints of the 
 
 Wars which had been during his Mi- 
 nority were ended. But what does 
 this mean, but that he engag'd in 
 this Design at the very time when the 
 Protestants came from rendring him 
 the most important Service that Sub- 
 jects were ever capable of doing their 
 Prince. They came from giving him 
 the highest Testimonies of Loyalty 
 imaginable, then when the greatest 
 part of his other Subjects had taken 
 up Arms against him, they had vigor-, 
 ously opposed the Progress of his En- 
 emies ; rejected the great and advan- 
 tageous Offers that were made them ; 
 kept Towns, yea whole Provinces for 
 him; took his Servants and Officers 
 into their Bosoms, when they could 
 not find safety elsewhere ; sacrificed 
 their Estates, their Lives, their For- 
 tunes, and their all to him ; and in a 
 Word, done all with such a Zeal, as 
 becomes faithful Subjects in so dan- 
 gerous a Juncture. And this now is 
 the time when the King to requite 
 them for all this, enters on the Design 
 of their utmost Destruction and Ex- 
 
. Protestants of France. 155 
 
 tirpation. This so confirms the Truth 
 of what we said in the Beginning, 
 that it puts it out of all Question: 
 that the Project of their Destruction 
 was grounded on the Services they 
 had rendred the King. 
 
 But is it not astonishing that we 
 must be taught this important Secret,, 
 and all Europe besides ; for although 
 the Protestants have done nothing in 
 this occasion but their Duty, it could 
 never be imagined their Dtity should 
 be made their Crime : and their Ruine 
 should spring from whence should 
 come their Safety, God brought 
 Light out of Darkness ; but the Poli- 
 ticks of France, on the contrary Dark- 
 ness out of Light. Hov/ever, they 
 cannot deny that in this new Edict, 
 the King is made to say, he entered 
 on the Design to destroy the Protes- 
 tant Party at the very time wherein 
 they so signaliz'd and distinguished 
 themselves so successfully for the In- 
 terest of the Crown, which will furnish 
 thinking Men, as well within, as with- 
 out the Kingdom, with matter enough 
 
156 The Complaints of the 
 
 for Reflexion, and will shew them 
 what use is made of Services and what 
 Recompense to be expected for them. 
 But we shall say no more of the 
 Expressions of the new Edict, but 
 rather consider the matter oi it. Was 
 ever a worse and harder Usage than 
 that we have suffered for the Space of 
 above Twenty Years, which have been 
 employed in forming the late Tempest 
 which has at last overwhelmed us. It 
 has been a continual Storm of De- 
 crees, Edicts, Declarations, Orders, 
 Condemnations of Churches, Demoli- 
 tions of Temples, civil and criminal 
 Processes, Imprisonments, Banish- 
 ments, Amendes Honourables, pecun- 
 iary Mulcts, Privation of Ofifices and 
 Employs, depriving Parents of their 
 Children, and all those other Perse- 
 cutions which we have already briefly 
 summ'd up. We were told on one 
 hand, that the King would continue 
 to us the Edict of Nantes, and he also 
 delivered himself on several Occa- 
 sions to that Effect ; and on the 
 other hand we were made to suffer 
 
Protestants of France. 157 
 
 after innumerable manners in our 
 Estates, in our Honours, in our Rep- 
 utations, in our Persons, in our Fam- 
 ilies, in our Religion, in cur Con- 
 sciences, and all by unjust and indi- 
 rect Ways ; by unheard of Inventions, 
 by false Witnesses, by Oppressions, 
 by publick Vexations, and sometimes 
 underhand Dealings; and all this 
 under the Veil of the King's Author- 
 ity, and because this was his good 
 pleasure. We know very well the 
 Authority of Kings, and the Respect 
 and Submission with which we ought 
 to receive their Orders. And therefore 
 have we, during all these unsupporta- 
 ble Usages expressed a Patience, and 
 an Obedience so remarkable, that it 
 has been the Admiration of the 
 Catholicks themselves, our Country- 
 men. But it must be acknowledged 
 that those who put his Majesty on 
 dealing thus with us, or have used 
 his name and Authority for this 
 could not possibly do him a greater 
 Dishonour than they have hereby 
 done him, for after all, those Kings 
 
158 The Complaints of the 
 
 who would be esteemed for their Jus- 
 tice and Equity, hardly govern their 
 Subjects after this manner. They 
 are not for putting all things into 
 Confusion, or filling all Places with 
 Horror and Despair. They seek not 
 their Satisfaction in the Tears and 
 Groans of the Innocent. They take 
 no Pleasure in keeping their Subjects 
 in a perpetual Agitation, leaving them 
 a Life precarious from Day to Day. 
 They love not to have their Names 
 mentioned with Terror, nor do they 
 meditate continual Designs of extir- 
 pating those who give them constant 
 and unquestionable Proofs of their 
 Loyalty; much less do they invent 
 cruel Projects, which like Mines may 
 destroy unseen their own natural Sub- 
 jects, and this too under pretence of 
 Kindness, by the slie and equivo- 
 cal Declarations which came out then 
 thickest just as the Blow was ready 
 to be given. 
 
 There are 3 Things remarkable in 
 the Conduct of this whole Affair. 
 The first is, that as long as they were 
 only on the Way, the true Authors of 
 
Protestants of France. 159 
 
 the Persecution did not conceal them- 
 selves but always studied to conceal 
 the King as much as they could ; 'Tis 
 true, the Degrees, Edicts, and Decla- 
 rations and such other things went 
 still under the Name of his Majesty ; 
 But on the Request of the Agents, 
 and Syndics of the Clergy : and whilst 
 they were busied in these Matters, the 
 King declar'd openly his intention of 
 maintaining the Edict it self, and that 
 'twas only the Abuses and Contraven- 
 tions of it, which he design'd to 
 correct. 
 
 The second is, that when they came 
 to the last Extremities, and open force, 
 then they concealed themselves as 
 much as they could, but made the 
 King appear at his full Length. There 
 was nothing heard but these kind of 
 Speeches, The King will have it so^ 
 the King has taken the Matter in his 
 own hands ; the King carries it furth- 
 er than the Clergy could have wished. 
 By these Two means, they have had 
 the Address to be only charg'd with 
 the lesser and milder Part of the Per- 
 
l6o The Coniplainis of the 
 
 secution, and to lay the more violent 
 and odious at the King's Door. 
 
 The third thing which we are to re- 
 mark is, that the better to obtain their 
 Ends, they have made it their Busi- 
 ness to perswade the King, that this 
 Work would crown him with the high- 
 est Glory; which is a most horrid 
 Abuse of his Credulity, and an Abuse 
 so much the greater, by how much 
 they would skreen themselves from 
 being thought the Authors of this 
 Council. Hence, if any of them in 
 particular be ask'd at this Day what 
 they think of it, there are few of them 
 but will readily condemn it. 
 
 Now what falser Idea of Glory 
 could they give, than making it con- 
 sist in surprizing a poor People de- 
 fenceless and helpless, disperst over 
 all his Kingdom, and living securely 
 under his wings and under the Pro- 
 tection of the Remains of the Edict 
 of A^antes ? And who could ever 
 imagine, there were any Intentions of 
 depriving them, of the established 
 Liberty of their Consciences, of sur- 
 prizing and overwhelming them in an 
 
Proiesta7iis of France. i6l 
 
 instant with a numerous Army, to 
 whose Discretion they are delivered 
 up; and who tell them roundly they 
 must either by fair means or by foul, 
 become Roman Catholicks, for that 
 such is the Kings Will and Pleasure? 
 What falser Notion of Glory could 
 they ever offer him, than the putting 
 him thus in the place of God, nay even 
 above God, in making the Faith and 
 Religion of his Subjects, depend on 
 his sole Authority, and that hencefor- 
 ward it must be said in his Kingdom, 
 I believe not because I am perswaded, 
 but I believe, because the King wmII 
 have me, let God say what he will, 
 which to speak properly is, that I be- 
 lieve nothing, and that I'll be a Turk, 
 a Jew, an Atheist, or whatever the King 
 pleases ? What falser Idea of Glory 
 than to force from Men's Mouths by 
 Violence, and a long Series of Tor- 
 ments, a Confession, which the Heart 
 abhors, and for which they afterwards 
 sigh Night and Day, crying continu- 
 ally to God for Mercy ! What Glory is 
 there in inventing new Ways of Per-^ 
 
1 62 The Complaints of the 
 
 secution, unknown to former Ages ; 
 Persecutions which indeed do not 
 bring Death along with them, but keep 
 Men alive to suffer, that their Patience 
 and Constancy may be overcome by 
 Cruelties, which are above human 
 strength to undergo ! What Glory 
 is there in not contenting himself to 
 force those who remain in his King- 
 dom ; but to prohibit also their leav- 
 ing it, and so keep them under a 
 double Servitude both of Soul and 
 Body ! What Glory is there in stuff- 
 ing his prisons full of Innocent Per- 
 sons, who are charg'd with no other 
 Crime than the serving God according 
 to the best of their Knowledge: and 
 for this to be exposed either to the 
 rage of the Dragoons, or be con- 
 demned to the Gallies, and suffer Ex- 
 ecution on Body and Goods ? 
 
 What falser Idea of Glory for the 
 King than to make it consist in the 
 Abuse of his Power, and to violate 
 without so much as a shadow of Reas- 
 on, his own Word and Royal Faith, 
 which he had so solemnly given, and 
 so often reiterated ; and this only be- 
 
Protestants of France. 163 
 
 cause he can do it with impunity, and 
 has to deal with a Flock of Innocent 
 Sheep that are under his paw, and 
 cannot escape him^ And yet 'tis this 
 which the Clergy of France, by the 
 Mouth of the Bishop of Valence, calls 
 a Greatness and a Glory that raises 
 Lewis XIV, above all other Kings, 
 above all his Predecessors, and above 
 Time it self, and consecrates him for 
 Eternity ? 'Tis what Monsieur Va^ 
 rillas calls Labours greater and more 
 incredible without comparison than 
 those of Hercules. 'Tis what Mr. 
 Maimbourg Q,2iSh an Heroick Action. 
 The Heroical Action (says he) That 
 the King has just now done, in for- 
 bidding by his new Edict of October 
 the publick Exercise of the False 
 Religion of the Calvinists, and order- 
 ing that all their Churches be forwith 
 demolished. Base unworthy Flatters! 
 Must people suffer themselves to be 
 blinded by the Fumes of your incense. 
 We should be very loth to exag- 
 gerate anything, which may violate 
 the Respect due to so great a Prince; 
 
164 The Complaints of the 
 
 but we do not think it a failure in our 
 Duty; fairly to represent how far 
 these treacherous Counsellors and 
 odious Parasites, have really injured 
 his honour, by the sad Misfortunes 
 which they have plunged us into, and 
 how criminal they have thereby made 
 themselves toward his Majesty. 
 
 ^ They have commit- 
 * The Second ^^^ ^^ j^gg Misdemcau- 
 
 Keflexton. , , 
 
 ours agamst their coun- 
 try ; of which they are Members, and 
 for which a Man would think they 
 should have at least some Considera- 
 tion. Not to speak here of the great 
 Number of Persons of all Ages, Sexes 
 and Qualities, which they have cut off 
 from it, by their fierce Tempers ; al- 
 though perhaps this Loss be not so 
 inconsiderable as they are willing to 
 have it thought, it is certain that 
 France is a very populous Country, 
 but when these feaverish Fits shall be 
 over, and they shall in cold Blood 
 come to consider what they have done, 
 they will find with regret, that these 
 Diminutions are no matter of Tri- 
 
Protestants of France. 165 
 
 umph, for 'tis not possible that so 
 many substantial People, so many in- 
 tire Families, who have made them- 
 selves considable in Arts and Sci- 
 ences, civil and military, can leave a 
 Kingdom without one day being 
 miss'd! At present, whilst they re- 
 joyce in their Spoils, possess them- 
 selves of their Houses and Estates, 
 this Loss is not so much felt; 'tis 
 recompensed in some measure they 
 think, by the booty and by the ease of 
 maintaining the Souldiers by this 
 Plunder, but this will not always hold. 
 Neither shall we here insist on that 
 almost general Interruption of Traf- 
 fick, which these most Unchristian 
 Persecutors have caused in the princi- 
 pal Towns of the Kingdom, although 
 this be no little Misfortune. The Pro- 
 testants carried on a good part of the 
 Trade, as well within the Kingdom as 
 without; and were therein so mixt 
 with the Roman Catholicks, that 
 their Affairs were in a manner in- 
 separably linked together, they dealt 
 as it were in common when these 
 Oppressions came upon them. And 
 
1 66 The Complaints of the 
 
 what Confusions have they not pro- 
 duced ? How many industrious Meas- 
 ures have they broken ? How many 
 honest Designs have they not disap- 
 pointed ? How many Manufactures 
 have been ruin'd? How many bank- 
 rupts have they made ? And how 
 many Families reduced to Beggary? 
 But this is what the Oppressors little 
 trouble themselves about, they have 
 their Bread gain'd to their Mouths, 
 they live in Wantonness and Ease : 
 and whilst others starve for Hunger, 
 their Revenues are ascertain'd to 
 them. But this hinders not, but that 
 the Body of the Estate must still suf- 
 fer, both in its Honour and Interest, 
 And we may truly say, that Four 
 Civil Wars could not have produced 
 so much mischief, as time will shew to 
 springfrom this one Persecution alone. 
 But we will leave the Consequence 
 of this Affair to Time, and only say, 
 that the Edict of Nantes, being a fun- 
 damental Law of the Kingdom, and 
 an Agreement between Two Parties 
 by a reciprocal Acceptation, under the 
 
Protestants of France. 167 
 
 peaceable Reign of Henry the Great 
 by the publick Faith, and by mutual 
 Oath, this must certainly be highly 
 Disadvantagious to the Interest of 
 the State, and a very bad Precedent, 
 that after having made a Thousand 
 Infractions of it, it should at length 
 be revok'd, cancell'd and annulled at 
 the Instigation of a Cabal, who abuse 
 their Credit, and hereby make them- 
 selves fit for enterprising and execut- 
 ing any thing. After this Violation, 
 what can henceforward be thought 
 firm and inviolable in France, I speak 
 not only of particular Men's Affairs^ 
 or of private Families, but of general 
 Establishments, of Royal Companies, 
 of Courts of Justice, of fundamental 
 Laws and Constitutions, and in one 
 word of whatever may relate to the 
 Order, either of judicial Proceedings, 
 or of the Affairs of State, or may 
 serve for a Basis and Foundation of 
 Society ; even the Inalienable Rights 
 of the Crown, and the Form of Gov- 
 ernment it self, not excepted : which 
 are all hereby manifestly shaken. 
 
1 68 The Complaints of the 
 
 There are in the Kingdom of France 
 a great many thinking Men to whom it 
 will not be hard to discern this. There 
 are, I say, a great Number of worthy 
 Persons in it, who understand how 
 to think as they ought of Matters, 
 and whose Eyes are opened. I mean 
 not your Poets, or such sort of ful- 
 some Flatterers, who for the Sake of 
 a few Madrigals, or a Panegyrick 
 perhaps upon the King, run away 
 with considerable Preferments, and 
 Benefices : nor your Authors who 
 are prepared to write on any side, be 
 it right or wrong, without any Con- 
 sideration for the true Merit of the 
 Cause; and who are elevated with 
 their knowledge, as if they indeed 
 knew every thing, when they know 
 not how little and contemptible they 
 really are. For I am speaking of 
 those wise, solid, and penetrating 
 Spirits, who look a great way into 
 the Consequences of Things, and 
 are able to make a right Judgment 
 upon them. 
 
 Shall we think that these Men see 
 
Protestants of France. l6g 
 
 not what is too visible, namely, that 
 the State is pierced, through and 
 through, by the same Thrust given the 
 Protestants, and that such an open 
 Revocation of the Edict, with so 
 high an hand, leaves nothing firm 
 and sacred. 
 
 It is to no purpose to alledge 
 Distinctions in the matter, or say, 
 that the pretended reformed Religion 
 w^as odious to the State, and that 
 therefore this Attack was with the 
 more Freedom made, for not to 
 mention that the Example is so much 
 the more dangerous, as it was the 
 more cunningly pitched on, in an 
 Affair, wherein the People are, likely 
 to take little or no Concern: without 
 adding that their having rendred the 
 Reformed Religion odious to the 
 People, was for certain a premedi- 
 tated Preparation to what they in- 
 tended to execute afterwards, and 
 also that far from having a general 
 Aversion against our Religion, the 
 Catholicks both the Common People 
 and the Nobility had no manner of 
 
1 70 The Complaints of the 
 
 Animosity against us, (except only a 
 Faction of the Bigots, and those 
 that are call'd the Propagators of 
 the Faith) but on the contrary 
 pitied us, and condoled our Misfor- 
 tunes. 
 
 Not to touch further on this, who 
 knows not what an easy matter it is 
 to run down any Cause, or render it 
 odious, or at least indifferent, in the 
 minds of the people, there are never 
 wanting Reasons and Pretences, in 
 matters of this Nature, one Party is 
 set up against another ; and that is 
 call'd the State, right or wrong, which 
 is the prevailing one : like as in Re- 
 ligion, not the best and holiest, but the 
 powerfullest and boldest Part is terwid 
 the Church, We must not then judge 
 of these things from the Matter, but 
 from the Form. Now if there ever 
 was since the World stood, any thing 
 most solid or inviolable, it was surely 
 this Edict of Nantes ; to revoke and 
 cancel it, is then to set ones self up 
 above all Obligations to God as well 
 as to Men, 'tis to declare openly, 
 
Protestants of France. 171 
 
 that there are no longer any Ties or 
 Promises obligatory in the World,, 
 but that all things are at pleasure 
 revokable, this is no more than the 
 wise will easily comprehend ; and I 
 doubt not but they have compre- 
 hended it already. 
 
 But it will be proper here to pre- 
 sent another Objection, which is, that 
 as the Edict, (take it in what sense 
 we will) is become only a Law by the 
 Authority of Henry the Greats so it 
 may likewise be revok'd and annull'd 
 by that of Lewis XIV. his Grandson, 
 and Successor. For there is no more 
 Difficulty in one, than in the other : 
 for 'tis easy for Kings to determine 
 by the same means as they began, 
 since if Henry the Great had Power 
 to change the Form of governing 
 the State, by introducing into it a 
 new Law ; why has not Lewis the 
 XIV. the same power then to alter 
 this Form, and by Consequence an- 
 nul whatsoever his Grandfather has 
 done ? But this Objection is but a 
 meer Fallacy, and will be soon an- 
 
172 The Complaints of the 
 
 swered by considering that it's built 
 upon a false Principle, and thence de- 
 duces a falser Conclusion. For as 
 to the Principle upon which this is 
 founded, we say it was not the single 
 Authority of Henry the Great which 
 established the Edict. The Edict 
 was a Decree of his Justice after all 
 Parties were heard, and a concordate 
 that, pass'd between the Catholicks 
 and the Reformed, authoriz'd by the 
 publick Faith of the whole Estate, 
 confirmed with the Sanction of an 
 Oath, and ratified by the Execution 
 of it ; now this is it that renders the 
 Edict immutable, and sets it above 
 the Reach of any of the Successors 
 of Henry the IV. They can be only 
 in this Case, the Depositaries and 
 the Executors, not the Masters of it, 
 and can have no Right to make it de- 
 pend on their absolute Will and 
 Pleasure. Henry the Great never 
 •employed the Force of Arms to 
 make the Catholicks consent to it ; 
 and though since his Death under 
 the Minority of Louis XIII. There 
 
Protestants of France. 173 
 
 have been several Assemblies of the 
 State of the Realm, the Edict has still 
 remained in its full Force and Vigor^ 
 it was therefore, as we have already 
 said, a fundamental Law of the King- 
 dom,which the King by his own proper 
 Authority could have no Ground of 
 Right to touch. But then even sup- 
 posing this were a Work grounded on 
 the bare Authority of Henry, which 
 in Fact is false; it does not therefore 
 follow that his present Majesty can 
 lawfully revoke it. And the Reason 
 hereof is evident, because there are 
 many things which depend on the 
 good Pleasure of Kings to do, but 
 which when done, do not depend on 
 the same good Pleasure to undo ; and 
 of this Nature is the said Edict. 
 
 It is a Royal Promise, which Henry 
 the Great made to the Reformed of 
 his Kingdom, as well for himself as 
 his Successors for ever, and conse- 
 quently this is a perpetual Obliga- 
 tion or hereditary Debt, charged on 
 himself and his Posterity. Moreover, 
 it is not true that Henry the Great 
 
174 ^^^ Complaints of the 
 
 did change any thing in the Govern- 
 ment of the State, at least as to Es- 
 sentials, when he gave Liberty of 
 Conscience to his Subjects ; for this 
 Liberty is a Matter of more Ancient 
 and more inviolable Right than all 
 Edicts, seeing that it is a Right of 
 Nature. 
 
 He permitted a publick Exercise 
 of the Reformed Religion ; but this 
 Exercise was establish'd in the King- 
 dom before his Edict, and if he has 
 enlarged the privilege of the Re- 
 formed, as (without doubt he has,) he 
 did not do it without the Consent and 
 Approbation of the State, and so 
 herein violated nothing of his lawful 
 Engagements. 
 
 But now 'tis not the same with 
 Lewis XIV. who of his own pure 
 Authority, makes a real and funda- 
 mental Change against the Concur- 
 rence of one Part of his People, and 
 without the consulting of the other ; 
 hereby violating his own most sacred 
 Engagements, those of his Kingdom, 
 and even the Laws of Nature too, 
 
Protestants of France. 175 
 
 which were things absolutely out of 
 his Power to do. 
 
 In short, if we consider the means 
 that have been used to arrive at the 
 Revocation in Question, it will be im- 
 possible for a Man not to acknowledge 
 how the State is sensibly hurt thereby. 
 For as if it were not enough to sup- 
 press the Religious Assemblies, and 
 to null the Privileges and civil Rights 
 of the Protestants, by unjust Decrees, 
 without so much as any Formality or 
 Hearing; There are also sent among 
 the Souldiers to dispute the Points of 
 Religion with them ; and oblige them 
 to turn. They are sackt like People 
 taken by Assault, they are forc'd in 
 their Consciences, and Hell itself, with 
 all that is merciless and cruel is let 
 loose upon them for this End. And 
 this is to speak modestly, The effect 
 of a Military and Arbitrary Govern- 
 ment, which is regulated neither by 
 J-ustice, Reason nor Hum^a^zity. Can 
 it be thought, that France will find its 
 Account in this matter ! Or that wise 
 Men will think this an equitable Way 
 
176 The Complaints of the 
 
 of governing ? However, this is a 
 first Essay that is none of the least, 
 they that made it, shew how skilful 
 they are, and who knows if they will 
 be content to rest here ? There needs 
 only another design, another Passion 
 to satisfie, another Revenge to exe- 
 cute ; and then woe be to those who 
 shall oppose it, for the Dragoons will 
 not have forgot their Trade. 
 
 ^ To these two Re- 
 *The Third flexions, which Respect 
 
 Reflexion. . .^ ... ^ 
 
 the rrenck King and 
 the States of his Realm, we may add 
 a T^i^^y^ which will regard the Interests 
 of all the Kings, Princes, and other 
 Potentates of Europe, as well of the 
 one as of the other Religion. We 
 shall not be much mistaken if we say, 
 that they have a common and general 
 Concern herein ; in as much as these 
 most skilful Artists in Mischief do as 
 much as ever they can to trouble the 
 good Understanding that is between 
 them and their Subjects. We are 
 however perswaded, that their wise 
 and just Government will, in this Re- 
 spect put them out of all fear: But 
 
Protestants of France. 177 
 
 this hinders not Examples of this 
 Nature from being always of bad 
 Consequence, as naturally tending to 
 beget in the Minds of the Vulgar, 
 (who commonly judge of things with- 
 out examining into particulars) Suspi- 
 cions and Distrusts of their Sover- 
 eigns, as if they dreamed of nothing 
 but devouring their Subjects, and de- 
 livering them up to the Discretion (or 
 rather Fury) of their Souldiers. For 
 the greater Moderation and Justice 
 Princes may have, the less are they 
 obliged to such as would inspire their 
 People with matter for so dangerous 
 Sentiments ; which are apt to produce 
 the worse Effects. 
 
 Besides is it not certain, that the 
 Princes and States of Europe, cannot 
 without a great deal of Displeasure 
 see France, which makes so consider- 
 able a figure in the World, and has so 
 powerful an Influence, should now put 
 herself in such a Condition as that no 
 just Measures can be taken with her? 
 For after so scandalous and publick a 
 Violation of the Word of Three sue- 
 
178 The Complaints of the 
 
 cessive Kings, and of the publick 
 Faith, what credit can be ever given 
 for the future, to her Promises, or 
 Treaties? Nor will it be sufficient 
 liere to say, that the publick Treaties 
 will have force, so long at least as the 
 Interest of France will require, for 
 that will hereafter depend on the pri- 
 -vate Interest, or perhaps capricious- 
 ness, of a sort of heady strong Peo- 
 ple, that are for allowing nothing 
 cither to the Laws of Prudence or of 
 Equity, but will manage all by main 
 Force. 
 
 And if they have had the Power 
 to do within the Kingdom what they 
 have lately put in Execution, what 
 may we not expect that they will do 
 as to Affairs abroad? If they have 
 not spar d their own Countrymen, with 
 whom they had daily Commerce, and 
 ivho were greatly serviceable to them, 
 can it be supposed they will spare 
 such as are altogether Strangers? 
 Will they have more Respect think 
 you to Truces or Agreements but of 
 yesterday, than to an Edict of an 
 
Protestants of France. lyg 
 
 Hundred Years continuance, and that 
 too the most august and solemn that 
 ever was ; which yet they made no 
 other use of than to amuse an inno- 
 cent People, and to involve them the 
 more securely in utter Desolation? 
 It looks truly as if they had resolved 
 to bring Matters to this pass on pur- 
 pose, that their being no more Faith 
 or Dependency to be had on the 
 promises of France, all her Neigh- 
 bours should thereby continually be 
 upon their Guard against her ; and the 
 more when she promises than when 
 she threatens ; and in Peace than in 
 War, so that there is no more Hopes 
 of being at quiet with Respect to her, 
 but what either the Security of Host- 
 ages, or the Diminution of her Forces 
 must give. This being so in Respect 
 of all Princes and States in general, 
 as well Catholick as Protestant, what 
 may then the Protestant Princes and 
 States in particular think, but that 
 it is really the Design of France to 
 ruin them all, and to make no stop 
 till she has utterly devoured them ? 
 
l8o The Complaints of the 
 
 Everybody knows, that the Protes- 
 tant Princes and Powers understand 
 their Interests well enough, to be able 
 to discern them through the Clouds, 
 and Mists wherewith these would 
 cover them, and 'tis not doubted but 
 they do indeed see, that this is a Be- 
 ginning, or an Essay, which France 
 expects shortly to give the last and 
 finishing Stroak to. 
 
 That Court has suiEfered itself to be 
 possessed with a most gross Bigotry, 
 and with a false Zeal of Catholicism; 
 it is become the Genius that pleases ; 
 each one is become a converter even 
 to Fire and Sword : and there are not 
 a few of the Courtiers perswaded that 
 this shall be alone able to weigh down 
 the Scale in their Favour, vain glory 
 is no small Ingredient in this Design ; 
 Policy adds also its Prospects and 
 Misteries too, and as these prospects 
 have no Bounds, so these Misteries 
 want not their invisible Springs and 
 surprising Ways, which they will joyn 
 when they please, to the Power of 
 Arms. They think the Season is 
 
Protestants of France. l8l 
 
 ripe, and 'tis but daring to go on. The 
 Easiness they found in making Con- 
 quests and Conversions swells their 
 Courage, and they talk already of 
 nothing but a further Progress in so 
 fair a Way. 'Tis however to be 
 hoped that Protestant Princes, and 
 States, will from hence draw their just 
 Conclusions. 
 
 As to the Catholick Princes and 
 States they have too sagacious Judg- 
 ments not to see how much they share 
 also in this Affair. It will be made 
 use of to break the good understand- 
 ing which is betwixt them and the 
 Protestant Powers by amusing those 
 with the fair Pretext of the Catholick 
 Religion, and cunningly inspiring 
 these with Suspitions and Jealousies 
 of a general Design against them, to 
 swallow 'em. If the Catholick Prin- 
 ces and States remove not these Sus- 
 pitions, and if they suffer France still 
 to aggrandize her self, by her pre- 
 tended Zeal for the Catholick Faith, 
 which at the Bottom is but a false 
 Mask, one may without the Spirit of 
 
1 82 The Complaints of the 
 
 Prophesy aforehand assure them that 
 they are undone. 
 
 It will signify but little to say, we 
 are as good Cat ho licks as yourselves^ 
 this will be no Security from his 
 Army ; whosoever will not submit to 
 his Yoke shall be an Heretick, nay 
 worse than an Heretick ; for now the 
 greatest Heresy is not to submit i 
 Spain, Germany, and Italy it self, 
 already know this in some measure. 
 
 But will it not be thought a Para- 
 dox, if to all that we have said we yet 
 farther add, that even 
 * The Fourth ^^it Pope himsclf,* and 
 
 Reflexton. 7 7 -r* i r i 
 
 the whole body oi the 
 Roman Church, mns,i find themselves 
 sensibly interress'd and injur'd in this 
 Persecution. And yet we will say 
 nothing herein, but what is evident 
 Truth, and which the wisest of the 
 Roman Catholicks, must needs agree 
 to. For is not this the worst Char- 
 acter that can be given of the Roman 
 Clergy, to Represent them as an 
 Order of Men, who not only can't 
 endure anything that is not subject to 
 
Protestants of France. 183, 
 
 them in a Religious, but also in a 
 Civil Society, and as Men that are not 
 content to anathematize all that dis- 
 please them, but who design nothing 
 so much as to exterminate 'em, not 
 only to exterminate them but also 
 forcibly to violate their Consciences, 
 and cram their own Opinions down 
 their Throats, and propagate their 
 Way of Worship by the irresistible 
 and never-failing Argument of Fire 
 and Fagot ; lastly as an Order of Men 
 who observe neither Faith nor Jus» 
 tice ; who promise only that they may 
 deceive, who for awhile curb their 
 Fury only, that afterwards they may 
 insult the more; that in Peace as well 
 as in War, contrive only to overturn 
 and destroy; who make Allyances 
 only to surprize, and then finding 
 themselves more powerful, deny those 
 they have so surprised even the Lib« 
 erty of escaping. These are the 
 exact Features and Colours by which 
 the Roman Clergy may be easily 
 known, should we Judge of them by 
 the Persecution in France; the like 
 whereof was never seen to this Day. 
 
1 84 The Complaints of the 
 
 The Egyptians and Assyrians once 
 persecuted the Israelites, but forced 
 them not to embrace the Worship of 
 their Idols ; they contented them- 
 selves with making them slaves, with- 
 out doing Violence to their Con- 
 sciences. The Heathens and the 
 Jews persecuted the primitive Chris- 
 tians, forced their consciences indeed, 
 but they had never granted them 
 an Edict, nor by persecuting them 
 violated the publick Faith, nor hin- 
 dred them to make their Escape by 
 Flight. The Arrians cruelly perse- 
 cuted the Orthodox, but besides that 
 they went not so far, as to make the 
 common sort of People sign formal 
 Abjurations ; there was no Edict, or 
 Concordat between the Two Com- 
 munions. Innocent the III. by his 
 Croisades persecuted the Waldenses 
 and Albigenses, but neither had 
 these People any Edict. Emmanuel 
 King of Portugal furiously persecut- 
 ed the Jews^ but he gave them leave 
 to depart out of his Kingdom, and 
 they too had no Edict. It was the 
 
Protestants of France. 185 
 
 same with those Remains of the 
 Moors, who had canton'd themselves 
 in some parts of the Kingdom of 
 Grenada; they were defeated in a 
 War, and commanded to retire into 
 the Country from whence their An- 
 cestors came. 
 
 In the last Century the Duke 
 U Alba exercised dreadful Cruelties, 
 upon the Protestants of the seven- 
 teen Provinces, but he did not hinder 
 them from flying, nor violated any 
 Edict ; and when the worst came to 
 the worst. Death was their release. 
 The Inquisition is to this Day in 
 Spain and Italy; but they are 
 Countries in which no Religion, 
 besides the Roman, was ever toler- 
 ated by Edicts, and if the Inquisitors 
 may be accused of Violence and 
 Cruelty, they cannot however be con- 
 victed of Perfidiousness. 
 
 But in this last Persecution of 
 France, there are Five things that 
 strike the Mind with Horror, ist. 
 they make the Consciences and Re- 
 ligion of Men to depend soveraignly 
 upon the Will of a mortal King, 2dly 
 
1 86 The Complaints of the 
 
 they violate a Faith solemnly^sworn 
 to, 3dly they force Men to be Hypo- 
 crites and oblige them to be wicked, 
 by seeming to embrace a Religion 
 they abhor, 4thly they prohibit and 
 prevent All Flight and Retiring out of 
 the Kingdom, 5thly they do not inflict 
 Death but preserve Life for no other 
 purpose than to oppress it with longer 
 and more dreadful Torments. If after 
 this the Court of Rome with its 
 Clergy, dispers'd all over Europe, 
 will not disclaim so odious and crimi- 
 nal a conduct, nay if they condemn it 
 not it will be an indelible Stain to 
 the Honour of their Religion. For 
 not only Protestants, who are of a dif- 
 ferent Communion, but also an infinite 
 Number of their own Members, will 
 be mightily scandalized thereat, nay 
 even Turks, Jews, and Pagans will 
 rise up in Judgment against them. 
 They cannot be ignorant what Cen- 
 sures have been made on what pass'd 
 in the Council of Constance concern- 
 ing John Huss and Jerom of Prague, 
 whom they put to Death, notwith- 
 standing the safe Conduct of the Em- 
 
Protestants of France. 187 
 
 peror Sigismund. But there is some- 
 thing greater here : There only Two- 
 Men were concern'd, here more than 
 Fifteen Hundred Thousand^ those 
 they put to Death, and if they had 
 done the same to these, they would 
 have embraced their Death with Joy 
 and Comfort. The Council thought 
 its Authority in this greater than the 
 Emperors, but here can be produced 
 none greater than that which estab- 
 lish'd our Edict. 
 
 * We are not insen- 
 
 • 11 f .1 1 • rr 1 *Refiitation of 
 
 sible of the different the false sM/ts 
 
 Methods the PerSeCU- and Pretences 
 
 . , 1 . Ill of the Persectctors.. 
 
 tors take to shelter 
 themselves from public Censure, some 
 take a speedy course, that is down- 
 right to deny the Fact, and to per- 
 swade the World, That Force and 
 Violence had no share in the conver-^ 
 sions ; but that they were soft, calm, 
 and voluntary ; and that if there were 
 some Dragoons at any time concern'd. 
 therein, 'twas only because the Re- 
 formed themselves desired 'em, that 
 so they might have an handsom Pre- 
 tence of changing their Religion. 
 
1 88 The Complaints of the 
 
 Was their ever so much Impudence 
 seen ! What will they not deny, who 
 can thus flatly deny what was done 
 in the Face of the Sun, and what a 
 whole Kingdom from one End of it, 
 to the other have seen, and still see to 
 this Day ? For now in the Beginning 
 of the Year 1686, While I am com- 
 posing this sad Narrative, they con- 
 tinue to exercise the very same Rage, 
 that concluded the preceding Year; 
 the same Dragoons both in Cities and 
 Countries execute the same Fury 
 against some miserable Remains of 
 Protestants, who will not fall down 
 and worship the Golden Image. 
 
 They are used like Rebels in their 
 Persons, in their Estates, in their 
 Wives and in their Children ; and if 
 there be any difference, 'tis in this 
 that their Sufferings are still increas'd, 
 yet if we will believe the Clergy ha- 
 ranguing the King by the Mouth of 
 the Bishop oiValence their Speaker, it 
 is a Miracle of his Majesty's Reign 
 that such infinite Numbers should be 
 by him converted without using any 
 constraint at all, and that from all 
 
Protestants of France. 189 
 
 Parts, there should be such a Con- 
 course of People joyfully flocking to 
 re-unite themselves to the Catholick 
 Church, All this^ saith he, is done 
 without Violence, without arms, and 
 not so much by the force of your 
 Edicts, as by the Exemplariness of 
 your Piety. And if we will believe 
 moreover the greatest Part of the Ab- 
 jurations which these poor opprest 
 People, are forc'd to make with a 
 Dagger at their Breast; they speak 
 indeed the same Sense, that is, that 
 they have done this of their own 
 proper Motion, without being con- 
 strained in any wise thereto. 
 
 If we will believe Monsieur Maim- 
 bourg in his Epistle Dedicatory to 
 the King, which he has prefixed, be- 
 fore his History of Pope Gregory 
 lately Publish'd, there has been neither 
 Arms nor Violence used for those 
 Conversions, You are to believe, says 
 he, that after having already van- 
 quished all the Enemies of France 
 by the invincible Power of your Arms, 
 you shall alone eternally have the 
 Glory and Happiness of having rooted 
 
IQO The Complaints of the 
 
 out of the most Christian Kingdom, 
 that Enemy of God, Heresy (as he 
 calls it), without using against it, to 
 compel the Protestants to return into 
 the Bosom of the Church, other Arms, 
 or Forces, than those of your most 
 charitable Zeal for their Conversion, 
 and the manifest Justice of your De- 
 crees and Edicts, which have had all 
 the Success as could be wish'd for 
 or expected. And in his third Book 
 after having said that Ethelred King 
 of England did not compel by any 
 kind of Violence his Subjects to em- 
 brace the Christian Religion, having 
 learned of his Divines that the Ser- 
 vice rendred to Jesus Christ ought to 
 be voluntary, but only kept his Fa- 
 vours for such as should turn Christ- 
 ians, without doing Injustice to others ; 
 after this he adds these Words ; This 
 is the Method Lewis the Great follows 
 exactly at this time in order to convert 
 the pretended Reformed, who have ho 
 Cause of Complaint. For no Violence 
 is off er'd to anyone, and if the King be 
 graciously pleased to bestow on the new 
 Converts, such Favours and Kindness 
 
Protestants of France. IQI 
 
 as are not bestow'd upon others, and 
 which he is not obliged to confer upon 
 those who are obstinate in their Her- 
 esy; yet no injustice is hereby done, 
 since nothing of any Privilege is taken 
 from them, but what they have usurped 
 contrary to the intent of the Edicts ; 
 and that he has a Right to Punish 
 them, when they act contrary to his 
 Ordinances. It is very likely that this 
 Method so soft, so prudent, so effica- 
 cious will at last have the same effect 
 in France under Lewis the Great, to 
 reconcile the Calvinists to the Church 
 as it had under King Ethelred in Eng- 
 land for the Conversion of his Subjects; 
 who powerfully drawn by such means 
 came dayly crowding to demand the 
 holyBaptism,as we see our Protestants, 
 begin now to come in Flocks to Mass. 
 And 'tis upon the same Principles 
 that Monsieur Varillas in his Ded- 
 ication to the King of the Book 
 just publish'd by him under the 
 Title of the History of the Revolu- 
 tions which have happen'd in Europe 
 in Matters of Religion, does not scru- 
 ple to speak in this manner; Your 
 
192 The Complaints of the 
 
 Majesty in order to ruin Calvinism 
 has only obliged the French that 
 profess'd it, to the exact Observance of 
 the Edict of Nantes ; by punishing the 
 Contraventions with the Penalties con» 
 tain'd therein; that alone was sufficient 
 to reduce the Hereticks to so small a 
 Number, that the Edict being now use- 
 less there was reason to revoke it. 
 
 Thus is the Credulity of the Pub- 
 lick wretchedly impos'd on, the Seeds 
 of Imposture are sown at Random, 
 which are left to grow up, and matur- 
 ate with time. Posterity who shall 
 see these pieces of pretended Histor- 
 ies, will be apt to believe them True. 
 And making their Judgment from 
 this surprizing account of the matter, 
 they will certainly say. Behold here 
 what has been said to the King him- 
 self, who must not have open False- 
 hoods presented to him ; here also 
 are the proper Acts and Deeds of 
 those very Persons who were convert- 
 ed. Why shall not then Posterity be- 
 lieve it ; seeing that even at present 
 there are some Shameless enough, (or 
 
Protestants of France. 193 
 
 to speak better, well enough Paid) 
 to Publish it in foreign Countries; 
 and that there are found likewise some 
 credulous enough to believe it. 
 
 And why should they not believe it, 
 seeing it is asserted by a Bishop ; and 
 that in the Name too of the Body of 
 the Clergy, and by Two grave Authors 
 besides? Must there be so much 
 said to establish a probable Opinion '^. 
 Posterity will not be bound to know 
 who this Bishop of Valence was ; nor 
 what sort of a Life he always led ; nor 
 will they be under a necessity of 
 knowing how many Fables Monsieur 
 Maimbourg has been more than once 
 convicted of; which he had embelish'd 
 his Histories with, nor that he was a 
 Person determinatelyResolv'd, though 
 detected, never to acknowledge him- 
 self in an Error, neither will they be 
 oblig'd to know, that Monsieur Varil- 
 las not finding his Account in telling 
 the Truth, has in his old Days thought 
 fit at last, to consecrate his Pen to this 
 Service, induc'd to it by the Favors 
 of the Archbishop of Paris, as may 
 
1 94 ^^^ Complaints of the 
 
 be gather'd from the Preface of this 
 his late Treatise, 
 
 But to come to the Point, what 
 likelihood is there that so great and 
 considerable a Number of Persons, 
 should without anything constraining 
 them to it, chuse to Fly out of France, 
 and leave behind them their Houses, 
 their Lands of Inheritance, their Ef- 
 fects, and several of them too their 
 Wives and Children, only for to rove 
 about the World, and lead a misera- 
 ble Life out of meer Humour: Is there 
 any likelihood that Persons of Quality 
 of both Sexes, who enjoyed some 
 Twelve, Fifteen, Twenty, or Thirty 
 ThouSvand Livres/^r Annum, should 
 abandon their Estates, and that not 
 only for themselves but for their 
 Successors too : Expose themselves 
 to numberless Perils, and to the 
 Inconveniences of long Journies ; 
 and reduce themselves in a manner 
 to Beggary ; which is a Condition the 
 most unsupportable in the World 
 to Persons of Quality, and all this 
 without any Reason, Purely out of 
 a Frolick and, for the sake of a Jest, 
 
Protestants of France. 195 
 
 without any Occasion ? What like- 
 lihood that about an Hundred and 
 Fifty Thousand Persons who have 
 already escap'd; some of them into 
 Switzerland, others into Germany, 
 some into E7igland, others into Hoi- 
 . land, some into Swedeland, and others 
 into Denmark, and some even into 
 America, without having ever seen 
 or known one another, should yet all 
 agree to tell the same Lie, and to say 
 v/ith one Voice, that the Protestants 
 are cruelly persecuted in France, and 
 that by unheard of Severities they are 
 forc'd to change their Religion ; al- 
 though there is no such Matter, is it 
 likely in the last Place, that the Em- 
 'bassadors and Envoys of foreign Prin- 
 ces and Powers, should all of them 
 Lie in concert to their Masters ; tell- 
 ing them such things which had no 
 Foundation of Truth ? 
 
 But again, if in France the Protest- 
 ants thus voluntarily, and without con- 
 straint, change their Religion, and 
 that the Dragoons are call'd in only 
 as Friends, whence comes it that there 
 is so strict and universal a Guard, on 
 
196 The Complaints of the 
 
 the Frontiers, to hinder their with- 
 drawing ? How is it that the Prisons 
 are cram'd with those who endeavour- 
 ing to make their Escape, were stopt 
 by the Way ? Whence is it that those 
 who have chang'd their Religion, are 
 watched with so great care to hinder 
 their Flight, even to the obliging them 
 to Deposit good Sums of Money, to 
 secure them from the Suspition of it? 
 What an epidemical Distemper is 
 there raging among his Majesty's 
 Subjects, that should make them 
 Fly thus without Reason or without 
 Grounds ? and is not this a pleasant 
 shift to say, that the Protestants have 
 themselves call'd in the Dragoons to 
 have a better pretence to change their 
 Religion ? 
 
 'Tis about Ten Years or more, since 
 there was a Bank set up for Souls: 
 Mr. Pelisson has been for a long time 
 at Paris, the great Dealer in this in- 
 famous Trade of purchasing Converts. 
 These Conversions have of late been 
 the only way of getting Applause, 
 and into Preferments at Court, and in 
 
Protestants of France. igy 
 
 a Word, a sure and effectual means of 
 raising ones Fortune ; And yet they 
 would fain make People think us such 
 Fools, as that in stead of being convert- 
 ed by these easie and advantageous 
 Methods, we should rather choose the 
 help of Dragoons, that is to have the 
 Pleasure of being pillag'd at the best; 
 at least let any one tell us, why, since 
 these Conversions are all pretended 
 to be Voluntary, upon the Peoples not 
 being to go to Mass, they should have 
 sent the Dragoons to visit them a 
 Second Time, and use them with the 
 same severity as before. 
 
 This is indeed so gross and palpa- 
 ble a lie that others who are more In- 
 genuous have undertaken to defend 
 these Violences, as if they were nat- 
 urally from the genuine Spirit of the 
 Catholick Church ; and for this Pur- 
 pose, they have continually in their 
 Mouth that Passage of the Gospel, 
 Compellelntrare.com-p^X them to come 
 in ; the Letter of St. Augustin to Vin- 
 centius and the Persecution by the Or- 
 thodox of A f rick against Xki^Donatists- 
 
igS The Complaints of the 
 
 Were this a Place to dispute against 
 those furious Theologists, 'twould not 
 be hard to shew the Vanity of those 
 Allegations, the Apostles knew at 
 least as well as they, the Sence and 
 Intent of their Master, neither wanted 
 they Zeal for the Promotion of his 
 Gospel. Did they therefore ever 
 make use of Arms to augment the 
 Number of the Faithful, or did their 
 Master for that end give them any 
 Temporal or Military power? Who 
 knows not but in the Stile of Script- 
 ure the Words Compellere and Cogere 
 signifie a soft Violence of Exhorta- 
 tion and Persuasion, as in the XIX of 
 Genesis y where it is said that Lot com- 
 pelled the Angels to come into his 
 House, Compudit illos oppido pressed 
 upon, V. 3. and i. Sam. XXVIII. 23. 
 that Saul's Servants Compelled him 
 to eat, Coegerunt eum.. And Luke 
 XXIV. 29, that the Two Disciples 
 going to Em^maus ; compelled Jesus 
 or constrained him (Cogerunt ilium) 
 to remain with them ; and Acts XVI. 
 15. that Lydia compelled (constrdimtd) 
 
Protestants of France. igg 
 
 St. Paul and his Company (Coegitnos) 
 to come into her House. As for St. 
 Augustin s Letter, it must be con- 
 fess'd that nothing can better shew 
 us the Character of this sort of Per- 
 sons than this Allegation of theirs. 
 They cannot be Ignorant how that 
 the general Sentiment of the Fathers 
 is, that Conscience is never to be 
 forced, nor Religion to be established 
 by Violence. They know that this is 
 the general Voice of the Primitive 
 Church, insomuch that St. Martin cut 
 off from his Communion the Bishops 
 that persecuted the Priscilianists. 
 And yet these Men would fain force 
 upon us for a Rule of Christian Prac- 
 tice a Letter of one who had been 
 exasperated, and who had suffer'd 
 himself to be misled by some other 
 turbulent Bishops ; whose Doctrine 
 and Reputation by this one single 
 Act, have been stain'd with an irre- 
 parable Blemish. They are not a whit 
 more successful in what they allege, 
 concerning the Persecution of the 
 Donatists by the Orthodox. For to 
 omit that the Orthodox never forced 
 
^00 The Complaints of the 
 
 the Donatists, either to embrace 
 Doctrines, or Worship that they had 
 an abhorence for, or to abjure those 
 they profess'd, they only constrained 
 them to submit outwardly to a per- 
 sonal Judgment, given by Lawful 
 Judges on a Matter of Fact; which 
 was whether Cecilian was a Prevari- 
 cator, or not. To omit all this, I say, 
 it is certain that that Persecution 
 was visibly foUow'd with Exemplary 
 Chastisements from the Divine Jus- 
 tice upon the Persecutors ; who were 
 soon after by the Arrians treated with 
 much more Cruelty than the Dona- 
 tists had been by them, thus God per- 
 mitted, that as they had abus'd the 
 Weakness of Honorius, to make him 
 put in Execution what Constantine the 
 Great would never Consent to, so the 
 Arrian Bishops should in like manner 
 abuse the Power of the Kings of the 
 Vendals to oppress the flourishing 
 Churches of Africa. But what need 
 of all this dispute, since all they ad- 
 vance is altogether besides the Ques- 
 tion ? Let them but shew us one only 
 
Protestants of France. 2oi 
 
 Passage, or Example, from whence it 
 can be inferr'd that public Faith given 
 to a Society by Solemn Edicts and 
 Treaties (such as were in the Edict of 
 Nantes) might be violated, had there 
 ever been an Agreement betwixt the 
 Jews and the Heathens^ with the 
 Apostles, and this solemnly consented 
 to and ratified, when our blessed 
 Saviour said Compelle Intrare Luke 
 XIV. V. 23. compel them to come in ; 
 has St. Augustin ever said, that we 
 ought to deal perfidiously with those 
 whom we esteem Hereticks, when we 
 have promis'd to Live with them like 
 Brethren, and fellow Citizens } Had 
 the Donatists any Edicts to shelter 
 them from the insults of the Ortho- 
 dox .? Should we yield to this detest- 
 able Divinity, what would become of 
 all of us ? For in short the Papists 
 are as much Hereticks to the Protest- 
 ants as the Protestants are to the Pa- 
 pists ; yet in most parts of Europe, 
 they live together in Peace, on the 
 Faith of Alliances, Treaties and Prom- 
 ises, and trading together, are at full 
 
202 The Complaints of the 
 
 Liberty to follow the Dictates of their 
 own Consciences. But these publick 
 Priests as much as in them lies would 
 quickly bring all things into confusion, 
 and a State of War. They set the 
 Catholicks against the Protestants^ 
 teaching them, that their Religion 
 obliges them to betray and surprise 
 the Protestants, when ever they can 
 do it safely and to treat them with 
 Fire and Faggot, if they will not 
 change their religion. They set the 
 Protestants against the Catholics ; for 
 what Peace and Society can there be 
 with People, who not only make no 
 Conscience to break their Faith, but 
 on the contrary think themselves 
 obliged in Conscience to break it, as 
 often as they find Occasion, such are 
 the natural Consequences of the per- 
 nicious Doctrine of these Converters, 
 with their compelle intrare and the 
 letter of St. Augustin, 
 
 The worst on it is, these are not 
 only the Discourses or Writings of 
 some giddy brained Authors, whose 
 Sphere of Activity commonly extends 
 
Protestants of France. ^03 
 
 no further than their Study: They 
 are real Deeds and notorious Facts, 
 'tis a great King whom they have 
 abused ; powerful Ministers into 
 whose Minds they have instilFd those 
 Maxims, and who put 'em in practice, 
 Armies of Dragoons, who have de- 
 populated a whole Kingdom, and 
 piunder'd above Five Hundred Thou- 
 sand Families. Do we live in an Age 
 wherein Religion is made to consist 
 in having no Fear of God, or must 
 we imagine that the Fear of God, con- 
 sists in that furious Zeal, which in- 
 spires such sorts of Violences t Can 
 any think these Excesses are pleasing 
 to Christ, whom we both profess to 
 own as the Author of our Faith, and 
 that he can ever be willing to have 
 his Religion propagated, by such 
 treacherous and wicked Devices ? He 
 has said indeed, that he will not suffer 
 the Gates of Hell to prevail against 
 his Church ; but he has no where said, 
 he will open Hell Gates for the prop- 
 agating of it. Now if ever anything 
 in the World may be said to carry 
 
204 ^'^^ Complaints of 
 the Air of the Gates of Hell, cer- 
 tainly it must be this Persecution 
 in France, 
 
 Whatever Antipathy there may be 
 between the See of Rome, and us, we 
 cannot believe the present Pope In- 
 nocent XII. to have had any hand 
 therein, or that the Storm has fain on 
 us from that Quarter. We know him 
 to be a mild Prince, and his Temper 
 disposed to more moderate Councils, 
 than those of his Predecessors. More- 
 over, we know the Clergy of France Ao 
 not always consult him in what they 
 set about, and what has been done by 
 them against Rome, and the little def- 
 erence pay'd to its Authority has been 
 frequently made an Argument to in- 
 duce us, to submit ourselves to the 
 King's Will in these other matters. 
 So that we hope the Pope himself 
 considering us still as Men, and as 
 Christians, will pity us, and blame 
 the Methods that have been used 
 against us, had he no other Reason 
 than the mere interest of his own 
 Religion. 
 
Protestants of France. 205 
 
 However, 'tis certain the Protest- 
 ants of France are the fittest objects 
 of Publick Compassion, the World 
 ever knew. Some of them Sigh and 
 Lament under an hard and barbarous 
 Slavery, which they would willingly 
 exchange for Irons in Algiers or Tur- 
 key, for there they would not be forced 
 to turn Mahometants^ and might still 
 entertain some hopes of Liberty by 
 the way of Ransom. Other of them 
 are wand'ring about in Foreign Coun- 
 tries, stript of their Estates, separated 
 (in all probability for ever) from their 
 Parents, Relations and Friends whom 
 they have left in the most doleful con- 
 dition imaginable, Husbands have left 
 their Wives, and Wives, their Hus- 
 bands, Fathers their Children, and 
 Children their Fathers. We have 
 seen as in a moment our Fortunes, 
 our Establishments, our Inheritances, 
 our Houses, our Commerce, our hopes 
 drop away; And of all the good things 
 of this earthly State, we have scarce 
 any thing left us, but our miserable 
 Lives, and they too supported by the 
 Charity of our Christian Brethren. 
 
2o6 The Complaints of the 
 
 Yet amongst all these Afflictions 
 we have this Comfort still, that we 
 truly suffer for a good Conscience, 
 and the Cause of God, and can defy 
 even the malice of our Persecutors, 
 to charge us with any the least Mis- 
 demeanour that could have merited 
 this barbarous usage ; We have served 
 our King and Country with the ut- 
 most Zeal and Fidelity; We have 
 constantly submitted ourselves to the 
 Laws, and to the Magistrates ; We 
 have been always ready to bear our 
 Part of the Publick Burthens ; And 
 as for our Country Men, they have no 
 reason to complain of us. We have 
 for Twenty Years together suffered 
 with an Exemplary Patience the 
 most furious and Dreadful Storms, 
 and when in the Vivares and Cevennes, 
 some thought themselves bound in 
 Conscience to Preach on the Ruines 
 of their Churches, unjustly and illeg- 
 ally demolisht ; their small number, 
 which were but a handful only served 
 to stir up more the Obedience and 
 Resignation of the whole Body. 
 
Protestants of France. 207 
 
 And in these last Storms we have 
 been like Sheep, Innocent and with- 
 out defence. We comfort our selves 
 then in the Justice of our Cause, 
 and in our peaceable Deportment 
 under it. 
 
 But we comfort our selves likewise 
 in the Christian Compassion shewed 
 us by Foreign Princes, and States, 
 who have opened their Arms and 
 received us into their Dominions, 
 succour'd, relieved, and comfort'd us ; 
 And the People who live under their 
 Government, have seconded these 
 their kind Offices. And we have 
 found in all of them, not only new 
 Masters and new Friends, but the 
 real Tenderness of Fathers and Breth- 
 ren. And as these Bowels of Com- 
 miseration have been as Balm to our 
 Wounds ; So we hope never to lose 
 the Remembrance thereof, and trust, 
 that neither we nor our Children 
 after us, shall ever do any thing by 
 God's Grace, to render us unworthy 
 of this their Protection. 
 
 The only affliction for which we 
 
2o8 The Complaints of the 
 
 cannot be comforted is, to see our Re- 
 ligion oppressed in the Kingdom of 
 France ; So many Churches, wherein 
 God was daily served according to 
 the simplicity of the Gospel, demol- 
 ished, so many Flocks dispers'd, so 
 many poor Consciences Sighing and 
 Groaning under their Bondage; so 
 many Children depriv'd of the Edu- 
 cation they were to receive from their 
 Parents. But we hope that at length, 
 the same God who heard heretofore 
 the Sighs of his People under the 
 Bondage of Egypt ^ will also hear at 
 this time the Cries of his Faithful 
 Servants. We call not for Fire from 
 Heaven, we only pray, that God would 
 touch the Hearts of our Persecutors, 
 that they may repent, and be saved 
 together with us ; We entreat such a 
 Deliverance, as he in his Wisdom 
 shall think fitting. And as our 
 Prayers are in the Order of his Prov- 
 idence; We have grounds to hope 
 that he will hear them and that he 
 will Establish us again in our first 
 Estate. 
 
Protestants of France. 209 
 
 But in the mean while, and till it 
 shall please God in his mercy to bring 
 that happy Event to pass, least we 
 should be wanting to the Justice of 
 our Cause, we desire that this Account 
 which contains our Just Complaints^ 
 may serve for a Protestation before 
 Heaven and Earth against all the 
 violences we have suffer'd in the 
 Kingdom of France. Against all the 
 Arrests, Declarations, Edicts, Regu- 
 lations, and all other Ordinances of 
 what nature soever, which our Ene- 
 mys have caused to be Published to 
 the prejudice of the Edict of Nantes ; 
 Against all sort of Acts, Signatures, 
 or Verbal Declarations expressing an 
 Abjuration of our, and the Profession 
 of the Romish Religion, which Fear, 
 Torture, and a Superior Power have 
 extorted from us or from our Breth- 
 ren; Against the Plunder that has 
 been already or shall hereafter be 
 committed of our Goods, Houses, 
 Effects, Debts, Trusts, Rents, Lands, 
 Inheritances and Revenues, Common 
 or Private, either by way of Confisca- 
 
210 The Complaints of the 
 
 tion, or by any other way whatsoever 
 as Unjust, Treacherous, and Violent, 
 committed only by a Superior Power, 
 in full Peace, contrary both to Reason 
 and the Laws of Nature, and the 
 Rights of all Society, and injurious 
 to all Mankind ; But especially we 
 Protest against the Edict of the i8th 
 of October 1685, containing the Revo- 
 cation of the Edict of Nantes, as a 
 manifest Abuse of the King's Justice, 
 Authority and Royal Power, since the 
 Edict of Nantes was in it self inviola- 
 ble and irrevocable, above the reach 
 of any Human Power, design'd for a 
 standing Agreement and Concordat 
 between the Roman Catholicks, and us, 
 and a fundamental Law of the Realm, 
 which no Authority on Earth has Pow- 
 er to Infringe, or Annul. We protest 
 likewise against all the Consequences 
 that may follow such a Revocation, 
 against the Extinction of the Exer- 
 cise of our Religion throughout the 
 whole Kingdom of France, against all 
 the Ignominies and Cruelties com- 
 mitted upon dead Bodies, by depriv- 
 
Protestants of France. 211 
 
 ing them of Christian Burial, and ex- 
 posing them in the Field to be De- 
 voured by Ravenous Beasts, or drag- 
 ging them ignominiously through the 
 Streets upon Hurdles ; against the 
 taking away Children by force, and 
 the Orders given to Fathers and 
 Mothers to Cause them to be Bap- 
 tized and Educated hy Romish Priests. 
 But above all, we Protest against that 
 impious and abominable Position, 
 which is now adays made the General 
 Rule in France, by which Religion is 
 made to depend on the Pleasure and 
 Despotick Power of a Mortal Prince, 
 and Perseverance in the Faith branded 
 with the Names of Rebellion and 
 Treason, which is to make of a Man 
 a God, and tends to the introduc- 
 ing and authorizing of Atheism 
 and Idolatry. We Protest moreover 
 against all manner of violent and 
 inhumane detaining of our Brethren 
 in France, whether in Prisons, Gal- 
 lies, Monasteries, or any other Con- 
 finements, to hinder them from 
 leaving the Kingdom, and going to 
 
212 Complai7tts of Protestants. 
 
 seek in Foreign Countries that Liberty 
 of Conscience which they cannot en- 
 joy in their own ; which is the utmost 
 pitch of Brutish Cruelty and HelHsh 
 Iniquity. 
 
 Lastly we Protest against whatso- 
 ever we may, of Right Protest against, 
 and declare that such is our meaning, 
 that things not expressed be compre- 
 hended under those that are here ex- 
 pressed. We most humbly suppli- 
 cate all Kings, Princes, Soveraign 
 Lords, States and Nations, and gen- 
 erally all Persons of what Condition 
 soever to be graciously pleased, that 
 these our lawful and indispensable 
 Protestations, which in the simplicity 
 and sincerity of our Hearts we are 
 obliged to make, and do make accord- 
 ingly, may serve before God, and be- 
 fore them, as a standing Testimony 
 for us and our Posterity, for the Pres- 
 ervation of our Rights, and for the 
 Discharge of our Consciences. 
 
 FINIS. 
 

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