THe Queene-mother is much grieued, and complaineth, that shee being borne a Prin­cesse of one of the most Il­lustrious houses in Europe, & hauing had the honor to be the wife of one of the grea­test Kings that euer raigned in France, and mother to the King at this present raigning; that after shee hath with many perills, dangers & cares, during the minority of the King her Sonne, preserued and gouerned the Realme: In recompence of her so great paines, and mother­ly affection, shee hath bin shamefully driuen from the Court, and from the presence and company of the King her Sonne, and the rest of her children, and restrained as a prisoner in Blois, with all sorts of indignities, without any respect of her birth, or of [Page 2]so many great Princes, to whom she hath the ho­nour to be allyed; and against the honour due to the memorie of the late King her husband, and of the King her sonne: and that wholy by the aduise and counsells of Luynes his brethren, & adherents, thereby the more easily, during the minority of the King, to vsurpe the authoritie Royall, and the ma­nagement of the State.

The Queene likewise complaineth, that the par­ties aforesaid, abusing the youth and fauour of the King, haue in such manner continued and pro­ceeded in their mischieuous disseigns, that not con­tented with the most barbarous crueltie that may or can be vsed against the most vnworthy and abiect person in the world, they haue caused her best and most faithfull houshold-Seruants to be separated from her, and diuers others for her sake to be committed to Prison, without reason or iustice; contrarie to the ordinary proceedings of the Realme.

Prohibiting all persons of what estate soeuer to visite, and frequent or repaire vnto her, as if She had beene guilty of high-treason, with com­maundement not to goe or walke aboue a Myle out of the Towne of Blois.

And appointed Monsieur de Roissy to watch and haue regard to her actions; suborned her Seruants to betray her, sending a number of messengers one after the other within the space of two and twen­ty weekes, with a thousand false promises of pro­curing [Page 3]her accesse againe vnto his Maiesty, the rather to mocke her, and to increase the num­ber of her afflictions.

Marrying her Daughter to a strange Prince, without her knowledge or presence, that her disgrace might be the manifester to all Kings and Princes of Christendome, and to all the Realme of France. And for the full accom­plishment of all their wickednesse and tyran­nie, caused the King to resolue vpon the con­fining of the rest of her dayes in the Castle of Amboise, or some other place, in their custo­dies.

Whereof hauing faithfull intelligence, by one of those whom they confidently trust in their most secret affaires, shee was constrayned by night to make her escape, and to retire to the Duke D'Espernon, to make her retrait sure in the Towne of Angoulesme: That being there in safety out of her enemies hands, shee might with more libertie let his Maiestie vnderstand the cruell and inhumane dealings which she re­ceiued from the persons aboue-named, and to giue him aduise of the disorders which such peo­ple cause and procure within the Realme; toge­ther with the remedies fit and conuenient to stay them.

And to beginne with their bad behauiours. It is to be considered what sinister and artefici­all subtilties they vsed, to constraine the Court [Page 4]of Parliament to giue sentence against the Mar­shall D'Ancre, by false accusations, to make a pray of him; whereof perceiuing themselues to be assured, to get more absolute commaund, counselled the King to keepe the Prince of Conde prisoner, with the Princesse his wife, by whose meanes and her captiuitie together, shee hath lost three children, for whose imprison­ment, the Queene-mother truly confesseth, and protesteth before God, that she neuer was more grieued then that by euill counsell, and false intelligence, shee had beene induced thereun­to, hauing since knowne the truth of his inno­cencie, whereof she will assure the King, and most humbly beseech him, to set him at libertie, both for the good of this Realme, and of the said Prince.

The perfidious treasons, practises, and im­prisonments of Innocent persons, is also to be noted, wherewith they serued their turnes; to get the Prince of Conde into the custody of Monsieur de Vitry, & Monsieur de Peisan his bro­ther in law, thereby to haue him in their hands. And what boldnesse is in them, to make & ap­point a new regiment, to keepe him more assu­redly, and to haue the force and power of armes in their hands? whereunto must be added, the presumption and boldnesse by them vsed, to induce the Princesse of Orange to such an ex­tremity (that to deliuer the said Prince her [Page 5]brother) she should marry Cadenet, to the end, that by the meanes of so strict a fauour and al­liance, they might vnder the protection there­of (to the great preiudice of the King) preserue their power and authoritie?

And further to make their pernicious de­signes manifest and euident, euery man seeth, how they haue put from attending on the Kings person, Monsieur de Breues, a man cho­sen and appoynted by the late King, for his de­serts, and one that worthily discharged his du­tie in that respect, to put him into the hands of one of their confident friends, whereof they were formerly glad, and thought themselues happy to be domesticall seruants. The Earle of Soissons, for his part, hath not beene exemp­ted from being obserued, and they haue not fayled to haue regard to his gouernement, by persons that prie into his actions.

Touching the Princes, Dukes, Peeres, and Officers of the Crowne, and other Lords of this Realme, they haue beene wholly depri­ued of the intelligence and gouernement of the affayres of estate, to giue the entire ma­nagement thereof to Modene, Du Hagent, Coro­nell D'Othano, and Marsillai, persons altogether vnworthy and incapable of their charges.

The entertainement they haue giuen to the Duke D'Espernon, after his long and faith­full seruice done to this Crowne, sufficiently [Page 6]witnesse, their insolence, hauing proceeded so farre, as to make him the Kings prisoner, and after, caused him to be sent to Metz, vnder pretence of imaginarie affaires of Bohemia; to procure some credite to be giuen to their De­signes, and to execute the functions of his charge of Colonell of the Infanterie: Where­vnto must be added the persecutions, which for his sake haue beene layde vpon Marshall de Roquelance, Monsieur de Tilladet, and la Di­moisselles du Tillet.

Touching the Marshall de Bouillon, the great contempt that hath beene made of his qualitie and power, vsing him with all sorts of indifferencie, sufficiently sheweth how they would cause the King to loose the affection of the greatest personages of the Realme, and those that are able to serue him worthily.

The Duke de Montmorencie, hath also expe­rimented and well tryed their impudencie, by the effectes which they haue giuen to Ma­dame the Constable, his Mother in lawe, ha­uing taken her from the person of the Queene, to place Madame Luyne, and their Sister, in her stead, to the end, that no body may haue accesse to their Maiesties, but by their means. The sayd Duke de Montmorencie, in that which concerneth his charge and gouernement, ha­uing receiued all sorts of discontentments, by the bad offices which they haue done him [Page 7]about the King.

It is well knowne, what great perfidious­nesse they haue vsed towardes Monsieur le Grand, for the affaires of the Duke d' Espernon, and of Monsieur de Vitry: And how that in the great sickenesse which hee had in Paris the last yeare, thinking he would haue dyed, they had obtained the reuersion of his Offices, by that meanes frustrating the merits and deserts of the seruice of the Baron de Termes his bro­ther.

Of all the Offices that haue beene voyde since the time of their fauour with the King, from the greatest to the least, none haue esca­ped, which they haue not retayned for them­selues, to be eyther sould or giuen to those that are of their fraternitie; and euery day doe no­thing but gape for the death of those that haue good and great Offices, to make their profite of them, to the ruine and dammage of such as for their vertues and seruices, are iustly to be rewarded and recompenced.

Touching the Kings treasure, they haue and boldely doe dispose thereof at their plea­sures, without any contradiction, and haue drawne it so drie, that the King and his e­state, are thereby greatly indamaged.

Touching the forme and dignitie royall, to order all things, and to appoynt and or­daine all affayres, and times of audience, they [Page 8]onely doe it, playing the Kings; proposing, and resoluing vpon the great affaires of this Realme, without calling any other thereunto, but those whom they thinke good; themselues giuing audience in open Counsell vnto the greatest persons of the State, after that, resol­uing vpon them in their Chambers, where e­uery man must attend the definitions of their willes, vpon all sorts of occurrences: Which to attaine, the difficulty to approch and speake vnto them, puts many worthy and honest men that are about the King, cleane out of heart.

And that which is most lamentable, while they in this manner effect their willes, to the great impouerishment of France, they busie the King, by the meanes of idle and vaine-fel­lowes, with Playes and Child-like exercises; things vnworthy the age of so great a King, whose actions ought to serue for an example to all his subiects.

The assembly of the Nobles made in Roan, vnder a false pretence, to giue contentment to France, touching the so necessarie demands propounded to the generall States, was made onely to breake the policie, to the ruine of all the affaires of the Realme: cleane contrary to the intents and means that had been propoun­ded at the assembly of the sayd State and No­bles, to the end, that they alone might dispose of the Offices that should be voyde, not only [Page 9]to draw vnto themselues great summes of mo­ny, but also by that meanes to get creatures of their owne making in all the Townes of this Realme, is a manifest proofe, that they pre­ferre their owne particular profite before that of the State, and the publique benefit: Since which time, such a number of Imposts raised by extraordinarie meanes, haue beene imposed vpon the people, that they are wholely op­pressed.

Wherein the Queene-mother beseecheth his Maiestie to take order, as also to stay the course of the tirannies and vexations of Officers, Cap­taines, and Archers of the gabelles, which they daily exercise vpon all his Subiects, and parti­cularly vpon those of the Cleargie, and of the Nobilitie; a thing that neuer was vsed in the time of the King deceased, nor in the regencie of the said Queene, but only since the time that these men, participating with them therin, haue giuen liberty and impunitie to all sorts of pilla­ges, confusions, murthers and cruelties.

The sale of Clark-ships so improperly made against the deceased Kings proiect, whereby his Maiestie hath beene robbed of more then sixe millions of Franckes, to inrich the parties afore-sayd, with the treasure of the Crowne, with the Pensions and mony which they haue vpon all the parts, and Farmes of this Realme, make a great masse of Treasure, which they as­semble, [Page 10]to make themselues redoubted of the State, and by the means of this power, to with­stand those that would oppose themselues a­gainst this tyrannie.

By all these meanes afore-sayde, they haue made themselues Maisters, with license of the Duke de Mombason, of the Citadell of Amiens, La Faire, Coussy, Chauny, and of the gouern­ment of the Isle of France, & Veruveil in Perche, with the Lieutenancie of Normandie, the more easily to ioyne Quillebeuf, thereby to holde Paris and Roan in subiection.

And not content to haue the Castelles of Amboise and Nantes, vpon the Riuer of Loire, haue since sought to draw into their po­wer the gouernement of Britaine, Lieutenan­cie of the King, Blavet, Coucarraw, with Fou­gers, which Iosan Modere holdes; to the end to ioyne them all together, and by their authori­tie make themselues so puissant, that when the King himselfe would pull them downe, percei­uing their too great power, so daungerous to his estate, he should not be able: And when he should chance to die, (which God forbid) they might diuide the Realme with his successors.

Euery man likewise knowes, what meanes they haue vsed, to haue that litle which resteth, which is the authoritie of Monsieur de Longe­uille in Picardie, hauing no obstacle but that, to hinder them from hauing the rest of the pla­ces [Page 11]in that Prouince.

Their follie and ignorance, hath shewed it selfe in the highest, degree, by shaking the bodie of the reformed Religion, by the innouation of the affaires of Beam, and the failing in the obseruations of Treaties of Peace made with them, by the precedent Kings, without consi­dering the consequences, and fore-seeing of the perill that such breaches may procure to this Realme.

Touching forraine businesses, it is a most great shame, that all the Ambassadors of Kings and Princes throughout Christendome, are to make their Propositions, & to take their Reso­lutions from men so impertinent, and of so base condition; & that the knowledge thereof is ta­ken from the principall officers of the Crowne, and the state of the Land.

From thence it proceedeth, that the good in­telligence, and strict amitie which hath so long time bin contracted betweene the Crowns of England and France, hath beene so badly con­tinued, with so many differences, as if we had no need of so good and faithfull friends. They haue in like sort, proceeded with the States of Holland, causing the King to take Barnavelts part, in his Treasons against his Countrey, which are not to bee approoued by any good Christians, nor true French men.

The meanes by them wrought to withdraw [Page 12]the Gouernour of Orange, from the obedience which he oweth to his Maister and Lord, haue no lesse stirred the courage of that great Cap­taine, whose vertues and affection which hee hath alwayes borne to Fraunce, deserues not to be dealt withall in such manner, touching that which concerneth his patrimony, contra­rie to humane right.

To conclude, euery man may iudge, what miserie, desolation, ruine and calamitie, men of so base condition, voyde of all experience, capacitie, and honestie, may produce and cause in the management of so great a Realme. And what shame it is to France to indure and suffer such infamie.

In which disorders and abuses the Queene-Mother hauing most great & notable interests, to haue speedy remedy therein, not onely in re­gard of the extreame affection that she beareth to the King, as his Mother, and the conserua­tion of his estate, but also because of the great inconueniences that thereby may grow and in­sue; She most humbly beseecheth his Maiestie, to driue from his presence, such vnworthie and vncapable persons, against whose insolen­cie, rapine, and treasons, all France ought to crie vengeance; and to re-establish all the Prin­ces, Dukes, Peeres, and Officers of the Crowne, Lords and Gentlemen, in the free liberties of their functions, offices and dignities. And to [Page 13]entertaine and retaine about his Person, and in his Counsell, men that are vertuous, and ca­pable to serue the State well and sufficiently; that shee may be in suretie, neare to his Ma­iestie and her other Children, that shee may not haue cause of dislike, that men that haue beene the causes of her so vnworthy entertain­ment, should so vniustly be maintayned and vpholden, against so many good affections which they beare vnto him, and to his Realme. Which shee expecteth and hopeth for at his good inclination, being perswaded that hee will not compare the amity of so dangerous ser­uants to hers, that hath had the honor to bring him into the world.

If not, she protesteth to imploy all those to whom she hath the honour to appertaine, with her life, and those that honour the memorie of the King deceased, against the persons afore­said, to haue reason and iustice; with protesta­tion, which shee maketh before God, and men, not to haue any pretence against his Ma­iestie, whom shee holdeth to be innocent of all the sensible displeasures which haue beene done vnto her, but onely against those that are the cause of all the mischiefes which shee is forced to endure: In this proceeding hauing no other end nor intent, but only the encrease and aduancement of the greatnes and prospe­ritie of his Maiestie, and his Realme.