VVE have underſtood, to our great grief and ſorrow, that our Holy Father the POPE hath written a Breve to your Majeſty, by which he doth not only exhort and require you not to ſubject any of our Churches to the The Sovereign Patronage of the Arch-Biſhopricks, Biſhoprick Abbeys, and other Benefices of Royal Foundation, due unto the King of France, and adherent unto his Perſon, in the right of his Crown, and therefore not to be transferr'd, committed, or aliened unto any other, and hereby he hath the Profits of them during vacancy, and the Proviſion, Collation and Preſentation of Succeſſors unto them. Right of Regale, but likewiſe he declares, that he will make uſe of his Authority, if your Majeſty will not ſubmit to the Paternal Remonſtrances that he hath both made, and often repeated to you upon this point.

We have judged it, Sire, our Duty not to be ſilent upon ſuch an important Occaſion as this is, where we ſhall ſuffer, with a moſt ſenſible and extraordinary affliction, his Holineſs to threaten the eldeſt Son, and the Protector of the Church, as He hath done at other times, and upon other accompts, thoſe Princes who have uſurped his Rights. 'Tis not the leaſt of our deſign to enter with your Majeſty into the bottom of an Affair: Wherein our Predeceſſors of the like Aſſemblies have received upon divers occaſions very conſiderable Marks of your Juſtice and your Piety; but this extraordinary Procedure gives us a moſt wonderful trouble, for it is ſo far from maintaining the honour of Religion, and the glory of the Holy-See, that in all likelihood it is enough to leſſen them, and to produce very ill effects. It is but too plain and evident that he would not do this, but to favour the malice of ſome turbulent and ſeditious Spirits, that, contrary to the Intentions of his Holineſs, which we look upon to be very good, would make uſe of his Name and his Authority, as they do every day, in letting extravagant Roports fly abroad in the World, againſt the honour of your Majeſty, and the moſt qualified Prelates of your Kingdom. They do alſo indeavour what they can to ſtir up a miſ-underſtanding between the Prieſthood and the Royalty, and that at ſuch a time, when they have more reaſon than ever to preſerve a perfect Union, by the Protection you give to the Faith, to the Eccleſiaſtical Diſcipline, and to the extirpation of Hereſies and Novelties. It is very eaſic for us, Sire, being ſupported by your Majeſty, to prevent ſo pernicious and fatal an Evil, either by making known our Sentiments to his Holineſs, with obſerving that reſpect that is due to him, or by taking up Reſolutions commenſurate to the Prudence and the Zeal of the greateſt Prelates of the Church. Our Predeceſſors very well underſtood upon the like conjunctures how to maintain the Liberties of their Churches, without departing from thoſe Meaſures of reſpect which their Birth and their Religion have inſpired into them for KINGS: And as your Majeſty, Sire, ſurpaſſes by your Zeal and your Authority all thoſe that have been before you, we are ſo ſtrictly ingaged and fixt to it, that nothing is capable of effecting any ſeparation from it. This Proteſtation being ſufficient to deceive the vain enterprizes and attempts of the Enemies of the Holy-See, and the State, we deſire to renew it to your Majeſty with all the ſincerity and the affection as is poſſible for us, it being fit that all the world ſhould be informed, that we • o right well underſtand, as we ought, how to make that •• ve we bear to the Diſcipline of the Church agree with the 〈…〉 ous quality which we will ſtudy ever to preſerve,