MOnsieur. You that make profession to vnderstand, and to know the Scriptures well; if it be true, I wonder how you perseuere in your rebellion and disobedience, seeing that therein, it is expresly sayd, he that disobeyeth the commande­ments of Kings, holy contradicteth the commandement of God, whose liuely Images they are; know for certaine, that the Soueraigne Maiestie of God, doth so much abhorre all those that reuolt and rebell against their Soueraigne Princes; that if his mercy, did not hinder the force and effects of his Iustice, hee would suddenly discharge the arrowes of his wrath, to exturpe and destroy all those, that are the perturbators of the will and pleasure of there Soueraigne Kings.

Cast your eyes vpon him, against whom you are disobedient, (it is nothing but shame that withholds you from it) I beseech you, to the end that you may put away from you, all those that loue the trumpet of Rebellion and were into your eares, and thereby to diuert you from so dangerous an enterprise, consider, with whom you haue to doe.

It is your King, Louis the Iust; Sonne to Henrie the Great, who already in his young age, is as great as his father, great in power, great in courage, great in counsell, great in friends, and special­ly in these affaires, and most great in Iustice, the point, which thereby is to be decided consisteth herein, to know whether hee ought to be obayed of his subiects: or not, in a thing whereas he vseth no violence whatsoeuer.

[Page 2]Then it is to this great King that you are disobedient and re­bellious, against his Maiesties commandements, who in this great and puissant Realme, is beloued, feared, and obayed of all men, vnlesse it be of a handfull of men, who being prouoked and incited by diuers interests and pretences, vnder a false pretence Religion seeke to molest and disturbe the state of the land.

Thinke not to oppose your armes against his, your forces a­gainst his, and your Souldiers against his: In what places can you maintaine your selues against him, but that the same places will put you in minde of your faults? will you alwayes be those onely that resist and opugne his Maiestie in his Realme? will you alwaies in some of his Prouinces warre against your Prince, his Townes, and his name of a King: cannot be thinke you, cause your armes to fall ouer off your hands, and dompt the courage of your heart? For my part, I am not of opinion, neither can I be perswaded, that any of you once so much as imagine, that you are able to raise a sufficient armie, to withstand that which his Maiestie in a moneths time is able to bring into the field. Remember I pray you, what past and fell out the last yeare, in those commotions, that seemed to spread and extend themselues ouer the whole Realme, which was a strong and puissant com­plet as it then fell out.

The King issued out of Parris, accompanied onely with two thousand men, but his Princely presence, that was worth a hun­dred thousand, in such maner in all places drew the courages and hands of euery man, vnto him that in lesse then a moneths time, hauing pacified the whole Realme of Fraunce, he had so great a force about him, that if then he would haue set vpon your Towne of Rochell, and other places of refuge which you hold by his fauour, to execute that, which now you faine to feare, he should not haue found any one that once durst to haue conceiued so much as a thought to shut their gates against him.

When Kings march through their Realmes; they are like haile stones, lying vpon the tops of hills and mountaines, which [Page 3] the further you goe from them, still waxe thicke and fearefull vnto those, vpon whom they fall.

But if he had no other power, then his guards of Frenchmen Switzers and Scots, and his foure regiments of Souldiers, conti­nually entertained, that haue no other occupation, then the skill how to beate and kill their enemies. It were sufficient against you.

Remember also that when this great Monarch would raise new troupes, when he would make new regiments, he can and is able to doe it with such facilitie and promptnes, that you shall sooner see the ensignes displayed in the aire, sooner heare the drumes beate in the fields, sooner heare the horses neighy: The cannons roare, and the souldiers ready to assaile you, then you could imagine or once conceite that any armie were raised against you.

I would for your sakes that your Towne of Rochell were an impregnable Rocke, and Saint Iohn Dangely so strong as that the Angels were not able to ouercome it. I would for your sakes that all the places wherein you enclose yourselues, were not able to be vndermined, not able to be scaled, not to be battered, and to conclude, inuincible, wherein I graunt you more then you your selues demaund, and much more then is true: The strongest of them being no other, but such as tenne thousand men, within the space of 6. weekes would force you to yeild.

It is not as it was in times past, the manner of besieging of times at this present is brought to such a fashion and perfection, that there is not any one, which is impregnable, and may not be woone. If you had seene how men vse to raise Trenches, how they make mounts of earth; how they fill vp deepe ditches, how they draw riuers drie, and stop chanels of water. And to con­clude, if you had seene how men enclose and presse vpon Townes that are besieged, you would neuer say nor report that yours are impregnable: They are of to good metall to be such; the fields, the vignes which enuiron them, alway giue meanes to those that besiege them to berry them therein.

[Page 4]There is nothing impossible to our victorious Monarch Louis the thirteenth within this Realme, where all men, employ all their forces to execute his wil, for I can assuredly tel you, that if you enter not into that obedience, which you owe vnto his Ma­iestie, and giue him not free entraunce into his Towne of Ro­chell, that you will thereby giue his Maiestie cause; in short time to raise vp & erect a great number of forces about your Townes of refuge, according to militarie Art, furnished with men, Ar­tillerie, and all maner of prouisions, that shall so straightly on all sides enclose you about, that you must either burst or yeild.

In the meane time you shall want victuals, you shall consume your powder and bullets, you shall try the insolence of souldi­ers, the brauadoes of Captaines, the mutenies and murmorings of the poore people, lesse furnished with prouision for the mouth, then with riches.

What will you expect after all this, but onely, that hauing a­bused and refused the Kings mercy, you shall trie and feele his Iustice: It makes me quake and tremble for you, when I call to minde, the speedy execution of the most culpable, and those that were the raisers & seducers of such rebellion and disobedience, which will then be done.

But I assured my selfe, and am verily perswaded, that when you shall once behold your King, as iust, as martiall, and armed magnanimitie, runne from rancke to rancke, as a forerunner of the victorie, to annimate his troupes to fight, what countenan­ces you will shew, and what will be your behauiours; but onely that of a miserable company of sheepe appointed to a bloody slaughter, altogether trembling, all bleating, all desirous to run away, but by meanes of your fearefulnes, hauing not the hardi­nes to doe it, so that we cannot be perswaded, that if you did but once call to minde and thinke vpon all these things together, you could be so hardy as to withstand this funerall blow: the best that you could doe is, to shut your selues vp, like fearefull sheepe, within 3. or 4. of your strongest Townes; and there, being obstinately bent, seeke to saue your infortunate liues, behind the [Page 5] ramparts and walles of the same.

But good Lord, what remedy is this, to haue all the rest of your faction, enclosed with you in Rochell, Saint Iohn Dangely, Montauban, Nismes, and in such Townes as you haue made choise of, leauing and abandoning the others, as lesse strong, or to ma­ny in number, to be kept by so small a number of mutuous per­sons, leauing within them all the nest of the reformed Sext, who wiser then you, and it may be more affected to their Religion, will content themselues, (obaying the King) to deplore and la­ment your neere approching vnfortunate state. But doe I say shut vp in those places, what thinke you thereby to doe? O, it is possible you perswade your selues to wearie the armie Royall, by the tongues of a siege which you pretend to endure.

Doe you set before your eyes the happy deliueranc, that you haue tryed in like distresses in the former warres? You say and blase it abroad, that Rochell is as strong as euer it was, that Saint Iohn Dangely is able to defend it selfe, that all your Townes are in better state, to resist and withstand the forces of a puissant army, then euer they were, that it is which you say, and the same wher­with you nourish the stubbornnes of these among you, that haue least insight in these matters: Whose eyes, if they be capable to conceiue it, I must open, and cause them to see, that they are lul­led a sleepe with deceitful words, which wholy leade them vnto the path of their most certaine and assured destruction.

Open your eyes then (I pray you) but you specially, that are engaged in this dangerous enterprice; call your duties to re­membrance, and showe forth that obedience which lawfully you owe to our King, you are his Subiects, he is your Prince, ordained here on earth to gouerne and rule ouer you. There is nothing in his Kingdome, whereof he is not to haue the full and free possession. The Towne wherein you are enclosed is as much his as all the rest: Therefore it makes me wonder, to see that you are so much blinded, as to be rebellious against, and obstinate to execute his Royall commandements.

I summon and inuite you once againe, to know your selues, [Page 6] and to yeild that vnto him and into his hands, which belongeth vnto him; not that his Maiestie will in any sort takeaway your notable and ancient priuiledges, but rather to the contrary, if he seeth you become Loyall and obedient Subiects, he will giue you many others.

Send an honorable number of Deputies to his Maiestie, hum­bly to craue pardon of him for all the rebellions, that you haue made; and I am assured, that his clemencie is such and so great, that he will accept of your submission, pardon your offences, and forget all your fault. If you will doe it speedily, and in the meane time, I beseech God to giue you the grace, to humble your selues, and to obay the King.

1621.