IT was a Lynceus (but not the sonne of Apha­reus) one of a more cleere and penetrant sight, which obserued euen in the depth of the Kings noble heart, and in the secret thoughts of his faithfull subiects, the sighes that they daily poured forth, before his Diuine Maiesty, to bee deliuered, together with this whole poore Realme and Kingdome, from the tyrannie and oppression, whereinto they were reduced and brought, by the deepe subtilty, and insupportable pride of Co­chino; in whom questionlesse (if Metempsycosis, or Py­thagoricall transmigration could take place) the diuel­lish soule of Aman, the sonne of Amadathi, the Agagean, resumed another bodie. But to the end euery one may be aduertised of the true cause of these sighes, you shall conceiue by this briefe recitall, that Cochino was borne in Florence, of poore and meane place; and as such an one, grew to affect amorously a Ioyners daughter, who was called Leonora Galligaia, as men said; she being pla­ced at the first as an inferiour chamber-maid, with the Princesse Maria de Medices, whose close stoole shee of­tentimes clensed and emptied: within a while her con­tinued seruices, ioyned with some liberality of minde and spirit obserued in her, brought her to be raised and preferred to be in the said Princesse her chamber as an[Page 6]attendant gentlewoman; which Princesse at last com­ming into France, to be ioyned in marriage with Henry the Great, the said Elenor came along with her, and she was also followed by Cochino; when arriuing at Mar­celles, a little boy of about twelue yeeres old, was able with all ease, to carry their whole luggage and furni­ture; being a French youth, and a Parisian borne, who died not long since, of a dyssenterie, or bloody flux, in the street called de Beau-bourg: when the Princesse came to be Queene, out of a franke and most noble dispositi­on, she aduanced all her followers, and peculiarly the said Elenor; who humbly requested her, that shee would permit her to marrie the said Cochino, which at last she compassed, with the Kings pleasure and consent. Then either of them insinuating themselues more and more into the Queenes fauour, they grew to great fortunes and meanes, by commending vnto their Maiesties di­uers mens sutes; who hauing occasion to sue vnto them, were vrged by important occasions and businesses, of what nature or quality soeuer. God at last, for our own vnworthines, called the King to his mercy, depriuing vs of that glorious Sun; leauing to succeed him, Lewis the thirteenth, (whom God maintaine and prosper) be­ing then but ten yeeres old, who presently, by the gene­rall voice and consent of all France, was inuested in the flowers de Luce, and acknowledged for King; and the Queene his mother, a lamentable, desolate, and dis­consolate Ladie, by the same generall consent was pro­claimed Regent. The naturall benignitie, and noble in­clination of this great Queene, suffered her not to feare, either deceit, or trecherie, but being her selfe of an vn­tainted and innocent soule, shee thought euery one had the like; especially such as were so farre fauoured, to [Page 7]come freely into her Maiesties presence, and had the credit to speake to her in priuate. Now was the time, when this ambitious Cochino, began by the instrumen­tall offices of his wise, to depraue and detract from the Kings loyall and good seruants; for presently hee then caused Syllery the Chancellor, and his brother, to be dis­missed and driuen from his presence; and vnder the cloke and colour of Iustice, to take from the Parliament of Prouince, their resplendant Sonne, vnder this colour to propagate his ambition; and yet this presently not giuing him such full contentment, he must needes take from him the publicke Seales, for to conferre them vp­on one of his owne creatures; then hee must needes re­moue from about the King, Mounsieur le Cheualier de Vandosme, his beloued Minion; then his faithfull ser­uant Luynes; forthwith his vigilant and carefull Physi­tian Erouard, and then his good Counsellors; presently he gaue one office to one, another to another: to con­clude, at one instant he cast al these Officers in a mould; the Keeper of Seales; the Secretarie of Estate, and the Controller generall of the Treasuries; by little and lit­tle, contesting with the greatest, for the place of chiefe Gentleman of the Kings chamber, vsing all the power possible to marrie his daughter with Mounsieur the Duke of Longueuill: who no waies bending to this con­tract, was in great danger to haue lost his gouernment of Picardie, and all his credit at Court, being inforced to eclipse and retire himselfe. During these entercour­ses, that sage Prince, the Count de Soissons was called to heauen; whose gouernment the Queene kept in her owne hands, to appease the great iealousies of those that were competitors for the same; constituting therein Cochino, somtimes Marquesse d' Ancre, and Marshall[Page 8]of France, for her Lieutenant. Here then you see him Lieutenant of Normandy, being Master & Comman­der of the principall places in the same, which he forti­fied with Bastions, Ditches, and Cannon, which he con­ueied thither out of the Arsenall at Paris. But while these occurrents thus passed, he drained the Bastile of foureteene millions, bitterly checked that Imperiall Parliament, about the demonstrations of his disorders, preuenting the Princes and great Lords from conuen­ting and assembling therein. At last he found a meanes that the Princes forsooke the Court, and Mounsieur le Iay President of the said Parliament, the Kings most loyall and trustie seruant, was committed prisoner to the Castle of Ambois, vnder a colourable and counter­feit pretext: he procured that neither his Maiestie, nor his faithfull Counsell, gaue any eare neither to the ma­nifestation of Mounsier the Prince, nor to the com­plaints and intimations of the other Princes. One of which, that is to say, Mounsier de Vandosme, he caused to be imprisoned (but that he made a cunning and subtile escape); so that by these meanes he laid the foundation of a dangerous warre, and of great leuies of souldiers, arming neere kinsmen one against another, as Moun­sier de Guyse against Mounsier de Mayenne his cousine germaine, and thus ruinating the Kings poore sub­iects: so that at last, by the wise and discreete cour­ses of my Lords the Dukes de Neuers, de Ventadour, Chancellor Syllery, and other ancient Officers of the Crowne, a good Treatie should haue been drawne, the King being then at Tours, and the said Lords Princes at Loudun. But because the said Cochino perceiued, that the power of these the Kings two faithfull seruants to his minde, crossed his ambitions, making rather vse[Page 9]of his owne ministers, and vpstarts, whom himselfe ter­med Agents of a thousand Frankes, of whom he had to the number of eight hundred; and wonderfully abusing the Queenes exceeding clemencie and bountie, as also the feare and iealousie, that both by himselfe and others he possessed her withall, that she should be carefull of her selfe, and of the Kings minoritie and youth: he cau­sed Mounsier the Prince to be takē prisoner on a thurs­day the first of September, anno 1616: and so conse­quently all the rest, vpon this, dispersing themselues, not daring to returne, they were proclaimed Rebels, at­tainted of high Treason, all their goods confiscated, (part of which came into his own hands) and then three Armies were hereupon raised to take the spoile of thē, and so bring them in aliue or dead. Mounsieur de Guyse went of the one part, to seaze on Mounsieur de Neuers, whom hee dispossessed of many places: on the other side Mounsieur de Montigny and Mounsieur the Count de Auuergne, went directly to Soissons with 40 Canons; Cochino by an imprinted letter, promised to the King foorthwith an Armie of fiue thousand foote, and eight hundred horse, which he entertained for foure moneths at his owne charge; sending out in the meane while three or foure hundred Spyes, or Intelligencers, ouer al the countrie, especially into Paris, that by this meanes he might discouer and know all such as ordinarily ex­claimed against his Tyrannie, causing diuers gibbets to bee erected within the citie whereupon to hang his opposites, though they armed themselues but for the Kings true and faithfull seruice. While all this thus passed, the Kings loyall seruants, who saw their Ma­sters captiuitie, and the vnworthie entreatie of his Ma­iestie, being now of yeers, of greater maturitie and ripe­nes,[Page 10]they conuented together, and began to enter into a sacred vnion, to shake off this yoke of Cochino, and all his assistants, which aimed at the destruction of all the Princes, and so to seaze on their goods (I meane not only of those absent and withdrawne, as my Lords de Vandosme, de Neuers, de Longueuille, de Bouillon, and de Mayenne, but also of them present) as my Lords the Count de Auuergne, de Guyse, Ioinuille, the Cardinall of Rhemes; then of my Lords the Prince of Conde prisoner, and Count de Soissons very young, but endued with an excellent spirit, and a noble impe of great expectation and hopes, for his Prince and al France; then of the most eminent Officers of the Crowne, then of Sieur Erouard chiefe Physition, one most loyall to his King; of Sieur de Luynes, and at last of the King himselfe. All this effected, Mounsier should haue been seated in the Throne very young, the Queene-Mother Regent, himselfe Maior of the Palace, which dignitie he meant againe to re-erect; and then in a little time, hauing all the authoritie in his owne hands, no body opposing nor contradicting him, (al the race of Bourbon cleane extinguished, through the sudden death of Mounsier the King) Cochino should then haue been mounted vpon the Throane, and then his wife being made away by some priuie practice of his owne, he might haue married whom he would at his pleasure. Here you may see a well wouen web, for the amputation whereof, God, who alwaies preserueth this kingdome, put into the heart of Lewis (beloued of God) the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding, as he did sometimes into Salomon; and so strengthening the arme of Sieur de Vitry, his faithfull Gardian and Cap­taine, caused it to discharge his iust choller, vpon the head of this Salmonéas, which being too fauourably[Page 11]dealt withall, according to the opinion and iudgement of the people, when he was buried secretly in the night, they dis-interred at high noone day, and thinking him vnworthie of buriall, they dragged his corps to the foot of Pont neuf; there hung vp by the feete, on a gibbet he had lately erected: then they cut off his nose, and his eares, pluckt out his eyes, couched his head, cut off like­wise his armes, and shamefull parts: this being done, it was trailed againe through the streetes of the Citie, beaten, and laid vpon with cudgels, part of it burnt be­fore his owne house, and some of it once againe retrai­led and burnt the second time, and what remained was at last throwne into the water. Now, the longer they had been mute, no man daring to speake against him, the more they talked, sung, and writ so loudly, and pub­likely, that all the streetes re-echoed with the exulting ioyes and outcries of the inhabitants. The blow was no sooner giuen, but a miraculous change and altera­tion was obserued ouer all France, especially in Paris; for euery one assumed to himself a new forme, through such an admirable pleasure and contentment. The Ar­mie before Soissons, was presently by the Kings com­mandement dissolued; the Lords de Vandosme, de Ne­uers, de Mayenne, de Longueuille, fell downe incontinently at his Maiesties feete, who receiued them with a free and royall heart, to the confusion and shame of all Co­chinoes creatures; who (at the arriuall of that graue and prudent Chancellor, whom his Maiestie sent for, and reconfirmed him of his Counsell; of the Lords, de Vair, restored to the keeping of the publike Seales, President Ianin, and Villeroy, together with others, who had been formerly dismissed and chased away by this Haman) va­nished, and were dissipated, like mists or fogges at the[Page 12]arising of the Suns cleere beames. Cochinoes life (some­times Marquis de Ancre, and Marshall of France) re­quires a great and entire volume, to expresse and relate it at large, the which, attending and expecting from the learned penne of Piere Matthew in his Historie, I haue here abridged in as briefe a forme as possibly I could, for a note and marke vnto those, which may peraduen­ture heare talke but of a parcell of his infernall ambi­tion: and to be a iust terror to all such Nimrodes, from attempting to scale the heauens, and to bandy against lawfull Kings, who are the annoynted of the Lord, principally against such spirits and mindes, voide of all gall or bitternes, but clement and tractable, being of the same yeeres that our King Lewis the 13 (beloued of God) is: for whom all France ought daily to pray, that he may be preserued, and blessed, with a most long and happie life. God through his omnipotent holy fauour and grace, daily guard and defend him, for vs, together with al the faithful Princes, and Officers of his Crown; guiding and instructing his heart, for the mainte­nance and propagation of his holy Church, and the benefit and comfort of his poore people, Amen.