The Acts of Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, 20 (Privas) · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII. A Warrant ſigned for 45000 l. for the Churches.
FRiday the 22th of June, the Lord de Rouvray produced in this Aſſembly the Original Grant of Augmentation of five and forty thouſand Livers which it hath pleaſed His Majeſty to beſtow upon our Churches. And this Aſſembly ordered the ſaid Lord de Rouvray to return for us and for all the Churches, our moſt humble thanks unto their Majeſties, who have by this their extraordinary Bounty laid new obligations upon us to call upon our God with the greateſt Ardency in our Prayers, that he would bleſs and proſper their Majeſties Perſons, Crown and Government. And the ſaid Grant was depoſited in the hands of the Sieur Bonnet, Paſtor and Deputy of Xaintonge, who was to lodge it ſafely in the Archives of Rochel; whereof he ſhall give advice by Letters under his own hand unto the ſaid Lord de Rouvray.
The Copy of that Warrant.
This firſt day of October, One thouſand ſix hundred and eleven, the King being at Paris, aſſiſted by the Queen Regent his Mother in Council, having been well informed for what conſiderations the late King of glorious memory had by a Warrant of the third of April, One thouſand five hundred ninety and eight, granted unto his Subjects of the P. Reformed Religion, the yearly ſum of five and forty thouſand Crowns to be employed in ſome ſecret Concerns of theirs: And although His preſent Majeſty be not obliged by thoſe ſecret Articles, Warrants, and Anſwers unto Memoirs made in favour of thoſe his ſaid Subjects, to increaſe or augment the ſaid ſum; yet nevertheleſs, deſiring as much as in him lieth to gratifie and favour his laid Subjects, and that he may-give them a ſenſe of his good will and love to them, His Majeſty, by the advice of the aforeſaid Lady the Queen Regent, and of his meer grace and liberality doth grant unto thoſe of the ſaid P. Reformed Religion, the above-mentioned ſum of five and forty thouſand Crowns, and over and above the ſame another yearly ſum five and forty thouſand Livers as an Act of Bounty, which ſaid Moneys he wills and o future it be iſſued out of the General Fonds of his Treaſury, by vertue of this preſent Warrant, which to this purpoſe he hath ſigned with his own hand, and is counter-ſigned by me his Councillor in his Council of State, and Secretary of his Commandments.
Signed Louis, and Lower, Philippeaux.
12. This Aſſembly giveth full power to the Lords our General Deputies to paſs a contract with the Lord du Candal about the Receipt and management of the five and fourty thouſand Livers Augmentation Money, and if poſſible they ſhall make but one only Contract of the two ſum, to wit, of that firſt granted, and of the aforeſaid Augmentation, and of their Receipt, always reſerving the right of our Churches.
13. The ſ…me General Deputies are charged to oppoſe themſelves formally againſt all perſons whatſoever, that ſhall endeavour at Court to obtain any Relief to the detriment of the body of the Churches in this Kingdom, and contrary to the Union ſworn by us, and advice ſhall be given hereof unto the Churches, that ſo the Paſtors more eſpecially, and the Conſiſtories may do their duty in ſuppreſſing ſuch like motions and Enterpriſes, as being ſcandalous, and menacing the Churches with great confuſions.
14. This Aſſembly injoyneth all the Conſiſtories of thoſe places, where the Courts of Parliament and Chambers of the Edict are eſtabliſhed, to remonſtrate unto the Counſellors profeſſing our holy Reformed Religion their timorous luke-warmneſs in not oppoſing and reſiſting the Verification and Recording of thoſe Letters of Abolition, it being their ſpecial duty to have oppoſed them, and to have demanded that their Act of Oppoſal might be recorded: Moreover the Conſiſtories of thoſe ſelf-ſame Towns are exhorted to preſent unto the ſaid Parliaments and Chambers of the Edict the General Declaration of this National Synod concerning thoſe Letters of Abolition.
15. This Aſſembly ordaineth that for the future the Provinces ſhall ſend unto the National Synods a Catalogue of their Paſtors in actual ſervice, and of the Propoſans maintained by them, atteſted by the Manual Subſcription of the Moderators and Scribes of their Synods: Otherwiſe there ſhall be no reckoning made of the Rolls brought in, when as the Moneys given us by his Majeſty ſhall come to be diſtributed.
16. This Aſſembly yielding to the neceſſity of the times, and obſerving that whatſoever Petitions and Addreſſes have been made unto their Majeſties by our extraordinary Deputations, are always ill reſented, and miſconſtrued, and became ſo very unpleaſing and diſtaſtful to their Majeſties, that they would never vouchſafe a kind or acceptable anſwer to them; therefore it doth at preſent conceive it beſt for us to keep our ſelves unto the ordinary ways of humble Petitions and Remonſtrances, by the mouths of our General Deputies, Hoping that the goodneſs and clemency of the King and of the Queen Regent his Mother, and that the Juſtice of our Lords in the Privy Council will by this means, the former having been diſliked by them, grant that we ſhall at laſt reap and receive the fruit and benefit of them. And to this purpoſe the ſaid General Deputies ſhaving rendred our moſt humble thanks unto their Majeſties for their gracious favours conferred upon their moſt Loyal and moſt Humble, and moſt Dutiful Subjects of the Reformed Religion, and particularly for the Augmentation of fifteen thouſand Crowns a year granted to our Miniſters) are charged moſt humbly to Petition their Majeſties, that they would be pleaſed to exempt them from that neceſſity which is impoſed upon them (and now with greater ſeverity than ever, and contrary to that Liberty of Conſcience promiſed us) of ſtiling our ſelves, of the pretended Reformed Religion: Becauſe we had rather and more willingly ſuffer the greateſt torments, than ſtand obliged to condemn with our own mouths our moſt holy Religion. And their Majeſties alſo ſhall be requeſted to grant leave unto us in all Cities and Towns where▪ there be a number of families of our Religion, to keep leſſer Schools, for the Education of our Children, and that thoſe Reſtrictions and Modifications annexed unto the anſwer given to that article in our laſt complaint and Bill of Grievances may be taken off the file: This being a matter which can never be diſmembred nor ſevered from our Liberty of Conſcience. And whereas contrary to the hopes conceived at firſt by the Churches, when they ſent their Commiſſioners from every Province, this Aſſembly is fully aſſured from all quarters, that the far greater part of our demands and remonſtrances have been rejected, and that they have been all turned over to the Privy Council, and that it may be truly ſaid, that after all the great coyl and noiſe made, nothing hath been yielded us, except a few Burying places, and thoſe alſo in divers places to the detriment and diſadvantage of our Religion, the ſaid Deputies are charged to complain thereof unto their Majeſties, and moſt humbly to petition that it may be remedied and redreſſed and to this purpoſe the Memoirs of the Provinces and Churches groaning under theſe oppreſſions ſhall be put into their hands, that ſo ſome effectual courſe may be taken for their relief, and by ſuch methods as they ſhall judge moſt fit to effect and compaſs it; and they ſhall farther inſiſt on the Revocation of the Letters of Abolition verified in the Courts of Parliament. And whereas it is a matter of great importance and concernment to all the Provinces, that they be duely acquainted with the iſſue and ſucceſs of our Renewed and Repeated Supplications unto their Majeſties, the aforeſaid Deputies are injoyned, that as ſoon as they ſhall have received an anſwer to them, they do immediately tranſmit it unto the Provinces.
17. The Sieurs Bigot and de la Combe were Deputed by this Aſſembly to proſecute at Law Monſieur Palot, that ſo the Churches Moneys remaining in his hands, and with which he was intruſted, and which he oweth unto us, and would never render an account of them, may be recovered. And to this purpoſe it giveth Letters of Attorney unto the ſaid Sieurs Bigot and de la Combe, with full power to receive all offers from Monſieur Palots Partners, and to treat with them in the Name of all the Provinces, and authorizeth them to accquit the ſaid Partners of any ſumms which may be due by the ſaid Palot even to the one third of the whole, provided the ſaid Partners will make good the other two thirds, if they cannot compound with them upon better terms, that ſo the two thirds may come free info the Churches hands. But and if they cannot obtain better terms, and that they may be enabled to defray the Coſts of this ſuit, they ſhall receive an yearly allowance of fifteen Hundred Livers, to be paid them quarterly by the Lord of Gandal, out of thoſe Moneys which are to be paid into the Churches for the october quarter of the year one thouſand ſix hundred and Eleven, and this to be done proportionably every year, quarter and day as long as the ſuit continues, and we farther promiſe, that if it ſhall pleaſe God to ſucceed their care and diligence with his Bleſſing, to give them a conſiderable gratuity for their pains. And the ſaid Sieurs Bigot and de la Combe are ordered to adviſe and conſult with the Lords General Deputies, without whoſe Approbation they may not receive any offers from the Partners, nor act any thing in the ſaid proceſs. And the ſaid Lords Deputies ſhall deliver unto the ſaid Bigot and de la Combe all Papers concerning this matter, and notify unto them at what time they may be in Paris, and the ſaid de la Combe is allowed for his journey thither the ſum of one hundred and fifty Livers, which ſhall be paid him by the Lord du Candal out of the fore-mentioned quarter, of the ſum of fifteen hundred Livers.