ARTICLES CONCLVDED AND AGREED VPON by the Lords, the Cardinalls, de la Roche-Foucaud, and de Bethune, in the name of the King of France, to the Queene Mother.
Together with certaine Letters interchangeably sent betweene the said King and the Queene-Mother
Translated out of the French Copie.
Printed by G. E. for George Fairebeard, and are to bee sold at his Shop at the North entrance into the Royall Exchange. 1619.
ARTICLES CONCLVDED AND agreed vpon by the Lords the Cardinals de la Roche-Foucaud and de Bethune, in the name of the King of FRANCE, to the Queene-Mother.
1 HIs Maiesty agreeth and consenteth, that the Queen Mother shall dispose of her house, as it shall please her, calling vnto her and receiuing such persons into her seruice as shee thinketh good.
[Page 2] 2 THat Shee shall and may goe and come, and also soiourne in such place or places of the Realme as Shee will, His Maiesties Court of Presence not excepted.
3 THat during her life, Shee shall enioy whatsoeuer Shee hath heretofore enioyed, by Assignation, of Guifts, Pensions, and Gratifications to her giuen and granted by the late King, and by his Maiesty: and that Shee shall be paid all the Arrerages thereof whatsoeuer.
[Page 3] 4 THat Shee shall freely dispose not onely of the charges, Offices and benefits depending vppon and appertayning to the Demaines, which her Maiesty at this present enioyeth, but also of those that were giuen vnto her for the full and perfect Assignation of her Matrimoniall Dowry, all conformable to the expedition which she already hath.
5 HIs Maiesty promiseth to deale friendly (as with other his Subiects and seruants) with all those, that haue serued, ayded and assisted the sayd Queene, vppon occasion of her retraict from Bloys, namely the Duke Despernon and his Children.
[Page 4] 6 THat his Maiesty will suffer them to enioy their Charges, Dignities, Offices, and Benefits, and reestablish them in all the Townes, Places, and Castles without any exception, where they find themselues to bee dispossessed, since the retraict of the Queene: and further that they shall bee payed their Pensions, Reuennues, and other Fees.
7 THat all those that by Iudgement, or otherwise, haue beene banished from the Court, or out of the Realme, shall bee recalled, and those that are retayned prisoners, or are in prison, shall bee released and set at liberty.
[Page 5] 8 THat all whatsoeuer hath hapned or is past, by meanes of her Maiesties retraict from the Towne of Bloys, whether it shall bee leuying of Soldiers, Impositions, or Taxations of money, and other things whatsoeuer, shall be put in obliuion, without any renouation or calling in question of any person for the same.
9 THat within two moneths, the said Queene Mother shall bee satisfied and contented, for the disbursments which she hath beene constrained to make since her retraict to Angoulesme.
[Page 6] 10 THat within sixe weekes, the declaration of the Kings graunt to her made, shall bee verified and approued in all the Courts of Parliament, according to the forme and tenure thereof, without any restriction or moderation whatsoeuer.
Made and promised in Angoulesme by the said Lords, the Cardinall de la Roche-Foucaud and de Bethune, by vertue of their Commission giuen them by the Kings Maiesty.
And allowed,
The King of France his Letter, written to the Queene-Mother, the 3. of May. 1619.
by the returne of Father Berule, you shall know what resolution I haue taken concerning the propositions by him made vnto mee. I assure my selfe, that when hee shall haue informed you of my intents, and the reasons whereupon they are grounded: you will iudge and bee perswaded, that I haue omitted nothing whatsoeuer I thought might procure the good of mine estate and your contentment, which ought to bee inseparable: but that which I specially desire and ayme at, is, that you should beleeue [Page 8] and bee perswaded, that you shall neuer find any thing to be truer then the effects of my affections, whereof I will seeke by all occasions, to giue you so many proofs, that you shall perfectly see and know, that one of the things in this world which I most desire, is, to see vs revnited in so perfect amity, and with intire wills and affections that wee may neuer haue other difference, but onely to striue which of vs shall yeelde more vnto the other: you Madame of a good Mother, and my selfe of a most affectionate Son: which I am perswaded, by the grace of God, I shall see happily performed, assuming my selfe of your good nature, my conscience warranting mee, that there wanteth no poynt of all those respects whatsoeuer in me, which may iustly giue mee the Title and Name, MADAME, of your most humble & obedient Sonne,
The Queene-Mothers Answer, sent to the King of France, her Son, the 28. of May. 1619.
I do giue thankes vnto God with all my heart, vppon this Feast of the Ascension, that you haue acknowledged, that in my departure from Bloys, I had no other intent nor meaning but onely that which tended to the felicity and aduancement of your seruice, and a desire to enioy the liberty of true Peace and quietnes, and that acknowledging it, you haue fully and intirely granted the same vnto mee, and giuen Peace vnto your people, discharging and vnburthening them of the troubles and oppressions, which they endured by meanes of the Souldiers, wherein as on the one side, [Page 10] I haue had so much respect, that I would not oppose those forces that were prepared for the necessity of my defence, so I haue conceiued great pleasure and contentment to see that you haue acknowledged the truth in this; that after my retraict, I oftentimes writ vnto you, that this running to Armes would wholely bee vnprofitable to you. I haue deferred to write vnto you, hoping from time to time, that to the comfort and solace of those Prouinces and others vnder your obedience, you would bee pleased to discharge and remitte the Soldiers, as the declaration, (which it hath pleased you to send mee,) importeth, and whereof I speake not as doubting the same, knowing your inuiolable word, protesting vnto you, that concerning that which toucheth my particular security: The greatest that I can haue in this world, and which also is most acceptable vnto mee, is, the affection which you promise mee [Page 11] by your last letters and whereof you assure mee, to giue mee such proofes, as I ought to beleeue, that you haue thereby yeelded vnto mee that perfect amitie, which I alwayes procured and sought to merit by al actions worthy of a most good Mother, and a most faithfull subiect. Therefore I trust onely in your royall promise; and lay hold vppon that contentment which to mee is most essentiall, & only can procure me all the rest, among the which the principallest is, and shall be to see your authoritie more and more to encrease and prosper, and that not any person shall once dare to trouble the Peace and Tranquility of your Realme, which I desire and wish, as much as the preseruation of mine owne life, which I will continue vnder the onely Protection of your Maiestie, inioying the free libertie, by you graunted vnto mee, and witnessing vnto you in all sorts of occurrences (as the Earle de Bresne will tell you) [Page 12] that I hold and esteeme nothing so deare, as the passionate affection, my Lord my Sonne, which I haue to bee,
A third Letter sent by the Lord Admirall the Duke de Mont-morancy to the King of France.
The thankes which I am bound to yeeld vnto your Maiesty, for the infinite fauours which it hath pleased you to shew vnto my Lord the Prince, which I vnderstand by his letter, and by the report of Monsieur de la Bauine, that it constraineth me by the excesse of bountie to yeelde witnesse of the iust fe [...]ling which I haue thereof, so that I cannot choose but ioyne them next vnto those which I owe vnto God for his health, and to the most humble thankes which I shortly hope to yeeld vnto your Maiestie, for the perfection of [Page 14] a worke so fauourably begunne: as also the honor which it hath pleased the same to afford me, in putting that confidence in mee, to permit this Gentlman to tell him so much from mee, redoubleth my hopes, augmenteth my dueties, and encourageth mee, still without ceasing, to continue my most humble and most instant prayers and supplications in this subiect, which may bring so great a good and benefit to your seruice, and much and so sound a reputation to your bountie: my Vncle de Dissimieux hath already made your Maiestie acquainted with the State of this Prouince, where the effects of my fidelity God be thanked (are so different from the shadowes that are imposed on them by some) that I thinke and assure my selfe, that it would bee a blemish to the innocencie of my actions and thoughts: If I should enter into any other iustification, then onely by a new oath made, to continue in my obedience, with [Page 15] an affection answerable to my indeuours wherein I will expect the successe of the negociation of my Lords the Cardinals de la Roche-Foucaud, and de Bethune, beseeching God with all my heart, that it may fall out to the contentment of your Maiestie, and the Peace of your subiects, to whom the same euidently declareth the desire and the care that it hath of their good: For my part I shall neuer bee satisfied in that desire that I haue to testifie vnto your Maiestie, that I am and alwayes shall bee,