FrancisII.

1560. Pope

Pius IV.

have believed, and even published that the Leaders of this Plot had received a fecret Order to kill the Queen-Mother, the King himfelf, with all his Brethren, in cafe the Succefs should answer their Expectation; that by this ,, means, the Princes of Bourbon fhould remain Masters of the Kingdom. But this hath never been owned by any of the Accomplices; contrary wife they denied it conftantly, and in the Tortures, and of their own accord. Therefore I fhould be much in the wrong to charge them with it upon a bare Report which was fpread about it; it being very ufual to publish for true what is falfe, and to magnify Things above their real Nature, according as thofe who relate them are inclined either to Fear or ,, to Malice (c).

Mr.de Caftelnau Mauviffi is pofitive " as to that Point in

Nothing can be more pofitive than that Teftimony. Here is another of Pafquier, who lived at the fame time, and furely was no Friend to the Reformed. Some, fays he, going further, pretended that it was lawful to rife in arms for the Defence of their Religion, NOT AGAINST THEIR LAWFUL AND NATURAL KING, but against thofe who abufing his Name and Authority, did whatever they pleafed (d)." I might fubjoin here the Teftimony of Meffieurs de Thou, d'Aubigné, and feveral others; but these four are fufficient. Nay, that of d'Avila alone would have been enough, for the Reamoirs; and fon above faid. It is then evident to a Demonthe Prior of ftration, that the Plot of Amboife was not laid aJuvigné in his Ad- gainst the King nor the Royal Family.

the 8th ch

of the 1st Book of bis Me

ditions to

thefe Me

moirs, ch. viii.

The fecond Point is no lefs evident, that the Reformed were not alone concerned in that Plot.

1. We (c) D'Avila Guerres Civiles, liv. i. p. 33. (d) Pafquier Recherches de la France, liv. viii. ch. 55.

1. We have the Teftimony of d'Avila himself. Francis II. He fpeaks of two Conferences between the Prin- 1560. ces of Bourbon and the Friends and Adherents to Pius IV. Pope that House; which would afford us a great light to difcern the true Motives of this Enterprife, if we could depend on d'Avila's Narration. He tells us then, that the King of Navarr being arrived at Vendome, the Prince of Condé came thither, together with Admiral de Coligny, Dandelot, the Cardinal of Chatillon, Charles Count of la Rochefoucaut, Francis Vidame of Chartres, and Anthony Prince of Porcien, all Relations or Friends, befides many other Lords, old Servants, and Confidents to the Houfes of Bourbon and Montmorency. As for the Conftable, obferve this, who feigning to feek nothing but Quietnefs in a retired Life, drew nevertheless the Scheme of that League, of which he did fet all the Springs and Wheels in motion, he failed not to fend thither Dardres his Secretary, with the neceffary Inftructions. Then he tells us, that having confidered the State of the Kingdom, they advised together about what was to be done in the present Juncture, and the means to redress the publick and private Grievances, efpecially thofe of the Princes of the Blood, and to curb the boundless Ambition of the House of Guife. That the Prince of Condé, the Vidame of Chartres, Dandelot, and feveral others, were of Opinion, to take up Arms, because it was in vain to wait till the King, of his own accord, fhould do them juftice, fince he was overpowered by the QueenMother's Influence, and the Afcendant which the Guifes had got over him. But the King of Navarr and the Admiral oppofed that Propofition, and another was offered by the faid Admiral, viz. that the King of Navarr fhould go to Court and endeavour to win the King to their Intereft. P. 2 This

1560.

Pope

FrancisII. This Opinion was followed, and we have seen in its proper place what was the Succefs. Till Pius IV. now, it is evident, 1ft, That Religion was not at all concerned in these Deliberations. 2d, That there was in that Affembly feveral Members, as zealous, if not more for the Roman Religion, as some of them might be for the Reformed. Let us fee now if in the next Meeting there was none but Reformed who agreed upon the Scheme laid against the prefent Government. The Prince of Condé, fays d'Avila, not being able to bear any longer with the present Government, having appointed the Princes his Allies, with the Lords of his Party at la Ferté, a place of his Appannage on the Borders of Champaign, fhewed forth to them, that having till then tried in vain the mildeft Methods for obtaining a Redress of their Grievances, it was time to make use of the strongest Remedies to cure fuch a dangerous Diftemper, which proved fo violent even in its Beginnings, that very likely it would end at last in the utter Ruin of the Royal House, and generally of all those who were unwilling to bear the Yoke of the Queen-Mother, and the Lords of Guife. He faid many other Things to the fame effect; from whence he inferred, that there was no other way left for Redress, but open Force. Therefore he exhorted them not to be over-follicitous about the Event, or fill up their Minds with Doubts and Uncertainties, but to truft couragiously in the Strength of their Arms for their prefent Safety and future Honour and Quiet. That is the Subftance of the Prince's Speech, according to d'Avila, wherein not a word of God, Religion, or the Reformed is to be found.

As the Prince fpoke in a Soldier-like manner, and with a great Warmth, his Speech made Impreffion upon his Hearers Minds, and moved

the

1560.

the Hearts of the greatest number, in fo much FrancisII. that they were ready to follow his Advice and to take up arms.

But the Admiral, who weighed with a fedate Mind the Importance of fuch an Enterprise, thought that it was very imprudent to expose all at once the Princes of the Blood, their Friends and Dependants to the Hazard of the War, without having fufficient Forces, nor any certain Affiftance; without Troops, ftrong Holds, nor Money: fo his Opinion was, that they ought to take another courfe, and without discovering themselves, to make ufe fecretly of fome other Persons, by whofe means, their Designs might fucceed to their Wishes. He told them, that the Kingdom was full of Religionifts, Followers of Calvin, who, being perfecuted with the utmost Rigour and Cruelty, were drawn into a kind of Despair, aud from that Despair into a violent Paffion, or rather a neceffity to expofe themselves to any Danger, how foever great and imminent, to free themselves from their prefent Mifery. That they were all perfuaded that thefe Severities used against them, proceeded entirely from the Counfels and Intrigues of the Duke of Guife, and much more the Cardinal of Lorrain's Artifices; that his Speeches in Parliament and in Council, in Publick or in Private, tended always to their utter Extirpation, having declared himself their mortal Enemy. That certainly there was no Course, how dangerous and difficult foever, but they would readily take, if they had any Profpect of freeing themselves from their threatning Miseries. Therefore he thought very proper to try that way, to make them a Party, and incite them fecretly to the Ruin of the Princes of Lorrain, against whom they were already fo much incenfed. That it was the best Course they could take, to put

P 3

the

Pope Pius IV.

1560. Pope Pius IV.

FrancisII. the Princes of the Blood, and other Lords out of danger, to augment their Strength by the vast number of People who would fide with them, and to engage Queen Elizabeth and the Proteftant Princes of Germany in their Interest. That their Caufe would appear the better, and the Reason for beginning a War more fpecious; in fhort, that others, and not themselves, would be loaded with the Odium of fuch a bold Enterprize; and that Pofterity would believe that the Civil War had been kindled not for the Intereft of the Princes, and their Pretenfions to the Government, but for the Differences and Controverfies of Religion. It was not a difficult thing for the Admiral, by his Eloquence and Authority, to perfuade every one and engage them to follow his Opinion; for befides, it was very well adapted to the prefent Circumftances. There wanted not Perfons in that Affembly who adhered fecretly to Calvin's Tenets, therefore they agreed unanimoufly to take that courfe propofed by the Admiral, &c. &c. (e).

Now, fuppofing that d'Avila has been rightly informed of what was faid and tranfacted in that Meeting at la Ferté, and that he has not lent thofe Speeches to the Prince of Condé and Admiral de Coligny, as it is more than probable that he has done, fince they are not to be found any where elfe, what Inference can there be drawn from it, but thefe two? first, That the Reformed were made the Tools for the Execution of the Prince's and the Lords of his Party's Defigns, but it was not on account of the Perfecutions which the Reformed were expofed to, that these Designs were laid. Secondly, That others befides the Reformed entered into that Plot. It is true, as d'Avila fays, there wanted not Perfons in that Aflembly

(e) D'Avila liv. I. p. 27, 28, 29.