without any exception, and without regard to the dignity of any perfons whatever, the princes, lords, prelates, the gentle men inhabitants of this city, and others who are united or may hereafter unite, for fuch a good and holy cause, to maintain the privileges and liberties of the three orders of the eftates of this kingdom, and not fuffer any injury to be done to their perfons or goods, and to refift with our whole powers, the attempts and defigns of thofe who have violated the public faith, broken the edict of union, the franchifes and liberties of the estates of this kingdom by the maffacre and imprifonment, committed in the city of Blois the 23d and 24th of December laft, and to profecute to juftice by all methods, both the culpable authors and their adherents, and those who fhall affift or favour them hereafter; and in general we promife that we will never abandon one another, nor hearken to any treaties, except with the common confent of all the princes, prelates, cities and communities of the union; in wit nefs whereof we have figned with our own hand the present declaration, made in parliament the 30th of January 1989, figned by the advocates and procurators, the last day of the faid month. No. X. A true account of the Strange and fudden death of Henry de Valois, which fell out by divine permiffion when he was at St. Clou, having besieged the city of Paris, the 1ft day of August, 1589. Printed at Troyes in 1589, with permiffion. By a Friar of the order of Dominicans. Tranflated from the French. (See p. 153, 154). THERE is not one among us who is not affured, upon fufficient and deplorable proof, of the evil which Henry de Valois during his reign hath procured to his fubjects, chiefly to those whom he knew to be good and faithful Catholics, and confequently lovers of virtue and the public weal, and enemies to the heretics and politicians of this kingdom, whom he hath preferred to God, to his church, and to his honour. Neither can any one be ignorant of the rage he hath exercised and vomited out upon the cities which he hath taken by force, on the fide of fuch, on men women and children without distinction, and especially churchmen have fuffered a cruel and ignominious death. Maids while yet under age and the religious have been violated, wives forced, and churches and images broken, cannonaded, and held in derifion; the feanty fubitance fubftance of the poor people pillaged, and the facrament of the altar (O diabolical and barbarous deed!) defiled and trampled under feet. So that continuing fuch maffacres, he made himself master and tyrant both together of D'Estampes, Pontoife, Poiffy, the bridge St. Clou, and the greater part of the neighbouring villages, defiring among other things to poffefs himself of the city of Paris, to whom he wished the utmoft evil which our God willing to remedy, in due time, for the comfort of his poor people, hath taken fuch a course, as fhews how much the divine powers furpafs human, and that he knows how to overthrow, by a fmall blow, his most furious adverfaries; as you may perceive by the following account: A young religious Jacobin at Sens, aged only between twenty-two and twenty-three years, a native of the Sorbonne near to Sens, and in prieftly orders, knowing the tyranny which the faid Henry de Valois exercifed towards his people, and that, notwithstanding any excommunication denounced against him, he defifted not from his wickednefs, but more and more was preparing himself for the total ruin and combuftion of the kingdom of France, began by himself apart to bewail fuch impieties, and to deplore the calamity of the people, who could have nothing but lofs, torment, and vexation under fuch a king; and in fuch thoughts he ordinarily employed and confumed himself, praying God to extend his mercy to the poor afflicted, who stretched out their hands to him, and that he would fend them fuccour from on high, confounding the enemy that oppreffed them. 66 So that God, hearing the prayer of this his fervant, whose name was James Clement, one night as he was in his bed, fent his angel to him in a vifion, who with great light presented himself to that religious, and fhewing him a naked fword, addreffed him in thefe words: Brother James, I am the mesfenger of God Almighty, and am come to certify to thee, that by thy hand the tyrant of France fhould be put to "death. Bethink thee, therefore, and prepare thyself, even "as the crown of martyrdom is also prepared for thee."-Thus fpoke the vifion, and disappeared, leaving him to ruminate on thefe ftrange but true words. The morning came: Friar James again fet before his eyes the apparition of the preceding night, and, being doubtful what he should do, applied to one of his friends, alfo a religious*, a man very learned and well verfed in the holy Scripture, to whom he freely declared the vifion, afking him, moreover, if it was a thing difagreeable to God to kill a king, who had neither faith nor religion, * This was Father Bourgoing, his prior. Hift. de Matign. and who fought nothing but the oppreffion of his poor fubjects, thirsting after innocent blood, and was drenched in vices as much as poffible? To whom the honeft man returned for anfwer, "That indeed God had ftrictly forbidden us to commit "homicide; but feeing the king, whom he meant, was a man "cut off and feparated from the church, one who vaunted of "his execrable tyrannies, and was determined to be the perpetual and inceffant fcourge of France, he thought that "whoever fhould kill him, as Judith formerly did Holopher 06 nes, would do a thing very holy and moft commendable, "fince he would deliver a great people from his tyrannical "oppreffion, and fet them at liberty, fecuring them at least "from ever living more under his hard and infufferable yoke "in the fame manner as the people of Ifrael were delivered "from the hand of Pharaoh, when he, with his whole army, "was covered with the waves of the fea. Nay further, in case "he who fhould execute fuch a good work were put to death, "(as could fcarce fail to be the cafe), that he should be most happy, feeing the good and holy zeal wherewith he should be moved to do it would not be corrupted either with evil paffion, or with money, or by any other common or vicious "means. " Which words were fo agreeable to brother James, that he propofed, from that time forward, to give his life a prey for the purpofe of accomplishing the death of Henry de 66 . Valois. Being then refolved, he employed himself many days in fafts and abftinence, living on bread and water, made confeffion, went to the communion, and received the precious body of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, difpofing of himself as a man who is about to render up his foul to God. In fine, after he had been at pains to cleanfe and purge his foul, he confidered how and by what mean he might come to the end of his defign. And, as the moft expedient, determined to make application to a Lord, whofe name I conceal feeing he is fufficiently known, that he might obtain letters addreffed to Henry, and by that method get accefs into his chamber. The miffives were delivered to him, figned and fealed by that Lord, who was a favourite and minion of the King, to whom he promifed to keep them fafely, and communicate them to none. And when he went out from the prefence of the faid Lord, he provided a long knife, very fharp and well pointed, which he put up in his fleeve, and having taken leave of whom he thought proper, went to St. Clou, where Henry at that time was with his camp, the King of Navarre being his lieutenant-general. When this good religious faw himself at the place, where it behoved him to make proof of his courage, without being in the the leaft intimidated, after having prayed to God to condu& his hand and his high enterprife, with a manly and virtuous heart, he addreffed the guards of the king, and intreated them," on Tuesday morning the ift day of Auguft, 1589, to advertife the king, that there was a Jacobin who of neceffity defired to speak with him about affairs of importance, and to deliver to his majesty a miffive, which he could not intruft in any other hand than his own, being fent from one of his fervants from whom he had a fuperlative regard. The captain of the guards, that he might not appear negligent in the fervice of his master, went directly to him, and let him know the defire of the Jacobin, with which the king was very well pleased, and commanded that he fhould be brought in without delay, that he might hear what he should say. In confequence of this order Friar James is conducted into the chamber of the king, is the houfe of Gondy, bishop of Paris, at the faid St. Clou, where the fire was lodged, who was then rifing and dreffing himself, having then put on a doublet of fhamoy, above which he ordinarily put the cuirafs. When the religious faw the king, he fell down on his knees humbly before him, and holding his miffive in his hand, affured him that it was fent to him from that Lord his fervant, who did not chufe to truft it with another than him, on account of the importance of the matter. The king, poffibly glad to hear fuch news, commanded him to approach, which the monk accordingly did, and having kiffed the letter, delivered it to him; and by means of the knife, which he held ready, gave him fuch a stroke in the belly, that the entrails came forth with the blood in great effufion. The king quickly feeing the appearance of the knife, had warded it off with his hand, which was a little wounded, but it hindered not the impetuofity of the blow, levelled ftraight, and with the whole force of the religious. Wherefore feeling himfelf thus wounded, he rushed with fuch vivacity upon the religious, that with the fame knife the said religious was wounded in the face, and inftantly killed with divers blows by Henry's guards: then that poor monk is ftripped, and fhewed naked to the view of all the people, to fee if any perfon could know who he was; for (faid they) it is very poffible that the leaguers have dreffed a foldier in the habit of a monk to perpetrate fuch a murder, therefore it is neceffary he be left fome time expofed to view, to fee if any will know him. Mean time Henry de Valois is laid in bed, has his wounds fearched and dreffed in the best manner poffible, fo that through all his camp it was confidently faid about mid-day, that he would in the end recover, and be little worfe. But they were all aflonished when, on Wed3 F 2 nefday nefday following, the 2d day of Auguft, about two o'clock in the morning, when the good body, attacked by a strong fever, was feized by the deftinies, and recommending himself to his great friend D'Epernon and the King of Navarre, gave up the ghoft, without entering Paris by a breach, as he had purpofed. The news of that fudden death were immediately spread through all the camp, and D'Epernon began to mourn and weep like a calf; the gentlemen of the guard to look at one another with arms a-crofs; the politicians, who had pickled their eftates the better to preserve them, to ftänd aftonished ; the Swifs to drink; and thofe who thought to fucceed to the crown to laugh in their heart, and to put befides a good face on a bad game, curfing the leaguers, and above all the poor Jacobine, who, quite dead as he was, was drawn by four horfes, and afterwards burnt. I leave you to think of the evil which he endured in being thus treated after his death. His foul, nevertheless, afcended straight to heaven among the bleffed. As for that of Henry de Valois, I only report what took place, and leave the judgment of it to God. Behold (gentlemen) in few words the account of the death of Henry de Valois, and how very opportunely that poor religious employed himself for our deliverance, not fearing to die to fet the church and the people at liberty. I pray God that the like may happen to all those who are contrary to the Catholic law, and who yet continue unjustly to besiege us. So be it. SIZAIN de la mort inopinée de HENRY DE VALOIS. L'an mil cinq cens quatre-vingts-neuf, Par un Jacobin, qui exprés, Telle vie, telle fin. No. XI. |