Besides, all the rivers that pass through it, end in it. It abounds with corn, wine, and salt, and hath a competency of silk; but is defective in wool, leather, metals, and horses; but hath some very good havens, especially on the north-side.

Concerning the people: their, children, at first sight, seem men, and their men children; but who so, in negotiating, presumes upon appearance, shall be deceived; compassionate towards their own nation and country loving to the prince, and so they may have liberty in ceremony, and free access to him, they will be the better content that he shall be absolute in matter of substance; impatient of peace any longer than whilst they are in recovering the ruins of war; the presentness of danger inflames their courage, but any expectation makes it languish ; for the most, they are all imagination, and no judgment, but those that prove solid excel; their gentlemen are all good outward men, good courtiers, good soldiers, and knowing enough in men and business, but merely ignorant in matters of letters, because at fifteen they quit books, and begin to live in the world, when, indeed, a mediocrity betwixt their form of education and ours would do better than either. No men stand more punctually upon their honours in matters of valour, and, which is strange, in nothing else; for, otherwise, in their conversation, the custom of shifting and overspeaking hath quite overcome the shame of it.

THE

TERRIBLE AND DESERUED DEATH*

ог

FRANCIS RAUILLIACK,

Shewing the manner of his strange Torments at his Execution, vpon Fryday the 25th of May last past, for the murther of the late French King, Henry the Fourth: Together with an Abstract out of divers Proclamations and Edicts, now concerning the State of France.

As it was printed in French in three several Bookes publised by Authoritie, 1610. At London, printed for William Barley, and John Baylie, 1610. Quarto Black Letter, containing twenty pages.

HE most inhumane murther, lately comitted THE vpon the person of the late French King, Henry the Fourth of famous memory, hath much disquieted the state of Fraunce, and so busyed other kingdoms

Vide the 828th article in the Catalogue of Pamphlets in the Harleian Library.

in hunting after the true reports thereof, so farre forth, that we thinke it an interior loue to our countri-men to haue an abstract of the most occurrences that happned since that vnnaturall accydent: And, First, to begin with the viperous homicyde, the bludie actor of this deede, who stroue with the enuy of his hart to draw in pieces the bowells that cherished his life (florishing Fraunce I meane) that proues abortiue in bringing forth such an vnnaturall French-man.

This parracide, Francis Rauilliack, in time past of the order of the Felician fryers, but of late a practissioner in the lawe (by some named a pettyfogger) borne in the towne of Angolesme, a place not farre distant from the citty of Paris; who, after he had vnluckely accomplished this bloody stratagem, by taking away the preseruer of so many liues, was, vpon the 23 of May last, araingned, conuicted, and condempned by due order of lawe, in the great court and chamber of Turnella in Paris, before all the assemblies, presidents, councellors, and commissioners, at the request of Du Vicquet, atturney generall to the King, whose place and authority was there then to inquire against this Francis Rauilliack, for the murther of his late soueraigne, Henry the Fourth, King of Fraunce and Nauarre; wherevpon, this Francis Rauilliack, with a sad and deathlike countenance, holding vp his guilty hand before this great assembly, presently confessed guilty, and that he became this his countries shame onely by the instigation of the deuill; and not any other accomplices and confederats would he reueale, but, in a satanicall maner,, vowed himselfe to secrecie; wherevpon the lawe proceeded, and a most terrible sentence of death was pronounced against him there, according to a generall decree of that great court of parliament; and so, being a condemned villaine, was, with a stong gard of armed men, conuayd to prison, otherwise, by the violent rage of the common people, he had beene torne in peeces : such was the loue they bore to their late King.

Vpon the Fryday following, being the 25 of May (according to their computation) this Francis Rauilliack was, in a most vile and bace maner, caried to execution, as followeth :

First, naked in his shirt, he was brought out of the consergery, being the prison for the palace, with a lighted tortch of two pound waight in one hand, and the knife, wherewith he killed the King, chayned to the other hand, so openly to be seene, that the least childe there present might behold it. After this, he was placed standing vpright in a tumbrell or dung-cart, and so from thence conducted with a gard of citizens to the capitall church in Paris; where, being adiudged to doe penance, he had beene made a sacrafize to the rage of the rude people, had not there bin apoynted officers to see his execution, who prevented it.

After this, being accompanied to the place of execution with two doctors of diuinitie all the way perswading him to saue his soule from euerlasting punishment, by reuealing and laying oppen his assocyates therein; which he would not, but stiffly (though vngraciously) tooke the bloody burthen vpon his owne shoulders, withstanding, euen to the death, all faire promises whatsoeuer: In this manner, as I sayd before, was he carried to the Greve, being a spatious streete, and about the

middle of Paris, where was builded a very substantial scaffould of strong timber, wherevpon, according to his iudgment, he was to be tormented to death: Du Vicquet, the Kings atturney generall, was apoynted principall to see the execution, and there to gather, if he could, some further light of this vnchristian-like conspiracie.

This here following was the manner of his death, an example of terror, made knowne to the world, to convert all bloody-minded traytors from the like enterprise. At his first comming vpon the scaffold, he crossed himselfe directly over the breast; a signe that he did liue and dye an obstinate papist: Wherevpon, by the executioners, he was bound to an engine of wood and iron, made like to a S. Andrew's crosse, according to the fashion of his body; and then the hand, with the knife chayned to it (wherewith he slew the King) and halfe the arme was put into an artificiall furnace, then flaming with fier and brimstone, wherein the knife, his right hand, and halfe the arme adioyning to it, was in most terrible manner consumed; yet nothing at all would he confesse, but yelled out with such horrible cryes, euen as it had beene a diuell, or some tormented soule in hell: And surely, if hells tortures might be felt on earth, it was approued in this mans punishment; and, though he deserued ten times more, yet humane nature might inforce vs to pitty his distresse. After this, with tonges and iron pincers, made extreame hott in the same fornace, the appointed executioners pinched and seared the dugges of his breastes, the brawnes of his armes and thighes, with the calues of his legges, and other fleshy partes of his body, cutting out collopes of flesh, and burned them before his face; afterward, into the same woundes thus made, they powred scalding oyle, rosen, pitch, and brimstone, melted together, yet would he reveal nothing, but that he did it of himselfe, by the instigation of the diuell; and the reason was, because the King tollerated two religions in his kingdome: Oh small occasion, that, for this cause, one seruile slaue should thus quench the great light of France, whose brightness glistred thorough Europe! But to passe furthur into this strange execution, according to the sentence pronounced against him, they put upon his nauell a rundle of clay, very hard, with a hole in the midst, and, into the same hole, powred they moulten lead, till it was filled; yet reauealed he nothing, but cryed out with most horrible roares, even like the dying man tormented in the brazen bull of the Tyrant Phalares. But now to come to the finishing up of his life; and, that the last torture might, in seuerity, equall the first, they caused foure strong horses to be brought to teare his body in peeces, and to seperate his limbes into four quarters, where, being ready to pay his last punishment, he was questioned againe to make knowne the truth, but he would not, and so died, without speaking one word of God, or remembring the daunger of his soule.

But so strongly was his flesh and ioynts knit together, that of long time these foure horses could not dismember him, nor any way teare one ioynt from the other, so that one of the horses faynted, the which a marchant of the citty of Paris perceiving, put to one of his owne, being an horse of an exceeding great strength; yet, notwithstanding, for all this, they were constrained to cut the flesh, vnder his armes and

thighes, with a shap raysor, by which meanes his body was the easier torne in peeces; which being done, the rage of the people grew so violent, that they snatched the dismembred carcasse out of the executioners hands; some beate it in sunder against the ground, others cut in peices with knives, so that there was nothing left but boanes, which were brought to the place of execution, and there burned to cinders, the ashes wherof was scattered into the wind, as being thought to be vnworthie of the earths buriall. God in his iustice will, I hope, in the like manner, reward all such as repine at their countries safety, and desperatly attempt to lift their hands against Gods anointed.

The Briefes taken of diuers Edicts and Decrees lately proclaimed in France in this place.

Lewes the 13. by the Grace of God, King of France and Nauarre, to all his louing Subiects, Health:

Whereas the inhumaine murther of our late deceased father, Henry the Fourth, of famous memory, is, as farre as law and iustice can reach vnto, reuenged vpon the body of that parracide Francis Rauilliack, whose death sufficiently witnesseth, and now stands regestered an example of seuerity in such a cause, yet nature and duty bindeth vs to add this further vnto it: We therefore, by the aduise of our foure courts of parliament, ordaine, the Lords thereof, spirituall and temporall, that all the lands, goods, and cattels, late belonging to the aforesaid traytor Francis Rauilliack, shall be confiscate to our vse; and also the house in Angolesme, wherein he was borne, to be vtterly ruinated, and be conuerted into a common leastall, and, in the same place, neuer any more house to be built: Also we, by our authority, doe decree and ordaine, iudge and command, that the father and mother of the said Francis Rauilliack be for euer banished our kingdome of France, and all the prouinces belonging therúnto, not to be sene after the date of seauenteen dayes be expiered, neuer to returne vpon paine of hanging: Also we ordaine, that the vncles, brothers, sisters, and all his kindred, shall neuer more take vpon them the name of Rauilliack, but take to themselves some other name, vpon the like paine of punishment, as a name vnworthy of our country. All which we do commaund to be proclaimed throughout all our prouinces, by the sound of trumpet, as the order is: For the prosecution of which business, we do giue full authority to Du Vicquet, our atturney generall. Dated at our palace in Paris the 29. of May, 1613, and signed with the great seale of yellow wax, by the lord,

POTIER.

A Brief of Letters Patents given to the Queen.

Lewes the 13. by the Grace of God, King of France and Nauarre, &c. to our Friends and faithfull Councellors of the Court of Parliament of Roan, Health:

LOOKING to the necessity of the time, and for the maintenance of the state in peace, vpon the miserable accident committed vpon the person of our most Royall King and Father, and being in our minority, we doe establish, and make this good order, for the preservation of our loving subiects, to liue in the vnion and concord as they did in the time of our father; and as by the councell of our royall mother, princes of our blood, other princes, prelats, dukes, peeres, and officers of the crowne, we are transported to this our parliament of Paris, and being seated in our seate of iustice, we do fully yeeld our whole gouernment to our mother, to haue care of vs, and protect vs, till we come to age, not suffering any custome to be denyed, but all things to be performed, and continued in as good force, as they did in our fathers time, to the quiet of our land, and the peace of our louing subiects. Giuen at our palace in Paris the 18. of May 1610. and of our raigne the first.

Sene, published, and registered in court, by Du Vicquet, Atturney Generall, the aforesayd 18. of May: Signed likewise by De Boyleuesque, Secretary to the Parliament of Roan, and proclaimed in everye Prouince, that none, hereafter, shall pretend cause of ignorance.

BY THE KING.

Lewes the 13. by the Grace of God, King of France and Nauarre, &c. To all our louing Subiects to whome these shall appertayne, Health:

SINCE the vnhapie murther of our late father, the Queene, our royall mother, now regent ouer vs, hauing teares in her eyes, and sorrowe in her heart, hath not let to worke, with great magnanimitie and prouidence, for this vnnaturall accident, that it might not be preiudiciall to our person, our kingdome, nor to our subiects, knowing her selfe obliged to that dutye, not only for the naturall affection she beares vs, but, being declared regent, and loaden with the affaires of the kingdome, by the wils and authority of the princes of our blood, and others of the parliament, wee leauing of the seate of justice, by which meanes her paines is great, and so happie to our subiects nere vs, and our cittie of Paris, desiring no deuty to vs, but to our honored lady and mother, for which we doe not doubt of your willingnes; in so doing, we shall giue you thankes with our loue.

VOL. III.