AMong all the honourable Conditions of a French Gentleman, I alwayes held that to be of most of estéeme, which was em­ployed in the Important Affaires of his Countrey, in the happie Administration of the seme: and in obeying the Commaundements of his Prince: Throughout the course of manie yeares, I haue managed the principall of this Estate, with vnexpected successe: vnder my King, from a bottomlesse Eulphe of miserie, I haue guided them to the toppe of all glo­rie.

At this day (MADAME) I doe obey the desire and expresse will of your Maiestie, I re­mit into your handes the two fairest Tokens of the benefites and rewards of my good Mai­ster, The Bastile, and the Treasurie, which (so long as he liued, I possessed;) Now that he is deceased, I restore them to you: and well con­tent my selfe, that the Effects of my seruices may remaine ingrauen in the hearts of your people. An other not so faithfull as my selfe, might all all France with his complaints: But my perpetuall deuotion to the place of my Natiuitie, and to my King, doe restrain [...] and bridle my Tongue, and maketh mee to séeke rather in mine owne incapacitie, then in any other consideration, the cause of so great an alteration.

In one onely point is my spirit impati­ently tormented: that is; Of that more then absolute resolution of your Maiestie, to vrg [...] mee to take money in recompence for my Of­fies: Not that I do not sufficiently iudge how necessary this course is, for the good of your seruice: But on the other side, it is to my selfe so preiudicall, and so contrary to my de­mands, that whatsoeuer power I haue ouer my selfe to content you, yet haue I not suffi­cient to accept it. But contrarywise (MA­DAME) I am forced to refuse it, and con­trary to my dutie in this occasion, to preferre my particular Interest, before that of your Maiestie: of all the meanes prouided to wade through this busines, this must néedes be to me the most odious: and indéede I do abhorr [...] [Page] it, and holde it as procéeding not from your goodnesse, but from the malice of mine Ene­mies.

For (MADAME) wherefore doe they not rather laye this pretence vpon my ouer­wild humour, an incompatible estrangement from all gratification of whatsoeuer societie, and dissimulation vpon the weake order that I may paraduēture haue taken in the affaires of my Offices: vpon my had Husbandrie, in matter of the Treazurie: vpon the euils that haue procéeded of such strong intelligences as I haue practized, as well within as without the Realme: and vpon such extreame care as I tooke to establish my selfe in the preseruation of my Fortunes: Wherefore (I say Madam) haue they not rather chosen this founda­tion, rather then any other: neither so faire in shewe, and yet farre more vnlikely? For, to publish or giue out, that I neuer craued a­ny other recompence, then for my Office of the Treasurie, neither yet any other reward then the Office of a Marshal of France, It is a matter that cannot bee truely maintained; The impudencie of mine Enemies, and the complaint of some of my Friendes, shall neuer be of force sufficient, otherwise to testi­fie it.

But if your Maiestie doe accuse me, that of my selfe I haue offered you all that I did pos­sesse, I confesse it: Neither doe I denie, but that many times I haue assured your Maie­stie, that all that was mine depended vpon you; yea, euen my very life it selfe.

But surely (MADAME) I will also ad­uow, that at that time I could not imagine that such Offers to a mans Soueraigne, could be offence sufficient to be therefore depri­ued and put from his Dignities. So as if now you doe so take it, it is a principle in my opinion, very new: Yet shall not this nouel­tie neuertheles euer make me to repent that I haue done my dutie.

But contrarywise (MADAME) at this present, I doe againe offer to your Maistie, not onely my honors, my goods, but also my ve­ry life, with the liues of my Children: Nei­ther doe I present them vnto you vppon a­ny condition, but to vse them according to your pleasure; Yea, euen to honour my very Enemies with them, if to take them from me simplie be not matter of content.

If my passed Actions haue tended to the aduancement of this Crowne, I will also that my obedience shall bee the first to shewe the meanes to preserue it. And whatsoeuer my Enemies doe publish of my loue to that I pos­sesse, or whatsoeuer other mens humors may helpe to bréede beliefe, yet is it true (MA­DAME) that I will abandon all that my ser­uices haue purchased me, with more constan­cie, yea, with a thousand times more reso­lution, then an other shall possesse them with pleasure. It shall suffize me in my solitarines, to learne how your Maiestie doth daily make your Scepter to flourish, and preferring in these Affaires a goodly Order, and in your Coffers Treasure sufficient to support this Estate, which principally subsisteth vppon the support of these two Pillers.

This is it wherein I will most quietly [Page] entertaine my idle cogitations, and comforte my selfe ouer the losse of my good King, with­out being constrained (if it may so please you) to accept or reserue any other recompence for my Offices, then my contentment to receiue none, and the honour of your expresse Com­mandements, but if neuerthelesse, for a finall Resolution, and that I may not shew my selfe disobedient to your willes, your Maiestie doe absolutely enioyne me to the contrarie.

This then (MADAME) is the grea­test fauour, and that which I most desire, wherewith I doe most humbly beséech you to recompence me, that it may please your Maie­stie (MADAME) immediately to command my greatest enemies to goe into the ChamberThe Millions are of Crowns and not of Pounds. of Accounts, there to verifie & take view of the profites or detriments of my 12. yeares wat­chings. Then if it be not foūd, that during the saide time, vnder the power and aucthoritie of my great King, I haue by my dexterity and by my trauails, rooted out the greatest confusion that euer was in the Treasuries of France: that beside the sparing of eight Milliōs euery yéere: whereof hée yerely became indebted to his Of­ficers, besides the payment of all charges, and of all the ordinarie Expences of the Estate, of all the wages of the soueraigne Courts, of all the wages of the men of Warre, of all the Garrisons, Embassages, the Kings house, the Voyages & Mar­riages, giuing of Rewards & Recompences, with a thousand other expences, too tedious to be here set downe, besides also the Guardes ordinary summes, without augmenting either Taxes or Impositi­ons in the Realme.

Yea contrariwise, If they finde not that I haue yet for the entertainment of three great Armies, whereof the one recouered Amuns an other reduced Bretaigne, and the third conque­red Bresse, and Sauoye: found meanes extraor­dinarily to furnish aboue twelue Millions: for the discharge of the debts of France, grow­en by Treaties, aboue fiue and twenty Milli­ons: for the payment of those of Switz [...]rland, Germanie, Italie, and England, aboue thirtie Millions: For the payment of Pensions, both within and without the Realme, aboue foure and twentie Millions: For the succour of for­raigne Prouinces, aboue eight Millions: For the refurnishment of the Artilleries, Fortifi­cations, High-wayes, and Buildings, aboue eight Millions: For the reliefe of the poore, aboue sixe Millions: To lay vp in the Trea­surie, in the Coffers of the Bastille, or to leaue in Deposito, in the hands of the Treasurer of the Espargne, aboue seuētéene Millions: To satis­fie many other Expences, which may easily be verified, aboue twenty Millions: If I haue not also besides procured Contracts for the re­déeming of the Demaynes of France, that were engaged, wherof the greatest part is daylie put in Execution; Such Redemptions, amoun­ting to aboue fortie Millions.

Finally, (MADAME) If I haue not in my great care, by my onely Vigilancie, put in practise these sparings: If also to continue the same duty to Frāce, I haue not at all times offred to your Maiestie, to loose my life, or to sup­port the affaires, & that in the same eminencie, yea, euen to present them in a higher degrée.

If I say, I haue not preferred all these things and more, then doe I submit my selfe (MA­DAME) to any punishment for my presum­tion, to receiue such odious recompence, that you shall appoint me, as the price of my honors & of my offices: But if also (MADAME) there be not any one of these Articles found false, (vnlesse it be that they speake too little) & that my former affection hath receiued no o­ther alteration, but to be growne more ardent and strong, suffer me (MADAME) for my more worthy satisfaction, to endure the harme that you doe me, without accepting the good that you offer me. Reuoke and call in my offi­ces without this gratious charge. Or if ne­cessarily (MADAME) you will vouchsafe yet to honor me with some fauour, Let it be onely, if it may so please you, a perpetuall re­membrance of my fidelitie: A fauour which I desire of your Maiestie: not that hereafter I might be recalled to the painefull trauell of the affaires: but onely to leaue me in rest, that I may still liue in the remembrance of her, who is this day the Regent of my country: the li­uing soule of my maister, and the mother of my King. And surely (MADAME) it is also an honor, and last acknowledgement which you Madame cannot iustly denie me: for sith all they whom in my offices I may haue offended, doe labour to sée me depriued, much more may they remember my seruices that doe triumph in them.

Farewell house, farewell fortresse, which I haue had in kéeping and gouernment aboue [Page] twelue yeares. Farewell Temple of the God­desse Moneta Mony, who haue procured me so great enuie: Let me now goe, now that I am wearie of these affaires; Returne me to a pri­uate life, wherein I may no more haue such cares. I am he, who strong in spirit and cou­rage, hauing comprehended the very ground of the riches of the King and Kingdome, haue gouerned them: I am he, vnto whom the se­licitie of this estate, augmented in new reue­newes, and the coffers of our yong maisters, replenished by iust and lawfull meanes, stand bound for that plaine and assured order that I haue established; I haue reaped great honors and large recompēce for that industrious care that I tooke vnder a great king. I was of great power, & had great authoritie, but euen in the turning of a hād, in his bloody fall, I haue séene all fallen and ruined. In the same mishap, haue I séene extinct, all that enuie, that made diuers many times to threaten my vndoing and vtter ruine, whiles I procured the good of the estate, and that I sought nothing but to purchase onely my maisters fauours, without any regard of the great ones, and neuer know­ing what it was to séeke the fauour and good will of the people, euermore bending my selfe wholy to this purpose.

But now in the end, depart from me all troublesome carking care, I am now resolued to mew vp my ship in a calme, and safe hauen: peraduenture the state hauing lost me, shall better acknowledge wherein I haue bene pro­fitable vnto it, and the people shall finde it, al­beit [Page] ouerlate, when fauour and affection shall succéed hatred: but I doe not so highly estéeme my owne grace and good, as that I should de­sire to obtaine it, by the disasters and calami­ties of my countrey: But contrariwise, grant O God, that the fortune of this Realme, may euermore continue in good estate, that I may neuer sée it ouerthrowne, and that it may ne­uer haue cause to be sory for the losse of me, or to wish for me againe.