The secret history of White-Hall, from the restoration of Charles II down to the abdication of the late K. James writ at the request of a noble lord, and conveyed to him in letters, by ̲̲̲late secretary-interpreter to the Marquess of Louvois, who by that means had the perusal of all the private minutes between England and France for many years : the whole consisting of secret memoirs, which have hitherto lain conceal'd, as not being discoverable by any other hand / publish'd from the original papers, by D. Jones, gent.

LETTER X. (Book 10)

A View of the State of the Reformed in France, from the beginning of Lewis the Fourteenth's Reign, to the Year 1669.

My Lord,

THE Reformed in the Kingdom of France, since the King came himself to the Ad∣ministration of the Government, had rather been retrench'd in their Liberties, and decli∣ned in Power than otherwise, whereas while Mazarine was Minister of State, he (notwith∣standing the Queen Mother's virulancy against them; whether it were to Cajole Cromwell and their then Governing Powers in England, or out of his avertion to the Clergy in general, of whose Abilities as well as Honesty he had no great Opinion) things went tolerably well with them; but now that the French King found himself couped up with the Tri∣ple League, and considering that any rigo∣rous Procedures against the Protestants in his own Dominions, would at this time be interpreted much to his disadvantage by those of other Nations, and particularly, that there was no hopes to break the said League, or to disunite it, especially the King

of England, of whom he conceived the grea∣test hopes, and had the greatest Eye upon, as being not only nearest, but also most powerful of any of the rest; it was resolved to put forth an ample Declaration in Favour of the Reformed, which revoked several un∣just Judgments given against them, and re∣medied many Important Difficulties and Se∣verities they laboured under, whereof they had made their Complaints to the King, and which gave them hopes that they should for the future be left to live in Tranquillity and Peace. They knew well enough, unless this were done, there was no very great like∣lihood to bring our King to their Bow, of whom the Parliament had already entertain∣ed some Jealousies, and who would not fail to be enraged, when they came to under∣stand he had entred into an Alliance with a King, who gave way to the Oppression of his Protestant Subjects: but this specious pretence of the French Indulgence, might serve him very well to amuse his Parlia∣ment, and at the same time to deceive him∣self; and the Protestant Nations in general without, might very well believe the French proceedings herein, and especially that part of it which related to the Reformed's future Tranquillity, were real; when they them∣selves in France were fully perswaded of it, and imagined that the Days of Henry IVth, were returned upon them again. It's cer∣tain

there had been considerable Efforts made, since our King's entring into the a∣forementioned Tripple Alliance, to have it further strengthned by the Accession of o∣ther Protestant Confederates into it; and that there was a certain Person whose Name was Marcilli, a Rocheller Born, and a Profes∣sor of the Reformed Religion, that took in∣defatigable pains in it; the true Story of this Man is very odd, and falling pat with the Design of this Letter, I shall give as con∣cise an Account of it as I can, not doubting of your Lordship's kind Acceptance; this Person, I say, taking the Advantage of the Conjuncture of the League between England and Holland, and very much doubting of the sincerity of the Declaration made in Favour of the Reformed in France thereupon, made his Application to several Protestant Princes about entring into the said Alliance, and was no small Instrument to induce the King of Swedeland to come into it, which gave occa∣sion of its being called the Tripple League. He had been also at our Court, and opened the King's Eyes, in relation to many things that had been misrepresented to him, and wherein he had been imposed upon, either by the French Agents, or the falsity of his own Ministers of State; but these Addresses of Marcilli were not long concealed from the French Court, wherefore they took Council, and dispatcht away the Mar-Marquess

De Ruvigni•• into England, with Instructions to take off those Umbrages our King had taken, upon the Conduct of the French Council towards him; the Marquess his Religion, being a Protestant, as well as his Capacity, recommended him as the fit∣test Person to assure the King of the since∣rity of the French proceedings, and that the Reformed should have all the Justice in the World done them; in short, the Mar∣quess did his Business so effectually at our Court, that tho' he were the Reformed's Deputy-General, he had almost Bankrupt his Credit with all the Churches, who did not a little resent his Complaisance upon that Head. Marcilli having done, as he thought, his Business in England, was gone upon the same Negotiation to the Swiss Can∣tons, not without Directions, as 'twas be∣lieved in France, tho' dissembled for a time, from our King, to induce the Swiss to come into the Alliance; whereof when Ruvigni had advertized the French Court, the King gave Mareschal Turenne, who yet made Pro∣fession of the Protestant Religion, Orders to Seize him, if possible, and Kidnap him back into France; the Mareschal to disguise the Matter as much as might be, and to give as little umbrage of any such Design as was pos∣sible, pitcht upon Three Officers making Profession of the same Religion with himself, to go into Switzerland to Seize him; the

sameness of Religion between Marcilli and them, gave them easie familiarity with him; so that at last having got him into a place where he could not be rescued, they hurried him into France, where he was Tryed forth∣with and Condemned; the Man during his Imprisonment, shewed all the Constancy both of a Brave and Innocent Mind, and all the Application of the Judges, and Rigour of the Questions put unto him, could never make him change his Language, but he main∣tained his Innocence to the last, and the Se∣crets he had been entrusted with by a great Prince, whom I have heard some of his very Enemies blame for not interposing in his be∣half, or afterward resenting of it at all, when there were some things put to him in relation to that Princes Person, that little suited with his Honour; even upon the pub∣lick place of Execution, just as the poor Man was broken upon the Wheel; and now, my Lord, they had Murdered his Body, they went about also to Murder his Fame, by giving out that they were forced to ex∣pedite his Execution, because that having found a piece of Glass in the Prison, he cut off his Privy Parts therewith, as thinking he might quickly bleed to Death, and so be his own Executioner; which notwithstand∣ing being soon observed by the Goaler, he gave the Officers notice thereof, who put him to Death Two Hours after. And that

France might seem to be sincere at all Points in respect to the Liberty of her Reformed Subjects, out came another Declaration in Au∣gust 1669, inviting all of them that Sojourn∣ed abroad, or were in the Service of For∣reigners, back into their Native Country, and particularly out of the United Provinces, where there were of them great numbers, as Officers, Soldiers, Merchants, Seamen, &c. but tho' they were thus liberal in their Pro∣mises to the Reformed, and made all the semblance of Sincerity in the World here∣upon, yet they never ceased underhand to tempt the most Considerable Persons amongst them, by large Donatives and Hopes of Pre∣ferment to come over to the Church of Rome, and what Success they had therein will be the subject of another Letter; and so I am,

My Lord,

Your Lordship's most Humble Servant.

Paris, May 23. 1676. N. St.