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were wanting, that I thought, it was my Duty Henry II. to inlarge and be more particular upon the firft Be- 1559Pope ginnings, and the first Settlements of that Church, Paul IV. than upon the reft; but more of them in the Sequel of this Hiftory.

The Church of Saintes, was fettled in the year Saintes. 1558, by Claudius de la Boiffiere, a Gentleman of Dauphine; and that of St. John d'Angely, by Mr. Lucas Bedoque alias du Mont, of the Country of Breffe; and that of Marennes by Mr. Marennes. La Fontaine, both in the fame year 1558. Though there had been Affemblies and Minifters in those three places for two years before, they were not fettled as yet.

M. La Riviere, one of the Minifters of Paris, Troyes. coming from Geneva, took his way by Troyes in Champaign; he was defired by the Reformed of that City, to preach, which he did with fuch a fuccefs, that, being well difpofed, they refolved. to fettle the true Worfhip of God amongst them; and to that end, to have a Minister; and Mr. Girard de Courlieu was fent to them from Geneva, who fettled the Church.

The Church of Croifil in Britany was fettled Croifilby M. POifeleur alias de Viliers, by the means and under the protection of the Lord Dandelot, Brother to the Admiral de Coligni in 1558; and the Word of God had fuch a fuccefs, that in four years time, there was ten large and populous Reformed Churches in Britany, to which M. du Feffe a Minifter had much helped.

Meffieurs Francis de Bois-Normand and Vig- Nerac. naux, fettled the Church of Nerac; and in general of all the Country lying on each Bank of the Garonn.

They began this year 1558, to fettle feveral Churches, even in the greateft Cities: As alfo at Coignac in Angoumois, where there happened Coignac.

an

Henry II. an odd thing. An Image of our Lady having 1559. fallen upon the Ground at the Gate of the Great Pope Paul IV. Temple St. Leger, John Moreau, Mathurin Godart, and John Gourdon were arrested Prifoners upon fufpicion; as alfo one Peter Arquin, because his Daughter had been baptized in their Affembly the day before, after Sermon.

But Divine Providence ordered things in fuch a manner, that thofe Imprisonments were the occafion of the firft Liberty, which that Church enjoyed as much as the Circumftances of the Times could bear. The Judge Provoft of Coignac, Odet by name, being come to Goal, full of wrath to examine the Prifoners, was fuddenly taken with a Fever, which carried him out of the World eight days after, with great anxiety.

The Prior of St. Quentin,, fworn Enemy to the Reformed, having fworn in full Company, with great Blafphemies, that he would fpend his all, and even his Life to have the Prisoners burnt alive; was taken fuddenly, with a burning Fever, which difpatched him out of the way in threedays; at which the Enemies of the Reformed at Coignac were fo amazed, that they left them in quiet after that time.

Mr. Vignaux Minifter, having planted many Thulaufe. Churches in Gafcony, came to Thouloufe, where being received by three honeft Reformed, he applied to the work of his Miniftry with fuch a wonderful fuccefs, that in a little time he had occafion for two other Ministers; they were Meffieurs Nicholas Folion La Vallée, and Carmietes Barelle, who fettled the Church not only at Thoulouse, but in feveral other adjacent Places (c).

Rbadez

Mr. John de Chevry de la Rive fettled the und Ville Churches of Rhodez and Ville Franche, befides

Franche

(r) Peze Hift. des Egl. Ref. liv. 11. p. 155, &c.

many

many others in the Country of Rouergue, and Henry II. that of Quercy in the year 1558.

1559.

Pop

The Church of Chartres, an Epifcopal See, Paul IV. and that of the neighbouring Villages were fettled by Mr. Bartholomew Coffe, in the year Chartres.

1559.

At Gyen alfo there was an Affembly of the Gyen. Reformed, but without a Minifter this year 1559.

and four

The Minifters of the Church of Orleans were fo diligent and active in the difcharge of their Paftoral Functions, that they had occafion this fame year for two Minifters more. They had Affemblies in feveral Villages as, Hueftre, Pre- Hueftre, nanchere, Gidy, Sercotes, Gergeau; at Baugency others; there was a Church under the Direction of Mr. Baugency, John Bonneau. At Pyviers, Chileurre, Neu- Pyviers, ville, in fhort, all the Country round about Orleans received the Reformation, and were, at laft, provided with Minifters, almost each Church with its own.

&c.

At Chatelleraut, James Hamilton, Earl of ChatelleAran, and Duke of Chatelleraut, having obtain- raut. ed a Minister from the Church of Poitiers, he fettled a Church in that Town at the beginning of 1559.

At Soubize, in May 1559, by Mr. Mulot des Soubize. Ruiffeaux.

At Pons, about the fame time, by Mr. An- Pons. thony Otrand.

At Saujon, in July 1559, by Mr. Rufpeaux. Saujon. The Ile of Oleron, by Meff. La Fontaine, Oleron. Leopard, and another Minifter of Soubize.

In Provence a Church was fettled at Caftel- Caftellane. lane, at the earneft requeft of Anthony and Paul de Richiand, Lords of Mouvans, Gentlemen of great Virtue, whofe Name is much celebrated in the Hiftory of the first Civil Wars; befides that the Churches of Merindol and Cabrieres had been

re

Merindal,

Cabrieres,

Henry II. restored, and others were fettled at Marseilles, 1559 Frejus, Sifteron, St. Paul, and in many other Pope. Paul IV. Places. The Reformation made fuch a wonderful Progress in that Province, that in March of the next year 1560, there was 60 Churches. fettled (d).

Senlis,

&c.

There was many more fettled, as at Senlis, Sancerre, Sancerre, Corbigni, Tonnens, Nonnay in Vivarez, Riom, and several others, which I have not mentioned, because I can't find out by whom, nor the time precisely; but which were fettled at the time I am speaking of, befides many other Places in the Realm, where thofe of the Reformed Religion had ufe to meet together, to pray to God, to read fome Chapters of the Bible, and exhort one another to be stedfast; but they had no Ministers nor any other Order of Discipline fettled amongst them.

CV.

Thofe, which I have mentioned above, had their Minifters and their Elders, and followed the Difcipline. The Churches met in a National Synod at Paris in the year 1559, as abovesaid.

Such was the State and Condition of the ReFrancis II. formed Church, and the Progrefs the Reformafucceeds to Henry II. tion had made in France, when Francis II. fucceeded his Father Henry II. the 11th day of July 1559.

(d) Idem liv. 2.

End of the firft Book.

HISTORY

OF THE

REFORMATION,

AND OF THE

Reformed CHURCHES in France.

From the 11th of July 1559, to the 5th of December 1560.

BOOK II.

The Contents of this Book.

Introduction. I. Character of Catharine de Medicis. II. Of Francis II. III. Of Francis Duke of Guife. IV. Of Anthony King of Navarr. V. Of Lewis Prince of Conde. VI. Of Admiral de Coligny. VII. Of Dandelot. VIII. Of Odet Cardinal de Chatillon. IX. Hopes of the Reformed fruftrated. X. A new Commiffion for trying Counsellor Dubourg. XI. His Tryal, Condemnation, Sentence, Execution, and Character. XII. The Tryal of the four other Counjellors. (1) Cardinal of Lorrain endeavours to undo them. (2) Meffieurs de la Porte, and De Foix, difcharged on certain Conditions. (3) Mr. Du Faur's Tryal. (4) Mr. Fumée's Tryal. (5) Cardinal of Lorrain's Malice against him. (6) Prefident St. Andrew's exceffive Wickedness. (7) Mr. Fumée writes to the Cardinal. (8) He

is

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