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 XII. (Book 12)

Of the Violences offered to, and the Stra∣tagems used against the Reformed of Bearn.

My Lord,

THE Protestant Churches in the Pro∣vince of Bearn, had been several Years ago under some sham pretences or other, reduced to the Number of Five, and the Parliament from time to time, have endeavour'd to render them of no use by the Imprisonment and Silencing of their Ministers; but now there has been such a prank plaid for Converting some of the Inhabitants to the Popish Church, as I think hardly has ever been Practised by any other People in the known World: For the Intendant of the Province having

made use of a Notorious Fellow to carry on the Work, he deludes some of the People to go with him to a Tavern, and there by his Artifice found the way to make them Drunk. Next Day when they were come to themselves, he goes and tells them, That they had promised him they would go to Mass, and that if they pre∣tended to deny it, they would be sure to be Treated as Apostates; That they had besides spoken ill of the Govern∣ment, and the Ministers, of Religion; and that the only way for them to escape a severe Punishment, which they had made themselves lyable to, was to Conform to the Church of Rome: There was about Fifty of them that were catched with this simple Wile; whereof the Intendant Vaunted so much, that he has Writ to Court, that there is so General an incli∣nation in the whole Province to become Catholicks, That the King has no more than to Testify his desire they should do so, for him to see the whole Country Embrace the Roman Communion; And so having obtained such farther Orders as he desired, he has caused an Assembly of New Converts to meet together at Mus∣lac, and hath Ordered the Civil Magi∣strates of the Neighbouring Places to cause the Reformed of their respective Pa∣rishes to come thither, under pretence of hearing a Sermon, which the Bishop of

Lescar was to Preach there: Now the Bishop, my Lord, as is well known, is fitter for a Play-house than a Pulpit, and a Ser∣mon of his Preaching was look'd upon by all a thing so rare, as to excite the curiosity of the most stupid in the World to go and hear him; wherefore abundance of Persons from all parts presented them∣selves at the place appointed; But when they came there, they could hear no other Sermon than the Declaration of the In∣tendant, to acquaint them, That it was the King's Pleasure they should all turn Roman Catholicks; Those who refused to comply to this unexpected Command, were Cudgelled into the Church, had the Doors made fast upon them, and with the same Vio∣lence, were forc'd to keep silence, fall down upon their Knees, and to receive from the good Bishop an Absolution of their Heresy; and thereupon were told, That if they of∣fered for the future to go and hear their own Minister, they should be infallibly Punished for Apostates: such and a thou∣sand the like Violences they Practised of late in that Province; as I have a faithful Account thereof, too tedious to trouble your Lordship withal; but because your Lordship may perhaps have heard a mighty Noise of a Design to Besiege Fontarabie by the French: I shall in a very few words un∣fold that Mistery to you.

The Intendant, my Lord, having found that those, and the like sham-Tricks above mentioned, did not answer his his End, but that the generality of the People still stuck Tight to their Prin∣ciples; found there was a necessity to bring in Armed Men to constrain them to a Complyance. It was given out here, That this Court was highly dissa∣tisfied at that of Spain; that they durst appear sensible of the Outrages done them on Flanders side; and so for sa∣tisfaction, talked loud of nothing else than Besieging Fontaraby; saying at the same time, That France would do no∣thing but what was Just, and therefore they were not willing to begin a War on that side where the Barrier might be broken (which was made by the late Peace) between their Conquests, and the United Provinces; and in carrying their Arms towards the other side, could give them no manner of Umbrage. In Con∣formity to this seeming Design, the-Troops Defiled towards Bearn, but in stead of Advancing to Invest Fontara∣bie, they have halted there ever since, and committed all the Insolences that the most barbarous of Nations could e're be guilty of. But since I have entred upon the Relation of the Misery of this Fa∣mous

Province, I shall endeavour a lit∣tle further to trespass upon your Lord∣ships Patience, and shew what pretences the Clergy have raised to Justify the Ri∣gorous Prosecution of the Bernois, before others in the Kingdom; They have had the Artifice to Abolish the Remembrance of the Conspiracy which their Predeces∣sors had formed in this Principality against their Lawful Sovereigns, and have had the Audaciousness to perswade the King, that the Reformed Religion was never Esta∣blished in that Province, but by the Authority of Queen Jane, who would have her own Religion to be Uppermost; And that as she had then Banished the Catholick Religion out of her Dominions by Arms, in favour of that Doctrine whereon she her self Doted; the King who was the Eldest Son of the Church, might very justly do the same thing for the Exter∣minating of that Change in Religion there, which had been introduc'd by Violence; and thus you see, my Lord, the Popish Clergy here leave nothing unessay'd for the Advancement of their Designs, (I am afraid they are of the same Kid∣ney every where else) and they have got the knack (when there is occasion) of making that a Crime in their Enemies, which is but the just Punishment of their

own; for by disguising the Truth of Hi∣story, as they have done herein, they have made that to pass in Queen Jane for an Usurpation over the Liberties of her Subjects, and the freedom of their Consciences, which was but a Lawful Revenge she had taken on the Perfidious Clergy of her Dominion, who had form∣ed against her, and the Princes her Chil∣dren such a Conspiracy as can hardly be paralell'd, before the introduction of the Ignatian Order in••o the World; however, right or wrong, they have gain'd their Point, and under this false relation of so memorable an Event, they have made it to pass for a con∣stant Truth; That under a Queen of the Reformed Religion, that Religion which she Authoriz'd, was introduced by force in Bearn, and that consequently there would be no room left to complain; that a Popish King in his Turn, made use of Force to repress it. This was the ground pretended for beginning to put Bearn under Military Execution; as if from what was formerly done for the just Punishment of a Rebellious People, there were a just consequence to be drawn for an unjust Oppression of the most Submissive and Obedient Subjects: But having already Trespassed by an over

tedious Letter, I shall not farther ag∣gravate it, but remain,

My Lord,

Your Lordships most Humble and Devoted Servant.

Paris, Sep. 27. 1685. N. S.