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 XI. (Book 11)

Of Iealousies raised in the Reformed in France, that there was a design form'd to Massacre them.

My Lord,

THings are now carried on in this Kingdom, with so high an hand against the Reformed Churches, as to threa∣ten an entire Destruction of them in a very short time; It has been a matter de∣bated and hesitated upon for a long time, whether they should send their Dragoons amongst them, and make use of that Expedi∣ent, since their Lives and Popish Arguments fail'd them to reduce them to Re-unite with the Romish Church; They were not with∣out their fears, least when they should send Armed Men in that manner, and to that end, to those parts of the Country wherein the Protestants were in greatest Numbers, and to many Rich and Populous Cities, where almost all the Inhabitants are of that Perswasion, they might meet with, some unexpected Resistance, which might con∣strain them to Abandon their Enterprise, or come to a down right Massacre. There is indeed a Rumor whisper'd up and down

That there has been secret Applications made to the King, That considering the Resistance which the Reformed might make to his Orders, and the little success which his Designs had already, and was like to meet with, in preventing their Retreat out of the Kingdom; That it were a much surer, more expeditious and better way for him to be rid of them by a Massacre; Nay, my Lord, it's confidently said, and I have some Moral Assurance of it, that the Orders were given, and the Let∣ters drawn already, when a Prince of the Blood coming to hear of such Barbarous Resolutions, had the Courage to Remon∣strate to the King the Evil, as well as the Dishonour of it, and goodness enough not to leave importuning of him till the Orders were Revok'd, and the Let∣ters supprest. I cannot be so positive as I would in giving his Name to your Lordship; some saying it was the Re∣nowned Prince of Conde, but others at∣tribute it to his Nephew the Prince of Conti, both of them Persons of great Honour always, and as likely either of them to concern themselves in that behalf, as any in the Kingdom; but whatever stop may have been put to the Jesuitical Fury here∣by; I think they have begun to discharge it by their Dragoons, almost in as Barbarous a manner, who have been already guilty of a Thousand Violences, and the Almigh∣ty

alone knows where it will Terminate I beg your Lordship's Pardon, if I am any ways troublesome by such Relations, and beg leave to subscribe my self,

My Lord,

Your Lordships most Obedient Servant.

Paris, Sep. 24, 1685, N. S.