A Declaration of the King, and Confirmation of the Edict of Nantes, given at Paris, December 15. 1612. and verifi'd January 2. 16••3.
LEwis by the Grace of God King of France and Navarr. To all, &c. The extream desire we have had ever since our coming to the Crown, for which we continu∣ally implore the Blessing of God, and for which the Queen Regent our thrice Honour'd Lady and Mo∣ther, has always most sedulously la∣bour'd, has been to take care to maintain and preserve all our Sub∣jects in Peace, Tranquillity and Re∣pose, and in good Friendship, Uni∣on and Concord one with another, as being the Principal Foundation of the welfare of this Kingdom. To this purpose from the Time that it pleas'd God to visit us with the fatal Accident that befel us, through the Death of the Decea∣sed King, our thrice Honour'd Lord and Father, of glorious Me∣mory, we resolv'd to imitate and follow the same Methods which he took, to attain the same ends: and having observ'd, that after he had by his Valour restor'd this King∣dom to its Ancient Splendour, he with a great deal of care, Labour and Prudence, and for a Foundati∣on of an assur'd Repose, and an en∣tire Reconciliation between all his Subjects; as also to remove from those who profess'd the pretended Reformed Religion, all occasion of Fear and Distrust for the Liber∣ty of their Persons, Consciences, Honour and Families, made and ordain'd what is compriz'd in his Edict giv'n at Nantes in April 1598. by the Observation of which, and of the Secret Articles he had happily rul'd and govern'd his People in Peace till his Decease, therefore one of our first Actions, which we were willing to do in this Kingdom, has been to set forth our Letters of Declaration of the 22. of May, 1610. containing a Confirmation of the said Edict, and of the Secret Articles, Regu∣lations and Decrees set forth by way of Explanation, and for the putting the same in Execution, which we sent at the same instant to all our Parlaments to be there verifi'd: and sometime after we resolv'd to send into all the Pro∣vinces of our Kingdom, some of the Principal Members of our Council, and other Persons well qualifi'd, chosen by our selves as