The Siege of Rochel.
AFter the King had obtained this signal victory against the English, he bent all his thoughts towards the besiedging of Rochel, that with their Wals he might destroy their pride. This town as others, was at first but little, yet the Port being commodious, it grew great by Commerce, and so insolent after heresie had set its standard there, that they would make those priviledges, which our Kings had from time to time granted them, passe for contracts, and to destablish a kind of Com∣monwealth in the State. They durst not openly declare this pretention to the King by their Deputies, but their manner of proceeding was an assured proof of it, a procedure the more insupportable in that it was the support of all factions, both of the Hugonot party and the Grandees of the Kingdome upon any discontents. Their Rebellion was become natural, and shortly after this, they auguented their Crimes, by calling in the English to protect their offences. Some rich Merchants indeed there were who having somewhat to loose, would have been contented to be quiet, but on the otherside it was filled with store of Sea men surely and proud, as also very poor, who having nothing wherein to employ themselves, proposed, that they might be at more ease to make an insurrection in the Town, concerning their priviledges. In order to this design, they made a Manifest, to spread abroad their complaints, as a poyson in the minds of the Ignorant People of the Hugonots party, which might induce them to take up Arms, and to shake of the yoak of obedience. This resolution of theirs took them off, from paying any respect to the King; They drove out the Sieur Doux Maistre des Requests, sent by his Majesty to them, in quality of super intendent of Justice, with so much violence and outrage, that they threatned to throw him into the Sea.
They openly assisted the English in whatever was within their power, They so∣lemnly buried the English Lords and Gentlemen, and such French Rebels as were killed at the Landing on Ree. They sent Londriere with three hundred men to se∣cond the English, when they found themselves too weak in Ree.
They received Madam de Rohan the Mother, and the Sieur de Soubize; who assisted at their assemblies and enflamed them more and more. There was no rea∣son longer to suffer these things unpunished. The King about the beginning of August, when they declared themselves so openly for the English, made his ap∣proaches upon the Town, several companies of the Regiment of the guard, with two other Regiments and two hundred Horse, were sent before it. The Duke d'Angoulesme began to work upon the Fort De La Moulinette to lodge Forces there, as well as in that of Fort Lewis. They requested the Sieur de Commings Captain of the Regiment of the guard, that he would come to their assembly to advise upon some means of accommodation; and as they saw no Declaration of an absolute siege, until the English were forced from Ree, they thought to be excused as heretofore by renewing their Protestations of fidelily: But their words were not to be believed. All their proposals tended onely to comfirm their resolutions against the King. His Majesty thereupon, after the defeat of the English, took his last resolution of forcing them to acknowledge their faults, and to live within their bounds by a strong siege. The Order of the whole circumvallation was pre∣scribed by his Majesty; he raised 13 Forts and several redoubts upon the Trenches the circuit of which were three Leagues or there about, all out of musquet or fal∣con shot, but not of Cannon. The Kings design was by making these works, to