Christs Victory over Satans Tyranny, Book 12 · Part 77
Henry the Third.
HENRIE the third King of France,The History of France▪ of the house of Valois, a milde and tractable Prince: courteous, wittie, eloquent, and graue, but of easie accesse; deuout,Iohn Serres, & Edw: Gimston. Anno 1588. louing, learning, aduancing good wits, a bountifull rewarder of men of merit, a friend to peace, and a Prince who deserued to be placed amongst the worthiest of that Monarchy: was trayterously murdered by a deuillish Monke on this manner.
When as the Suisses and Lansquenets of Sansie, and Pontoise were by force reduced to the Kings obedience: The Duke of Longuevill gathered an Army of twenty thousand men and ioyned with them. Whereupon the Kings forces being about fortie thousand men, lodged about Paris, and tooke Saint Cloud, and made the Parisians ready to yeelde; Whereat the Popish Monkes and Priests of that Citty were so much displeased, that they vowed reuenge thereof. And one Iames Clement, a Monke, an excrament of hell, a Iacobine by profession, of the age of twenty two or twenty thrée years old, vowes to kill the Tyrant, and to deliuer the Citty besiedged.
This damnable proiect he imparts to Doctour Bourg…ing, Prior of his Couent, to Father Commolet, and other Iesuits, and to the heads of the League, to the cheefe of the sixeteene, and to the forty Councellors at Paris. All encourage him to doe this happy designe: they promise him Abbaies and Byshopprickes, and if hee chance to be made a Martyr, no lesse then a place in heauen aboue the Apostles.
They caused the Preachers to perswade the people to patience seauen or eight daies, for before the end of the weeke they should see a notable accident, which should set all the people at libertie. The Priests of Orleance, Rouan and Amiens, clatter out the like at the same time, and in the same termes.
The first of August the Monke goes out of Paris towards Saint Cloud: vponupon his departure, they take aboue two hundred of the cheefe Cittizens and others Prisoners, whom they knew to hauehave goods, friends, and credite with the Kinges partie, as a precaution to redeeme that cursed murderer, in case he were taken before or after the deed. In his way hee was taken by the Regiment of Coublan, which was then in gard, telling them that hee went then vntounto his Maiestie, to let him vnderstand something which concerned his seruice. Coublan caused him to be conducted by two Souldionrs vntounto the Kinges quarter, which was at Saint Cloud, commaunding him that (if happely the King were not there) they should b…ing him to some one of the Counsell: Whom the Monke giues to vnderstand, that the first President, and other of the Kinges Seruants had sent him, to aduertise him, that there is a good number of Partisans at Paris, who if it please his Maiestie to giuegive them a day and houre, will keepe him a Port open. And to purchase the more credit vntounto his wordes, he shewes a certaine Paper written in Italian Characters, the which hee said was a Letter of credit from the first President, accompanied with a Pasport from the Garle of Brienne, signed Charles Leuxemburge; and faines that he had obtained it to goe out of Paris vnd…r colour of going to Orleance, and that he had many priuate instructions which he might not deliuer but to his Maiesty alone.
The King beeing aduertised by La Guesle, the Proctour Generall, commaunds he should bee brought the next day, but hee is examined first by Portaile.
The next day, being come to the Kings lodging, they were called by Du Iotall, the first Gr…ome of his Chamber. At the first La Gues…e caused the Iacobin to stay neere the doore, and taking his Papers, hee presents them vntounto his Maiestie, who hauing read them, commaunds the Iacobin should approach, whom he asked what hee would say, to whom hee answered; That it was a secret thing. Some distrust made La Guesle to speake, beeing betwixt the King and him. Speake aloud (said hee, twice or thrice) there is not any one héere but the King trusts.
His Maiestie seeing him make diff…cultie to speake, commands him againe to approach.
The Baron of Bellegard, Maister of the Kinges Horse, and La Guesle (who were alone in the Chamber) retired two or three paces. The King bends his eare, but instead of hearing what hee expected, this wretch drawes a Knife out of his sleeue, made of purpose, thrusts his Maiestie into the bottome of the bellie, and there leaues the Knife in the wound. The King drawes it forth, and with some striuing and strugling of the Monke, strikes him aboue the eye: many ranne in at this noyse, and in the heat of choller, killing this vile and cruell Monster of men, preuented the true discouery and finding out of this enterprise, and the authors and actors thereof, worthy to be noted with a perpetuall blot of disloyalty and treason.
The Phisitions held that the wound was curable: and the same day the King did write of this attempt, and of his hope of recouery, to the Gouernours of Prouinces, to forraigne Princes, and to his Friends and confederats. But feeling that the King of Kings had otherwise determined of his life, he did first comfort himselfe in foreséeing, that the last houres of his crosses, should bee the first of his felicities. Then lamenting his good and faithfull Seruants, who suruiuing should finde no respect with those, whose mindes had beene so abandoned to mischiefe, as neither the feare of God, nor the dignity of his person could disswade them from this horrible sacriledge.
One thing (said he) doth comfort me, that I read in your faces, with the gréefe of your hearts, and the sorrow of your soules, a godly and commendable resolution, to contiu…e vnited, for the preseruation of that which remaines whole of my estate, and the reuenge which you owe vntounto the memory of him, who hath loued you so déerely. I séeke not the last curiously, leauing the punishment of mine enemies vntounto God. I hauehave learned in this schoole to forgiue them, as I doe with all my heart. But as I am cheefely bound to procure peace and rest vntounto this realm, I coniure you all by that inuiolable Faith which you owe vntounto your Country, that you continue firme and constant defenders of the Common liberty, and that you neuer lay downe Armes, vntill you hauehave purged the Realme of the troubles of the publike quiet. Thus and other such things hee spake, as the last pangs of death carried him within few houres vntounto another world.
By his death he extinguished the second parcel of the third Race of Capets, in the branch of Valois, leauing the Crown to the third Royall branch of Burbons: whervnto the order of the Fundamentall Law did lawfully call him. And thus you may see the damnable proiects and dissignes of these Iesuiticall Popish Spirits, against the Lord and his annointed.