FRAVNCIS, both sonne & brother of a King, Duke of Allenson, first Peere of Fraunce &c. To all men whome it shall appertaine, Greeting. Knoweye that we being true­ly aduertised and informed, that of the obseruation of lawes dependeth the conseruation of all Realmes and Lord­shipps, and by that meanes peace gro­weth and is intertained among the sub­iectes, So whē they are not kept in the puritie that our ancestorshaue leaft thē vnto vs, and that they seeme to weaken and decaye, and be as it were dead and buried, The subiectes being imhol­dened, [Page 4] do licence, dispence, and ease­ly giue them selues to all dissolutnes: vvhich doeth cause oftentimes ciuil vvarres. And finally the destruction & ouerthrowe of great realmes and com­mon vvelthes: if in time it be not reme­died by the diuine goodnes of God, vvhich doth raise (whē it pleaseth him) excellent and mightie personnes to vvithstād the tyrānie of those vvhich seeke not but to bring all things to con­fusion, onely to make them selues riche, (at vvhose cost soeuer it be) of the blood and svveate of the poore: or els to sease them selues of the said realmes & Lordships, as we may easely leame, by the ruynes and decayes of infinit flori­shīg kingdomes, that by these like mea­nes haue ended, vvhich ought to be an exāple to al true frenchemē for to prick them forevvard to set vp againe the an­cient lavves, and to let and vvithstande (euerie one according to the abili­tie [Page 5] vvhich God hath giuen vnto him) that it may not fall into the hands of those vvhich of long time haue sought for it. And for to bringe their purpose to passe, doe nourishe and maintaine the dissentions vvhich vve see at this in­stāt, coulouring their dealings with the cōtrouersie that is in religiō: which they vvoulde be right sorie to see it pacified, as it is euidently seene, and vvell kno­vven by the things passed, to the intent they may colour the better the taxes, imposts, and subsidies vvhich they doe daily inuent, and gather in the Kinges name vpon the poore people, the No­bilitie, and the Clergie, vnder pretence to pay his debtes: tending onely to the vvealthe of fevve personnes almost all straungers, vvhich rule the King, and occupie the chiefe places, & offices of this realme against the lawes of the same. All the which enterprises vve coulde not vvell lyke of, and therfore [Page 6] haue bene calumniated, and euill re­ported to the Kingour most deare Lord and Brother, and for this cause in great daunger of our life, and kept as euery one knoweth, which thīgs we haue suf­fered, hoping that the King vvoulde re­medy such miseries, & suffer no lōger to be abused of so many men, and that he should knovve our innocencie. But seīg the vvounde to vvaxe daily vvorse and vvorse, and no person to be more vn­vvorthily vsed then vve. And that so many Princes, Lordes, Gentelmen, and Ecclesiasticall persones, Citizens, and burgesses, had their eyes fixed on vs, stretching forth their hands and im­ploring our aide. We being ouercome vvith their prayers, and partaker of their miseries resolued (all feare of death set a side, vvhich vvas neare to ensue) to attēpt to get out of the cap­tiuitie that vve vvere in, to take the pu­blicke cause in hande, and to withstande [Page 7] the vvicked & pernitious coūsells of the perturbators of this Realme, in vvhich attēpt God hathe so fauored vs that the xvi. day of Septēber vve arriued in this our tovvn of Dreux, vvhere many lords Gentelmē & others, asvvel of the Cler­gie as of the cōmōs of this realme haue repaired vnto vs: to whome we haue de­clared, that our vvil & intentiō was not to take vpon vs, or to attēpt in any vvise vpō the authoritie of the King our said Lord and Brother, the vvhich vve desire to preserue & increase vvith all our po­vver. But onely to employ vs vvith all our forces, yea not to spare our life and goodes for to put out, and driue avvay all the perturbators of the publicke rest: to pursue by lavve and iustice all suche spoyles, theftes, murthers, and slaugh­ters so abominably, and against all right and reason cōmitted in the oppen sight and knovvledge of all men, to deliuer so many Lordes Gentelmen and others [Page 8] cōmitted prisoners, or wrongfully bani­shed & vvithout cause: to restore them againe (and all other honest men) to their goodes and liuings, estates, and honours: to abolish all taxes, subsidies & imposts set vpon the poore people by the malice and suggestion of strangers, against the auncient Lavves & statutes of this Realme. To maintaīe the Nobi­litie and Cleargie in their auncient pri­uiledges, freedoms, & liberties. And so, to stablish in Fraunce, a good, firme, & stable peace. And to bring these things to passe, vve doe not meane to vse any o­ther meanes, but suche as our predices­sors haue done, & that haue bene acustomed at all times in this Realme, vvhen it hathe bene question of reformation of religiō, and iustice: vvhich are the tvvo prīcipall stayes of all Monarchies, to re­store againe the Realme to his former florishing state, dignity & libertie: that is by a generall and free assemblie of the [Page 9] three estates of this Realme, being called & appointed to be kepte in a sure & free place, from the vvhich all straūgers shal be excluded. Protestinge before God (vvhome vve call to our aide & helpe, and vvho vve be assured vvill guide our enterprises) that vve are not herein moued nor leadde throughe desire of priuate reuenge (althoughe vve haue iust occasion so to doe, for the greate vvronges done vnto vs) nor yet of highnes or desire to commaund more then vve doe, or then to vs ap­pertaineth. Being pleased and conten­ted (as we haue good occasiō) vvith the goodes, auctoritie, and greatnes, that we haue of Godds grace, & of his benignity hauing apoynted vs to be borne the son of a Kinge, and ordained vs the seconde person of this Realme. That if it happen (as God forbid) to call vs before suche time as we may see the ende and exe­cution of this so holy an enterprise, we [Page 10] shall thinke vs most happy to haue (for the same) bestovved our life, which doth concerne the seruice of God and of the Kinge, the freedome and libertie of the Nobilitie and of the Cleargie, the rest & vnburdening of the people, and the li­bertie of the country. And for to take a­way all lettes, and to reconcyle the hear­tes of naturall Frenchemen, vve haue taken & do take thē, in to our protecti­on and safe keping, asvvell of the one re­ligion as of the other. Praying & exhor­ting thē, in the name of God, to behaue them together one with an other as bre­thrē, frendes, and fellowe Citezens: and not to prouoke one an other by iniuries or otherwise: Vntill that by the generall estates, and assembly of counsil order be taken for religion, and to permitte and let euery one enioye the exercise of the same. Praying all Kinges, Quenes, Prin­ces, and Potentates, comon wealthes & all other neighbours, alies, and confe­derates [Page 11] of this Realme & Crovvne to fa­uour, ayde, & helpe vs in this so holy and laudable enterprise: and to haue none o­ther opinion of vs, then that vvhich we declare and testifie by this present Pro­testation. Praying also all Princes, Lor­des, Gentlemen, Citizens, Townes­men, & all other subiects of the crovvne, to repaire to vs, to accompanie & helpe vs vvith victualles, armour, money, and others their abilities & cōmodities, that through their faulte and negligence the executiō of so highe an enterprise be not differred; & the peace letted. Declaring only those to be our ennemies vvhich by force shall resiste and seeke to vvith­stande our enterprise: And our frendes those which shall runne vpon them.