and in a word, had almost ravaged all: The Intendants, Governours, Ma∣gistrates, and other Officers in Paris, and generally over all the Kingdom, did very coolly and gravely give out, That the King had not the least in∣tention to touch the Edict of Nantes, but would most religiously ob∣serve it.
The second was, that in the same Edict, which the King published in the year 1682. to forbid Roman Catholicks to embrace the Reformed Re∣ligion, that is to say at a time when they had made considerable progress in their grand work of the Protestants destruction, they caused a formal Clause to be inserted in these terms, That he confirmed the Edict of Nantes, as much as it was or should be needful.
The third remarkable is, That in the Circular Letters which the King wrote to the Bishops and Intendants, obliging them to signify the Pastoral Advertisement of the Clergy to the Consistories of the Reformed, He tells them in express terms, That his intention was not that they should do any thing against those Grants, which had been formerly made by Edicts and Declarations in favour of those of the Reformed Religion.
The fourth, That by an express Declaration published about the latter end of the year 1684, the King ordained, That Ministers should not re∣main in the same Church above the space of three years, nor return to the first within the space of twelve. And that they should be thus translated from Church to Church, at least twenty Leagues distant from the other. Supposing by a most evident consequence, that his design was yet to per∣mit the exercise of Religion to the Ministers in the Kingdom, for at least twelve years. Though at that very moment they had fully resolv'd in Council upon the Edict of Revocation.
A fifth Remark is, a Request presented to the King by the Assembly of the Clergy, at the same time that they were drawing up an Edict to repeal and abrogate that of Nantes, and giving instructions unto the Attorney-General how to frame it. And in that Decree which was granted on this Request of theirs, the Clergy complained of the mis-representations which Ministers are wont to make of the Roman Church, unto which they attribute Do∣ctrines which are none of hers, and beseech his Majesty to make some pro∣vision against it. And farther they expresly declared, that they did not de∣sire the Revocation of the Edict. Whereupon his Majesty did straitly for∣bid all Ministers to speak either good or hurt, directly or indirectly, of the Church of Rome in their Sermons; supposing as every one may see, that 'twas his intention still to let them continue in the exercise of their Mi∣nistry.
But were there ever such illusions known? or was there ever any greater than this which they have put into the Revocatory Edict we are now speak∣ing of? The King after having Cancelled and Disannulled the Edict of Nantes, and all its Members, Articles, and Dependencies, after that he had for ever interdicted all publick Religious Exercises of the Reformed Reli∣gion, and had for ever banished all the Ministers from his Kingdom, yet notwithstanding he doth peremptorily declare, That 'tis his will, that his other Subjects, who are not willing to change their Religion, may remain where they are in all liberty, enjoy their Estates, and live with the same freedom as formerly, without any trouble or molestation upon pretence of their Religion, 'till it shall please God to enlighten and convert them. These were the amusements and gins laid to intrap the poor Reformed, as hath since appeared, and is daily more and more notorious by those barbarous usages they suffer, of which we shall give some few instances by and by, leaving the larger and fuller account of them unto that Reverend and Learn∣ed Exiled Pastor Monsieur B. who will publish to the World very shortly his laborious Martyrology of the French Churches under this present Reign and Persecution.