David Carnegie Andrew Agnew

“ If he can prevail in these things to overturn the civil government, then the liberty of the Protestant profession and of conscience in all forms, however seemingly settled by him, will be precarious. And he may as easily destroy it as the French King hath abolished the irrevocable edicts, treaties or laws of his kingdom, confirmed by his oath, which were as good security to those Protestant as any Magna Charta that our King can make for us, or any Act of a Convention (with the name of a Parliament) which is possible for him to hold in the state unto which he hath reduced the kingdom. ”

“ And was there nothing of violence in all this? Was that poor man forced to forsake all that he had, and seek for refuge in foreign countries, first in England, then in Holland, and did he yet (with his numerous family) suffer nothing neither in his person nor goods? And might I not say the same of the other ministers, his brethren in your diocese, were I as well acquainted with their conditions?
“Hut it may be you will expound yourself of those who remained behind and changed their religion. And can you in conscience say that they returned peaceably to you? ”

“ The suppression of the Protestants of England hath been always esteemed the principal part of the Popish design to extirpate the Protestant religion. And therefore all the Romish councils, policies, and industries, their conspiracies, poisoning, and massacres, have been long employed about it, and have perfectly gained our now King to serve their designs. They have united him with the French King, that their conjoined councils, treasures and strength may finish their work of bringing England to the obedience of their Church. ”

“ We most humbly supplicate all Kings, Princes, Sovereign Lords, States and Nations, and generally all persons of what condition soever, to be graciously pleased that these our lawful and indispensable protestations, which in the simplicity and sincerity of our hearts we are obliged to make and do make accordingly, may serve, before God and before them, as a standing testimony for us and our posterity, for the preservation of our rights and for the discharge of our consciences. ”

“ The French King then knew that the People of England were in no capacity to interpose in behalf of his Protestant subjects; and (as his Edict says) being by the truce without fear of disturbance he entirely applied himself to the great design; he sent his dragoons to destroy the poor Protestants' goods, and to torment their bodies with more cruelty and inhumanity than was ever practised since the Creation. ”

“ In fact, Fenelon made use of the apostasy of too many Huguenots under persecution as an argument against their religion. He wrote in March 1686 thus:— “The half-converted Huguenots are attached to their religion with a dreadful degree of obstinacy, but as soon as the rigour of punishment appears, all their pertinacity fails them. The ancient martyrs were humble, docile, intrepid, and incapable of dissimulation. The Huguenots are weak against power, obstinate against truth, and capable of all kinds of hypocrisy. ”

“ These matters of fact are self-evidences, and clearly show that our grievous oppressions by our king are the effects of the united councils of the Popish interest, whereof the French King is the Chief — that the conspiracy against true religion and liberties, that now appears in England, comprises all the Protestant Princes and States in Europe. England is only first attacked as the principal fortress of the Protestant profession. ”

“ Our King, in imitation of his brother of France, strives to bring all the offices and magistracy of the kingdom, that were legally of the people’s choice, to be solely and immediately depending on his absolute will for their being, whether they arise by our common law, or be instituted by statutes or charters. ”

“ But the great majority of their leaders, with singular sagacity and patriotism, came to the decision that, liberty of conscience being a boon belonging to man through the gift of God, they should use it, but would not formally or publicly thank the king for it. The French refugees were in a similar dilemma, besides having the desire to give every expression of gratitude to the king of the hospitable island for the national hospitality asked, accepted, and enjoyed by them. ”

“ But the great arguments by which they were convinced, were the living flesh, blood, and tongues of the refugees. A cotemporary English expositor of the Apocalypse remarked, concerning the Persecution, “at the revocation of the Edict of Nantes by the king of France:”—
“Nothing of that kind, since the heathen persecutions, did ever make a greater noise in the world to draw the like observation of all men after it, than the new acts of cruelty against the French Protestants, which made life appear more dreadful to them than present death and martyrdom. ”

“ If the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland can be reduced into the pattern of the French King in government and religion, and the strength of them be united against any single Protestant State or Prince they shall think fit to assault (if they can by artifices keep the rest divided, which will not be hard for them) , there is little hope of any long defence of such a State.
“The French King seems not unwilling to have it known that the Popish design is genera! against all profession of the Protestant religion, though especially against England. ”

“ He endeavours, by various artifices, to bring the disposal of all the properties and estates of the people and their lives and liberties to be at his mere will, by a perversion of the instituted course of our Juries, and by Judges and a Chancellor fit for that purpose and every moment dependent on his will. He seeks to make his Proclamations and Declarations to have as much power over our laws as the French King’s Edicts. And after his example he establisheth a mercenary army to master and subdue the people to his will. ”

“ And we humbly beseech Thee to enlighten all those who are in darkness and error, and to give them repentance to the acknowledgment of the truth, that we may all become one Flock under the Great Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, Jesus Christ, our blessed Saviour and Redeemer, to whom, with Thee, O Father, and the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory for evermore. ”

“ Here stood men, who had lost their all upon earth, who had no hearth but the ground overshadowed by the Orange flag, men who would have died over and over again rather than give way. With such a surrounding, hirelings and adventurers could not but march right on, when the right time, patiently expected, had come. ”

“ There can be but two aims, as I apprehend, in dispersing this letter among us; one, to persuade us that there is no such persecution of Protestants in France as is pretended; the other, that the reasons upon which such multitudes are proselyted to the Church of Rome, or those at least which Monsieur Meaux gives in this letter, are so convincing as to oblige the rest of the world to follow their example. ”

“ This is to make a God of man, and to run back into the heathenish pride and flattery among the Romans, or an authorising of atheism or gross idolatry. In fine, we commit our complaints and all our interests into the hands of that Providence which brings good out of evil, and which is above the understanding of mortals whose houses are in the dust. ”

“ On the 16th April 1696, a public Thanksgiving to Almighty God [“for discovering and disappointing a horrid and barbarous conspiracy of Papists and other traitorous persons to assassinate and murder His most gracious Majesty’s royal person, and for delivering this kingdom from an invasion intended by the French”] was observed. One of the prayers ordered to be printed and offered up on the occasion was the following:—
“O Lord our God, abundant in goodness and truth, whose mercies are over all Thy works! ”

“ For though most of them have heard much talk of a Persecution in France, and have generously and bountifully contributed their charity towards the relief of those miserable persecuted French Protestants who are come hither for refuge and succour, yet I have reason to believe that very few of them know anything of the cruel manner wherewith the barbarous and inhuman Papists have pursued that persecution. ”

“ Against the plunder that has been already, or shall hereafter be, committed of our goods, houses, effects, debts, trusts, rents, lands, inheritances, and revenues, common or private, either by way of confiscation or by any other way whatsoever, as unjust, treacherous, and violent, committed only by a superior power in full peace, contrary both to reason and the laws of nature and the rights of all society, and injurious to all mankind. ”

“ Have not their churches been pulled down — their ministers banished — their children ravished out of their bosoms — their sick forced into your hospitals, exposed to the rudeness of the magistrates and clergy — their shops shut up — their offices and employs taken from them — and all opportunities of the public service of God been precluded — there as well as in other places? ”

“ England (saith he) is just offering to your Majesty one of the most glorious occasions that you can desire; the Kirn^ of England, by the need which he icill have of succour and of the support of your arms to maintain him in the Catholic Faith, will make you quickly find occasion to give a protection worthy of yourself. We knew very well, before the French clergy declared it by that bishop, that the same head that contrived the perversion or destruction of so many millions of the Protestants in that kingdom, designed the ruin of the English religion and liberty. ”

“ King James lavishly provided his printer, Henry Hills, with Papistical propagandist work, part of which was the issuing of translations of French pamphlets, denying the whole history of the sufferings of the Protestants of France. Bishop Bossuet’s contribution to the stock of lies was published with the title: “A Pastoral Letter from the Lord Bishop of Meaux to the New Catholics of his diocess, exhorting them to keep their Easter, and giving them necessary advertisements against the false pastoral letters of their ministers, with Reflections upon the pretended persecution.” ”

“ Against all sort of Acts, signatures, or verbal declarations expressing an abjuration of our — and the profession of the Romish — religion, which fear, torture, and a superior power have extorted from us or from our brethren. ”

“ Wake translated and published “A Letter from several French Ministers, fled into Germany upon account of the Persecution in France, to such of their Brethren in England, as approved the King’s Declaration touching liberty of conscience.” I am indebted to old Anthony a Wood for this transcript of the title-page; [6] if my endeavours to find the pamphlet had been successful, I might have culled some interesting specimens of its contents.
The British people were tortured with apprehensions of impending religious tyranny and persecution during the three years and a half of King James’ regime. ”

“ An Account of the Persecutions and Oppressions of the French Protestants, to which is added, The Edict of the French King prohibiting all publick exercise of the Pretended Reformed Religion in his kingdom, wherein he recalls and totally annuls the perpetual and irrevocable Edict of King Henry the IV., his grandfather, given at Nantes, full of most gracious concessions to Protestants. With the Form of Abjuration the revolting Protestants are to subscribe and swear to. ”

“ I saw the Narrative, and could not chuse but think that things were made the worst of, for though 1 know what manner of spirit the (French Popish) people are of, there were some passages that would hardly consist with meer Humanity.” [He was, however, an admirer of the refugees, as to whom he said, “God hath given us a home, when so many better than we have not where to lay their head, having no certain dwelling-place.”]
The last translation of Claude’s Les Plaintcs des Protestans had a special preface, in which the pretence that after the Revocation persecution had ceased is refuted. ”

“ Thus the flames which consumed Claude’s little book, and the falsehoods circulated in pamphlets, failed in the villainous design against the Protestants, and only contributed to display to fuller advantage the claims of the Huguenot refugees to British hospitality. The English people believed in the Persecution. ”

“ The industry and varied accomplishments of the refugees had already been appreciated. Their grand qualifications to be soldiers in an European Protestant alliance now rose into view. It was therefore resolved to renew the invitation to the Huguenots of France. The following Declaration was issued (and was printed at London by Charles Bill and Thomas Newcomb, printers to the King and Queen’s most excellent Majesties) 1689:—
“By the King and Queen. ”