The cry of royal innocent blood heard and answered being a true and impartial account of Gods extraordinary and signal judgments upon regicides : with an historical relation of the deposing, murthering, and assasinating of several kings of England, Scotland, France, &c. ...

CHAP. VII.

The Relation of the Murther of King Henry the Fourth of France, commonly called Henry the Great, by Francis Ravillack, what Prodigies Fore-run it, and the Ʋniversallity of the Con∣spiracy, with Gods vengeance on the Barba∣rous Actors and Contrivers, &c.

HEnry the IV. Son to Anthony of Burb••on, by his Wife the only Daughter, and Heir of Henry D' Albert, King of Navarr, after his Grandfather, Father and Mothers Decease, Injoyed that Kingdom, and as you have heard, being next Prince of the blood, he was rightful King of France, after the Decease of Henry the III. and carryed on the War against the Leaguers, till he had obtained the absolute Soveraignty, joyning both Kingdoms.

Many were the Plots layed against his Life, as that Massacre in Paris, whither he resorted to Solemnize his Marriage with Margaret Sister to King Charles the IX. where amongst other Slaughters of his dearest Friends, it was debated whither he and the Young Prince of Conde should be Murthered, and carryed on the contrary, only by the perswasions of one Duke, yet the next Morning they were brought

forth into an outward Court, where whole Piles of Dead lay, and put to their choice by the King, either to chuse Death or the Mass, (they being both Protestants) of which at that time they thought it convenient to chuse the latter, but soon found means to escape, and Renounce those Errors; another attempt was made against his Life after the reduction of Paris at Melun, by one Peter Barrier a Soul∣dier, who was hired to have Stabbed him, at the advantage of his passing a Corner, but be∣ing detected, had his hand first burnt, holding the Knife with which the Execution was in∣tended in it, the mean while and afterwards had his Flesh pulled off with hot Pincers; A third open attempt was by one John Castle a Merchants Son in Paris, and a pupill of the Jesuits own bringing up, and past doubt In∣structing, he not being above 18 years of Age, thrust himself into the Kings presence, and being about to strike him into the Belly was prevented by the Kings Stooping to return a Salute to one of his Nobles, yet it struck him through the Lip and struck one of his Teeth out, whereupon the party was apprehended, and confessed the Fact, glorying in what he had done, and maintained he ought to do it, and that he should offer up a Sacrifice accept∣able to God, by taking out of the World a Prince Relapsed; and Excommunicated, not

did he seem much to Regard his Torments, when his Hand was Burnt, his Flesh plucked off with hot pincers, and lastly as he justly de∣served had his Limbs torn off with Wild Horses, which making it plainly appear that his Pa∣trons the Jesuits had perswaded him to that wickedness, and promised him Salvation for his Reward, whereupon his Father was Banish∣ed, his House demollished, and a Piramid set in his place; and secondly by a Decree of Par∣liament the whole Society of Jesuits were ex∣pelled out of France, but by their shews of Pie∣ty and Sincerity, so Wrought with the Kings Favorites, and they with him on their behalf, that that Decree was repealed, and they again restored to the Destruction of the Kings Life, as most imagine.

The next that attempted his Life was one that was or at least pretended himself a Natu∣ral, who finding opportunity run at him with a Knife, whereupon the Guard would have Killed him, but the King forbid it, and he (being asked the reason) said, He was King of all the World, and that Henry kept France from him, whereupon the King out of meer compas∣sion ordered him to be released.

And now France Flourishing under this great and Glorious Prince, whose good Con∣duct had Reduced it to so happy an Estate, that the like for some Ages past had not been,

he thought to have rested, but such was the Implacable Mallice of his Adversaries, that they watched all opportunities to deprive him of Life, to whom next Heaven they owed their happyness, nor did they desist till they had brought about their wicked purposes, the manner and opportunity given thus.

The King having Married Mary D' Medicis Daughter to Frances, and Neice to Fardinand Dukes of Florence, upon the Divorce of Mar∣garet, Sister to the three late Kings of France, She was Impatient till she was Installed, and although the King had other purposes of more urgency which required his leaving of Paris, yet was he prevailed with to stay, though many things Prognosticated ill events, as the Raining Blood in divers places, Monsters-Born, Earth∣quakes, and Airy Fantoms happening and ap∣pearing, and several Predictions that the King should not out-live that Year, that he should Dye in Paris, a suddain and violent Death, and in his Coach, the which he (though he was not over credulous on such occasions) began to hearken to it, and was heard to say that he must be gone from that City or his Enemies would Kill him; nay, so sure were they of his Destruction, that a Month before his being Assassinated Papers were found Prin∣ted in Spain and Italy that he was Dead, and eight days before a Courrier passed through

Leige, saying, He went to give the Princes of Germany notice of his Death.

The Villain Incited to be the Executioner, (with large promises of Earthly Treasure and Joys Everlasting) hardens himself to perpetrate the Execrable wickedness, having Lingered about Paris a long time for that purpose, he being an Ill down lookt Rascal who had for∣merly quitted his Order, and became a Soli∣citor of Ecclesiastical affairs, the day after the Instalment, the King Intending to leave Paris, the next day the King going in his Coach from the Louvre to the Arsenal, and to see all things provided for the Queens En∣trance, having in the Coach with him the Dukes of Espernon and Monthason, the Mar∣shals of Lavardine, Rocquelavar, La Force, Mirebeau, and Lian Cour chief Esquires, when Entering Iron-Mongers Street, through the narrow passage by St. Innocents Church, a Cart Laden with Wine was overthrown, as most imagine, for the purpose, which caused the Coach to stop, and whilst his Guard of Partizans passed through the Church-yard, this Villain (who had all the while followed the Coach) set one Foot against the Stall and the other upon the spoke of the Wheel, and with a long Knife struck the King into the Breast beneath the Heart, at which the King cryed I am Wounded, yet the Hellhound redoubled

his force with a second Blow, which struck him to the Heart, of which he Dyed, with∣out fetching so much as a Sigh, and again a third stroke which the Duke D' Monthazon received on his Sleeve, and although it was supposed the Murtherer might have esca∣ped, yet so heightened was he in his wicked∣ness, that he never Stirred from the place, neither hid his Bloody Knife, but rather Glo∣ried in what he had done, and being taken; he was adjudged by the Chamber of the As∣semblies to be drawn to the Grave with four Horses, and to have the Flesh pulled off from his Arms, Breasts, and Thighs with Burning Pincers, and then Torn to peices, which Sen∣tence was put in Execution, without his Testi∣fying the least Emotion of Grief or Fear, for such strange Torments, so that it was Evident that he had been made believe that Paricid was Merritorious, and that if he Dyed, he Dye a Martyr, being Inchanted with a false assurance of great things, though for his Hor∣rid Treason and Barbarous Assassination he met with his just Reward.

All France at the Death of this King were amazed and in Tears, unless his Enemies who secretly rejoyced, thinking to gain their pur∣poses, but were deceived most of them, being wasted and destroyed in the Wars that were in the Minority of his Children; and thus fell

this great King, yet e're I conclude, one thing is Remarkable, when he was opened, the Je∣suits got his Heart, which they so long had desired, and carryed it to their Church De La Fleck, under pretence of Burying it there, his Body was Buryed in St. Dennis, whither a lit∣tle before the Body of his Prodecessor Henry the III. had been brought from the Church of St. Cornillie. And leaving France, I shall Re∣turn to England, there to give the Reader a Sight of one of the blackest Trajedies that e∣ver the World has known, a Murther without President or Parrallel, even the Murther of the Sacred Martyr Charles the First, of ever Blessed Memory, which take as followeth, to the Eternal Infamy of the Regicids.