The Furious Outrages of France and the Horrible Slaughter, Part 4
THE ANSVVERE OF THE Gentlemen, Capitaines, Bugeses, and other being in the towne of Rochell, to the commaundementes that hauehave bene giuen them in the name of the King, to receiue garrisons.
WE the Gentlemen, Capitaines, Bugeſes, and other nowe being in this towne of Rochell, doe giuegive answere to you Mounsier N. and to suche commaundementes as you giuegive vsus in the name of his Maiestie, that we can not acknowledge that that which is signified vntounto vsus, and the Proclamation which you require that we should cause to be published, dò proceede from his Maiestie. And thereof we call to witnesse his Maiestie himselfe, his letters of the .xxij. and .xxiiij. of August, his owne signet, and the publishing of the same letters, by the which his sayd Maiestie layeth all the fault of all the trouble lately happened, and of the cruell slaughter done at Paris, vponupon those of the house of Guise, protesting that he had enough to doe to keepe himselfe safe within his Castell of Louure with those of his Garde. And we shall neuer suffer our selues to be persuaded that so foule an enterprise and so barbarous a slaughter hath at any time entred into the mind of his Maiestie, much lesse that the same hath bene done by his expresse commaundement, as the paper importeth which you hauehave exhibited vntounto vsus, nor that his Maiestie hath bene so ill aduised, as himself to cut of his owne armes, or to defile the sacred wedding of Madome his owne sister with the sheding of so much noble and innocent bloud, and with the shame of so cruell a fact to disteine the nation of Fraunce and the bloud royall which hath heretofore euer among all nations borne the name of franke and courteous: nor that he hath had minde to deliuer matter to writers to set forth a tragicall historie, such as antiquitie hath neuer berd speake of the like, and such as posteritie can not reporte without horror. But that it was first layd at Rome, and afterward hatched at Paris, by the authors of all the troubles of Fraunce. And howsoeuer it be, we are readie to maintaine that out of the mouth of his Maiestie doth not procede hote & cold, white and black, & that he doth not nowe say one thing and by and by an other, as he should do if the paper that you present vntounto vsus had passed from him, protesting that he will inuiolably keepe his Edict, and immediatly breaking the same in declaring that he commaunded those murders to be committed, hauing also made protestation before, that it is to his great griefe, and done by the outrage and violence of those of Guise against whom he was not able to make speedie resistance in time as his Maiestie desired. And in this quarell, we the Gentlemen, Capitaines, and other that make you this answere, are readie to trie it by combat man to man, or otherwyse, to maintaine the honour of our King against all those that so prophane holy things, and as much as in them lyeth do by such wordes and titles vilainously defile the excellence of his Maiestie and of the noble Princes of his bloude. VVhichWhich wee maye righte well coniecture and estimate, by the slaughters that are yet in doing, as well in the towne of Paris as else where, vponupon so many noblemen, gentlemen and other, men, women and children, and vponupon a great number of yong schollars (the maintenance vnderunder God, of Realmes and common weales in time to come) and by many other barbarous, vnnaturall and vnmanly actes generally committed. VVe thinke therfore & iudge that herein treason is enterprised against the person of his Maiestie and of my lords his brethren, & that the Guisians meane to inuade the Crowne of the Realme as they hauehave of long time practised, and how so euer it be, we say that his Maiestie is forced by the power that they hauehave taken vponupon them and vsurped by meane of the rebellious stirre of the commons of Paris. As for that which they saye that the Admirall and those of the Religion had conspired against the Kings Maiestie and his brethren, these be allegations of as great truth and of as good likehoode, as their maner of proceeding in iustice hath hene orderly, beginning at executiō before examination of the fact. But it is now no neede to tarrie for time to discouer it, for the matter is plain to be seen with eye and groped with hand, and all those of the Romishe Religion that hauehave remaining any droppe of nature of man, doe confesse it and hold downe their heads for shame, cursing both with hart & mouth the cruell executers of this abhominable enterprise, and the wicked disturbers of common quiet, which can yet no more suffer, than they hetherto hauehave done, that this poore Realme shoulde long enioye the benefite of that peace, which the King alone next vnderunder God, had wisely caused to be made and to be accordingly obserued, whereof this Realme began to feele the good taste, to the great contentment of all persons, except the enimies of peace and of this Realme, namely the Guisians. Finally, when his Maiestie being oute of their handes and power shall declare what is his pleasure, we will endeuour vsus to obey him in all things, wherin our consciences, which are dedicate to God alone, shall not be wounded, in which case we will rather forsake the earth than heauen, and our fraile and transitorie houses rather than the heauenly mansons. But hetherto, the lawe of nature, and the duetie that we owe to our naturall Prince, to the preseruation of his Crowne, and to the safetie of our lyues, oure wiues and children, doth commaund vsus to stand vponupon our garde, and not to put vsus in the merciemercy of those that hauehave receiued the same bloody commission from the Guisians vnderunder the pretended name of the King, to vse vsus in the same manner as they hauehave wickedly, traitorously and vnnaturally done to those about his Maiestie, and as it were vnderunder his wings and vnderunder the skirtes of his robe, which the traitors strāgers hauehave stained with the true French blood, without that his Maiestie hath bene able to remedie it, nor to staye their cursed attemptes: so much lesse is he able now so farre off to defend vsus as he would, which his Maiesties good wil being knowne vntounto vsus, doth arme vsus for our defenc…, and for the safegarde of our liues, and of the priuileges which he hath giuen vsus, vntill such time as he shal be able by himself to defende vsus against his enimies and ours.
End of the text · François Hotman, The Furious Outrages of France and the Horrible Slaughter (1573)