The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, 18 (3rd Rochelle) · Chapter 14
CHAP. XIV. Political Acts of matters treated in the National Synod held at Rochell in the month of March 1607. by His Majeſties Writ.
THE Lords de la Noue and du Crois, Deputed by the Aſſembly of Chaſtelleraud to reſide near his Majeſty, being preſent in this Synod, delivered us the Kings writ, the Tenor whereof is as followeth.
This 29th day of December in the year of our Lord 1606. His Majeſty being at St. Germain in Laye, He then granted and permitted, that in the National Synod, which ſhall be celebrated by his ſubjects of the pretended Reformed Religion in the City of Rochell this next enſuing March, they may proceed to the Nomination of their Deputies, whom his Majeſty permits to reſide near his Royal Perſon, on condition, that the ſaid Deputies ſhall be Nominated out of ſix perſons, who are Members of the ſame Synod, to be preſented unto his Majeſty, out of whom he may and will chuſe two, to whom that Office ſhall be given, and which ſhall be continued to them for three full years, as alſo that in the ſaid Synod, the Deputies aforeſaid ſhall debate of none other buſineſs, excepting the aforementioned Nomination, and matters purely Diſciplinary, relating to the well-governing of their Churches, as is expreſly declared in the Edicts and Grants of his ſaid Majeſty, on pain of forfeiting thoſe Grants and Priviledges, in caſe they act contrary to this his will and pleaſure. His ſaid Majeſty having commanded me to diſpatch the ſaid Writ, which he would ſign with his own hand, and enjoyned me alſo to counterſign it, being a Member of his moſt Honourable Council of State, and Secretary of his Commands.
Signed thus Henry. And below Forgett.
2. It being moved, Whether the Deputies of the City of Rochel be called in to the Debate about the King's Writ: The Aſſembly conſidering that they were only ſummoned as a National Synod, under which Quality the Anſwer given to the 17th Article of the Memoirs laſt preſented unto his Majeſty, expreſly forbids the admiſſion of any other perſons, Miniſters and Elders only excepted, into our Synodical Meetings, on pain of forfeiting them for the future: It was reſolved that a Committee of Paſtors and Elders ſhould be delegated unto the Mayor, Aldermen and Council of the City, and repreſent unto them this difficulty, craving their Advice upon it, and give them to underſtand upon what grounds their Deputies ſent unto us, have not been hitherto received by us: Whereunto they gave this Anſwer, That it was their ſole Intention to be preſent only at thoſe Debates which related to the Writ ſent by his Majeſty down unto this Aſſembly, as being matters purely civil, according to that exception made in his Majeſties Anſwer to the 17th Article of the Memoirs laſt preſented him, and as by the ſame Anſwer they were allowed to be preſent at Political Aſſemblies; whereupon the Synod having pondered their Arguments, and conſidering their Importunity, gave leave unto them to be preſent with us upon the Debates about his Majeſties Writ; and accordingly Monſieur de Romagne and de Mirande the two Sheriffs of the City, and de Beaupreau, and the Bayliff of Aunis, Burgeſſes of the ſaid City, were admitted into the Synod.
3. The ſaid Writ having been read: The Aſſembly well weighing the Conditions inſerted in it, judged that they had no powers to proceed to the Election of any new General Deputies, becauſe they found themſelves not in the leaſt authorized by the ſaid Writ to give them Commiſſions and Inſtructions, nor could they diſcharge thoſe who were here preſent: Whereupon they found it expedient to ſend unto his Majeſty ſome Deputies from the whole Body of this Synod, to get information and direction upon theſe difficulties, and with all humility to repreſent unto his Majeſty the manifold defects in the ſaid Writ, and to demand more ample Liberty to treat of all Affairs relating to the execution of his Edicts, and the preſervation of our Churches, and particularly about the nominating of Deputies, and matters depending on it, as of their number, and time of continuance in that Office. And to this purpoſe Monſieur Gigord Paſtor of the Church of Montpellier, and du Bois de Cargrois, an Elder, were named and commiſſioned as Deputies with Letters unto his Majeſty, and to my Lords the Dukes of Buillon and de Sully, and to my Lords de Sillery and du Pleſſis.
4. Monſieur Gigord, and Monſieur du Bois de Cargrois returned from Court, and preſented unto this Synod his Majeſties Letters, which were couched in theſe following Lines.
By the King.
TRuſty and well-beloved;
we are well pleaſed with the Deputation you fent unto us by Monſieur Gigord and du Cargrois, who are the preſent bearers of this our Anſwer to you, whom alſo we have willingly heard upon the matters repreſented us on your behalf; and in ſpecial we are exceedingly contented, ſince we underſtood by them your thankful acknowledgment of that particular Favour and Good-will we ſo lately teſtified unto you, not only in Granting you our Licenſe for your National Synod to be held in our City of Rochel, but alſo by the ſame means permitting you to Nominate thoſe Deputies, who ſhall ſucceed thoſe, who reſided in our Court the laſt year; as alſo the reaſons which we had for our ſo doing, to-wit, the Comforting of our Subjects of the pretended Reformed Religion, and to eaſe them of that burden and extraordinary charge, with which, had that Election been made in any other form, they muſt needs have been grievouſly oppreſſed. As to the difficulty raiſed by your ſaid Deputies and declared by them to have been firſt raiſed by your ſelves about the right underſtanding of our Writ, expedited by us for the licenſing of your Synodical Aſſembly, and your deſires of being better informed about our will and intentions in it, that you might not in the leaſt act contrary thereunto; if you had but conſulted our Deputies ſent by us unto your Aſſembly, they both could and ſhould have delivered you from that uncertainty. For we expreſly declared to them at their departure, and gave them in charge to declare unto you all paſſages that had been here tranſacted during the time of their Reſidence at our Court; which we do now confirm unto you; as alſo, that if after you have heard them, you ſhall have occaſion of repreſenting to us any matters about the obſervation of our Edict (which is a Law by which we our ſelves will be governed, and reſolve that it ſhall be in every point and tittle of it ſo exactly obſerved, that nothing ſhall be added to it, nor taken from it) it is our pleaſure that you commit it unto them, and that they alſo accept of that Commiſſion from you unto us. As touching the form of the ſaid Election, both for the number of your Deputies, and the time of their Reſidence near our Perſon, being matters conſidered and judged by us very profitable and needful, our Will is, that nothing contained in our ſaid Writ be changed. And if in caſe one of the ſaid Deputies retained by us in our Court ſhould during the time of his Service depart this Life, we ſhall then order one of thoſe ſix recommended by you to us, to ſucceed him for the remaining time of his Office. And having intruſted your ſaid Deputies to give you a more ample diſcovery of the ſpecial Motives of our ſaid Will and Pleaſure, we will at preſent trouble you no farther, than to aſſure you, that you ſhall ever find us propitious and favourable to your juſt Petitions and Demands; as we alſo expect from you the continuance of your Fidelity and ready Obedience to us, whereby you will merit from us new occaſions and teſtimonials of our Antient Love and good Affection to you.
Dated at Paris this 25th day of March, in the year of our Lord 1607. Signed thus, Henry, And a little lower Forgett. And ſubſcribed, To our Truſty and Well-beloved, The Deputies of the National Synod held by our Royal Licenſe in our City of Rochel, by our Subjects of the Pretended Reformed Religion.
5. Before any conſultation or debate was held about the nomination of new Deputies, the Aſſembly heard Meſſieurs de la Noue, and du Crois diſcourſing of all that had paſſed during the time of their Deputation, and approved of their ſervice, praiſing and thanking them for their great care and pains in it; and being diſcharged from this their Imployment at Court, they promiſed to depoſit into the hands of the Deputies that ſhould be nominated to ſucceed them, all the Acts, Memoirs, and Papers of importance whatſoever that were in their Cuſtody.
6. Monſieur du Crois one of our General Deputies tendered in unto this Aſſembly his Account of 18000 Livers received by him of the Moneys Given and granted by the King to defray the charges of our Deputies at the laſt Aſſembly held at Chaſtel-heraud in the year 1605. and together with the Papers evidencing and juſtifying his ſaid Account, which were rendred unto the Deputies of every Province, To wit, for the Iſle of France unto Monſieur de Montigny: for Normandy, an Acquittance ſigned by Monſieur de Courtomer to Monſieur le Fevre; for Xaintonge, to Monſieur Pacard; for the Higher Languedoc to Monſieur Raffin: for the Lower Languedoc to Monſieur Gaſquers, for the Body of the City of Rochel to Mr. de Romagne: For Poictou to Monſieur Clemenceau: For Provence to Monſieur Chanforan: For Brittany to Monſieur du Bois de Cargrois: For Anjou to Monſieur Bede: For the Lower Guyenne to Monſieur de Primroſe: For Dolphiny to Monſieur Perrin an Acquittance of 600. Livers, the ſaid Monſieur du Crois retaining the ſum of 600 Livers more by him, as having the Quality of Deputy from the ſaid Province unto the aforeſaid Aſſembly: And for Burgundy to Monſieur Bayly. And die ſaid Sieur du Crois was acquitted and diſcharged of the whole ſum aforeſaid of 18000 Livers.
7. Upon the Queſtion moved about the number of Deputies which ought to be ſent unto his Majeſty, and the Commiſſion to be given them, the Aſſembly judged, That foraſmuch as all Commiſſions for the greateſt part do never exceed the number of two, and that there can be no ſwerving from the Commiſſion given by their Provinces, therefore there ſhould be but only two nominated, who ſhall be charged to repreſent unto his Majeſty, that it will be needful to have a General Political Aſſembly to precede the Provincial ones of the ſame nature, wherein the condition, and number of the Six, and the three years term of their Charge may be debated and reſolved on; and till ſuch time as it ſhall pleaſe his Majeſty to grant us this our Petition, we do moſt humbly beſeech him to accept of the ſaid two Deputies to negotiate our Affairs as the former; who within one month after their Arrival, ſhall inform the Provinces of his Majeſties pleaſure herein: And becauſe it's needful the Deputies ſhould depart immediately without delay, they ſhall be taken from among thoſe who be here upon the place, and not choſen by the Deliberative Votes of this Aſſembly.
8. The Deputies, which are now going unto Court, ſhall be intreated to aſſiſt the Forreign Miniſters imployed in the Paſtoral Office of our French Churches, to get them Letters of Naturalization. And Monſieur du Caudal ſhall be obliged to bring in unto the General Deputies againſt the 15th of Auguſt next, a Breviate of his Account, together with his Acquittances.
9. Foraſmuch as divers perſons, to trouble and vex their adverſe Parties, do plunge them in infinite Charges and Expences, drawing their Proceſſes both Civil and Criminal before other Courts than the Chambers of the Edict; Our Deputies are charged to make report of it unto his Majeſty, and in this particular to be favourable not only to the Bodies of Churches, but even unto particular Perſons, when as neceſſity ſhall ſo require.
10. The Lords of Villarnou and de Mirande were nominated by this Aſſembly to repair to Court, and to inform his Majeſty with the above-mentioned Cauſes for which this Aſſembly could not conform, themſelves to the terms of his Majeſties Writ: And in caſe his Majeſty ſhall accept of them, till ſuch time as the General Aſſembly do meet, they ſhall then attend his Majeſty in the Quality of General Deputies of the Churches. But and if his Majeſty ſhall not be pleaſed to grant us ſpeedily a General Aſſembly, they ſhall continue in that Office a full year, during which time they ſhall in the general name of all the Churches conjoyntly act and proſecute whatever may concern their univerſal good and welfare, as alſo the particular benefit of every Church and Province, and ſhall make a faithful report of all matters unto his Majeſty from the Memoirs delivered to them by this Aſſembly, and ſhall ſollicit an anſwer to them, and govern themſelves in all things conformably to the Orders enacted and eſtabliſhed for the ſaid Deputies in the Aſſembly of St. Foy, and the Inſtructions which ſhall now be given them. And the Provinces are adviſed to have recourſe unto them in all Affairs both general and ſpecial relating unto the Churches, without making any private proſecution by any other perſons beſides the ſaid Deputies. And the ſaid Deputies were ſworn, and entred upon their Office the 14th day of this preſent month.