A Looking-Glasse for PRINCES OR King Francis his Admonition to his son Henry the second King of the house of Valois in France.
KING Francis the first French King of the house of Valois, lying about some two yeares of a Feavor, and in this weaknesse, one John Minors Lord of Oppingdon; informed the King that those in Province were 12000 up in Armes, with Drums struk up and Ensignes displayed intending to take in Marcellus; whereupon the King gave him power to suppresse them, but the said Iohn M [...]n [...]res having power, came upon those of Merindol &c. and put them all to the sword, both men, weomen, and children, shewing no mercy to those weomen that were with child, these people of Merindol living peacably. Some halfe a yeare after, a Noble man came to visit the King, and was glad to see the King so well recovered, as to walke up and downe his chamber: First the King demanded of this Noble man, if they were all at quiet in Province, he desired of the King that he might speak the truth, he declared to the King that there was not any up i [...] Armes, and how the said Iohn Minors with his souldier [Page 2]put them all to the sword. The King hearing of this cruelty, saith he, was ever King thus abused by Minors and others: with very greife he fell into a relapse and made his will, charging his son to do justice upon all the cheife Authors of this so bloudy a Massacre upon innocent Christians, besides he sends for his son, saying, see thou do justice on those wicked persons, if no [...] God will root out thee and thy race for ever; his Father being departed, after 2 years his Son Henry, cals the matter of Merindol into Question, a Lawyer who had least hand in that Massacre was executed: but the Cardinall of Turnon the Archbishop of Arles, the Bishop of Aix, and Iohn Minors escaped.
The Emperour Charles the fifth deceased, King Philip and the French King concluds a peace, thinking to root out those of the Religion in France, the Low-Countries, and Scotland, and then to fall upon England, and to settle the Decree of the Councell of Trent, and to tye it more sure the French King g [...]ve his Daughter to King Philip; the day before the Marriage, the King sat in Parliament, and Declared there openly, he would have but one Religion in his Realme: An de Burge a Noble Councellour told the King, he might not do it, the King Committed him to prison.
The next day in honour of the Marriage day, the King ran at tilt, Count Montgomeries Lance ran him in his eye, whereupon he dyed.
Note how the Lord as upon a Thealter began with King Henry, that as he sought blood, so the Lord gave him bloud to drinke.
Francis his eldest son succeded his Father Henry, the Queene mother gets the Regency, her two brothers, the Cardinal of Guise for the Church, and the Duke of Guise for the Common-weale. So that Anthony King of Navarr and his brother Lewis Prince of Condy, whose right that was in the minorities of the young Kings, to rule the Common wealth under them were excluded.
The Nobility seeing the Princes of the bloud so to be troden under foote, and so the Lawes of the land: stirred up themselves against the Guisians that misled the King. So the Nobles sat in Councel, and determined to remove the Guisians from the young King; whom they made beleeve that those Nobles did purpose to destroy the Masse, and the Religion of his Fathers: but these plots being discovered by a Captaine that had sworne to be one of them to effect this busines, it failed.
After this, the King sent his Letters to the King of Navare, to send his brother the Prince of Condy with a stiong Guard, or to come himselfe with the Prince; the King promising upon his honour, they should safely come and go, from Orleans: But these two brothers depending upon the Kings honour would go, though they were desired not to go wi [...]hout a strong guard, all which they refused. But being come to Orleans, and coming to the Kings presence the King spake roughly to them, but the Prince of Condy desired to cl [...]ere himselfe of those points of high [...]reason, but he was presently committed to the Captai [...] of the guard close prisoner, the King of Navare had his guard taken from him [Page 5]the Prince of Condy had his processe made against him by those of Guise, he cleered himselfe of high treason, then they condemned him of Heresie.
While these things were doing against the P ince of Condy, they laboured to dispatch the King of Navare: 1. To poyson him at a banquet, 2 to get him out a hunting and so to kill him; 3. To give the young King a Dager to stab him, all these failing the King of Navare had no hurt done to him. But the Duke of Guise would presently have killed him, had not the Cardinal of Turnon stayed the Duke of Guise, utill the Constable and his Sons were come that were sent for: so the Admirall, and his Sonne Lord De Andelot were sent for, the Admirall would go notwithstanding the advertisement of all his freinds, who being come to the Queene, she told him the Cardinal would speak a word or two with him touching his faith, he answered, she and the Cardinal, knew his Religion which he would not alter, they of the religion, were 3 dayes and nights in most ardent prayers to God for themselves and Princes. The young King being at Masse was striken with a burning feavour, and with it the Phistola in his eare break, the Queen mother sends for the King of Navare by a gentleman who whispered in the Kings eare saying deny the Queen nothing that she shall demand, and coming to the Queene there sat by her the Cardinal of Guise, and the Duke of Guise very heavily, the Queene said to the King of Navare, I would desire you to resigne all the right you have in the minoretie of my sonnes, which he signed too; then she made him shake hands with [Page 5]the Duke of Guise, and to forget all wrongs formerly done: then [...]e brought him to the young King who departed his life that Evening, having reigned 17 Moneths.
CHARLES the 9. being the 2 son of King Henry of Valois. In this Kings first Parliament, the most Magnanimion, Prince of Condy was cleered of all things that any could lay to his charg; the Edict of Ianuary is made, for the free exercise of those of the Religion, the Counstable is drawn from the Prince, and through the Queene Mother, and the Counstables wife, whose Priests sounded still in her eares, that the Prince of Condie would put down the Masse in France, the Counstables two eldest sons, seeing their Father ready to depart from the Prince, humbly besought him not to leave the Prince, but could not prevaile. So they laboured much with the King of Navare, to shew himselfe Neuter and by little and lit le he left his brother the Prince.
Not long after, the Duke of Guise passing by a Uillage Vassy having 300 armed men entred the Church, where was assembled so [...]e 1200 hearing of a Sermon, he caused his men to enter where many were slaine, those of the Religion compl [...]ined but could have no redresse, which was the cause of the first Civill Warre, and the King of Navare received his deaths wound warring against Roan.
The King of Spaine solicits with the French King to breake the Edict of Ianuary; but could not. In this Kings Raigne was slaine, Francis Duke of Guise Anthony King of Navare, the Counstable, that Noble Prince of Condy, besides many Lords were slaine [Page 6]in severall battels, Cardinal Chastilian the Admirals brother a Protestant poisoned, and divers others murthered, this Kings raigne was most bloudy especially in the yeare 1572. whom in the marriage of his sister to the young King of Navare, he protested to the Admiral, that he gave not his sister to the King of Navare onely, but to all Protestants in the Land, and to settle such a Peace that should never be dissolved; yet this King contrary to his oath and promise, upon the 24 of August when the Admirall was in his bed, and many Nobles the D. of Guise in the Kings name, murthered the Admiral and all his friends; but 1574. God visited him with sicknes, and lying upon his death bed, bloud issued out of his mouth, nose, eyes eares, fundament and his yard, so rowling in bloud he dyed most misrably in May. 1574.
HENRY, 3.
Henry the 3 of the house of Valois, did shed much bloud by maintaining the holy league; but the Bishops wanting treasure, came to the King desiring him to raise money from the lay people, the King answered, oh you Bishops you made me put downe preaching as if you loved it not; 2. You made me odious to my people by laying taxations on them, I have spent ten millions of treasure and you promised me to maintaine the warre your selues, I will not tax my people, maintaine the wars yourselves if you will have warres.
But a plot being discovered that Henry Duke of Guise, had prepared a paire of Cizers [...]o shave the Kings head and put him into a Cloister, so the D. of Guise should be made King by the Holy league: [Page 8]but the King departed from Parris to Bloys, whether all those plotters were drawn where the Duke of Guise with the Cardinal of Guise, were put to death. The Queene mother dyed for greife, and some Moneths after the King himselfe was stabed be a lacobin Fryer, who was made a Saint by the Pope, for killing the Lords annointed.
Thus you see the saying of King Francis to his Son was fulfilled, that God would roote out him and his posterity if he did not justice on those who had their hands in that Massacre.