Government; and whereas the could not cope alone with the Guifes' powerful Faction, which was fupported even by the firft Prince of the Blood, the endeavoured to ftrengthen herself by bringing over to her own Interest the Reformed Party, which had till then grown and been kept up amidft Fires and Flames, and yet was in a Condition of withstanding the other; fhe draws them, one may fay, out of the Ashes, the undertook fincerely or feignedly their Protection, and to make them fully affured of her Sincerity, the gave her Confent to an Edict which the General Estates had required in their Behalf, whereby, not only Liberty of Confcience, but the publick Exercife of their Religion were granted them in the Suburbs of thofe Cities they lived in; and as for the Temporal, they were to have the fame Privileges the other Subjects did enjoy:

Nothing could be more Authentick than this Edict. It was granted to the Sollicitations of the General Eftates, wherein, as it is well known, refided the Sovereign Authority, and whofe fupreme Power Kings themfelves were obliged to fubmit to, and who had more than once taken Cognizance of Religious Matters, and of what belonged to the Liberties of the Gallican Church, as in the Dispute between Philip the Fair, and Pope Bonifacius VIII, in 1300 or 1301.

Nothing could be more proper to foment and maintain Peace, Union and Concord amongst the Subjects, to make the Kingdom flourish

flourish anew, to reftore the Church to the Purity of the first Ages, and the State to its ancient Splendour, than fuch an Edict, which, leaving to Confcience its Rights, ordained Punishments, only against those petulant Spirits, who defirous of gratifying their Paffions at any rate, or following the furious Inftigations of a blind-fold Zeal, would have attempted to disturb the Peace of the Society whereof they were Members. But it was not the Fate of France to be happy under the Government of Henry II's Porterity. The Nation's enormous Sins called aloud for Punishment, and the Sons and Grandfons. of Claudius of Guife, who had retired amongst them in Francis I's Time, were for many Years the Rods of the Lord's Anger, and the Staff of his Indignation against that unrighteous and perverfe Generation.

The unbridled Ambition of Francis Duke of Guife, fupported and incited by the violent Counfels, Cabals and Intrigues of Charles Cardinal of Lorrain his Brother, found nothing too high for his afpiring Thoughts; nothing fo Sacred, but what he would violate, to bring his Detigns about. Whereas the greateft Oppofition; the unjuft Projects of his Ambition met with, was the Peace and Tranquility the State enjoy'd, the Union and Concord that was brought infenfibly amongst the Subjects of both Religions; he fet all his Engines at work to disturb the one and to destroy the other, and to plunge the Kingdom in a Confufion and Disorder, the Advantages

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vantages whereof his Family alone was to reap, to the perpetual Prejudice of the Royal House, and of the Prince's Authority that poffeffed the Throne.

The Pretence he covered his Defigns with, could not be more plaufible, nor more proper to dazle the People's Eyes, to produce in them his defired Effects, to gain the Clergy's Affection, and to make it intirely devoted to him, viz. RELIGION. Factious People have in all Times, generally fpeaking, compaffed their Ends by fuch Means. You fee, fays Demetrius to his Journeymen, that not alone at Ephefus, but almost throughout all Afia, this PAUL hath perfuaded and turned away much People, faying, that they be no Gods which are made with Hands: So that, not only this our Craft is in danger to be fet at nought, but alfo that the Temple of the great Goddess D1ANA fhould be defpifed, and her Magnificence fhould be destroyed, whom all Afia and the World worshippeth. Acts xix. 26, 27. THE CHURCH IS IN DANGER, has always been the Topick which Ringleaders have used to trouble the State and fubvert it, if poffible. That Pretence our Duke made ufe of to fet all his Wheels in motion, to make the People rebel, and trample the facred Authority of Laws under-foot. Whereby he aimed at two different Effects, the one to deprive the Queen Regent of her Power, by reprefenting her as favouring and protecting Herefy, the other of rifing himfelf upon her Downfall, by fetting up himself for Protector of the Church

and

and a Defender of the Faith.

VASSY was

the first Stage whereon he opened the tragical Scene; the Groans of the Miferable, that perifhed in it, was the Alarm-Bell that was heard all over the Kingdom, and the Drops of Blood fpilt there, became as many Rivers that overflow'd it for fo many Years.

We have feen in our fecond Volume the Iflue of that audacious Attempt, fatal to the Author of it, and to his chief Adherents. His Sons treading in his Steps, followed the fame ambitious Projects, nay, carrying them, may be, farther than their Father had done, left in their tragical End a dreadful Example of God's juft Judgment against Ufurpers, that ufe the facred Veil of Religion to cover the most deteftable Designs, it is what we shall be informed of by History.

To return to the Effects of the firft Civil War: On one hand, Catherine, being delivered from thofe fhe the most feared, did not think herself obliged to all thofe regards fhe had had for the Reformed, as long as fhe thought herself to be in need of their Affiftance; fhe gave herself up intirely to her true Inclinations, and having then, properly fpeaking, no Religion at all, the adhered outwardly to that that fuited belt with her immoderate Paffions, and procured her, as fhe thought, the greatest Worldly Advantages, and facrificed to it the Interefts and Concerns of the other, as contrary to her political Views, and whofe Maxims were no lefs contrary to those the followed, either in the Adminiftration

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stration of the Government, or in her private Deportment, than Light is to Darkness. On the other hand, the two Parties having once tried their strength, grew the bolder by it, the one in attacking, and the other in defending itself; the latter having found by Experience, that if they were not in a condition to fubdue the other Party, they were at least to withstand it; if they could not increase their Privileges, they could however preferve thofe that had been folemnly granted to them; they did not think themselves obliged to give way to the other's Violence as often as those their Enemies had a mind to destroy them, and trample them under their Feet, but drove to it by neceflity, they took up Arms for their juft Defence, as often as was neceffary.

But it will be faid, Is it ever lawful for Subjects to refift their Sovereign's Will, to take up Arms against him for the Defence of their Religion, and to oppofe Force to Force? It would be more eafy to answer that Objection, had the Reformed Religion and Church been the National Religion and Church in France. But whereas the Reformed have been always the smaller Number in the Kingdom, whatever can be faid in behalf of the whole Body of a Nation that rifes in Arms against its Sovereign for oppofing his tyrannical Government, would be of none or very little Service to the prefent CAUSE. For fuppofing that we should be able to prove, that it is lawful, in certain Cafes, for the whole Body