their busines, so likewise I will not, þ^t they medel w^t mine hereafter, or come frō henceforth within my house: For as many as I shall finde or take there, I will set their crownes so neare theyr shoulders, that they shall nede no more to weare any hoodes about their neckes. The like also sayd the President Chassanee.

Then the Byshop of Aix his sweete harte, which had begonne the quarell, sayd, I shall not be in quiet, except I speake yet one worde more, vnto Monsieur Beauieu. Do you thinke, sayd she vnto him, that all the Cardinals, Byshops, Abbots, Priestes, and all those holy religious men, whiche goe oftentymes to gentlemens houses, & haunt the castels & palaces of princes & noble men, that they go thether to commit wickednes? MarginaliaWell spoken, & lyke an harlot.Also you must not thinke euill of all those Ladyes and gentlewomen, that go to Byshops houses of deuotion, and for to reueile those whom they know to be Lutherans, as it was commaunded in the Pulpite, vpon payne of excommunication: If so bee you will maintayne those wordes, I wil not sease to accuse you of crime, and also of treason both to God & to man: for here be those in this cōpany which shall make you geue an accompt therof. She had not so soone ended her talke, but Monsieur Beauieu sayd vnto her, auaunte O Herodias, thou filthy and impudent harlot: MarginaliaAs Herodias wrought the death of Iohn Baptist, so this strumpet seketh the death of the Merindolians: two strumpets well compared together.is it thy part to open thy mouth to talke in this company? Doest thou well vnderstand and know what treason to God, and mā meaneth? Is it not sufficient for thee to be as thou art, but thou must sollicite other to shede innocent bloud? With these words the gentlewoman was somewhat amased. All men thought that this talke had ben at an end, and euery man began to inuent some mery communication, that the former matter should be no more talked of.

At the last, the gentlewomā aduising her selfe, and thinkyng that she was to much iniured, to be sayd, þ^t she went about to shede the innocent bloud, she brake of all theyr talke, and with a loud voyce sayd, Monsieur Beauieu, if I were a man, as I am a woman, I would offer you the combat, to proue that I am no such maner of woman as you say I am, þ^t I desire to shede innocēt bloud. MarginaliaGod sendeth a shrewde cow shorte hornes.Do you call the bloud of these wicked men of Merindol, innocent bloud? True it is that I desire and offer with my hole power, that these naughty packes of Merindol, & such like as they are, should be slayne and destroyed, frō the greatest euen vnto the least. MarginaliaThe cruell hart of an harlot.And for to see the begynnyng of this worke, I haue employed all my credite, and all my frēdes, & do not spare, neither body nor goods, to worke the ruine and destruction of these people, and to rase out, and to deface theyr memorye, from amongest men. Doe you then Monsieur Beauieu, call the slaughter of these Lutherans, the effusion of innocēt bloud? And say you what you will, I will not refraine for no man liuing, to go either by day either by night, vnto the houses of Bishops, in all Marginalia* The visor of honestie on an harlots face.* honesty & honor, for the deuotion which I beare vnto our holy Marginalia* Lyke mother, lyke daughter.* mother the Church, and also I will receiue into my house, all religious men, to consult and deuise the meanes how to put these Lutherans to death. But as Monsieur Beauieu tooke no more regarde vnto her talke, so likewise all that were at the table, dispraysed her and were wearye of her pratyng.

Then there was a certaine yonge gentleman, whiche merely iestyng, sayd vnto her: Gentlewoman, it must nedes be that these poore people, vnto whō you do wishe this cruell death, haue done you some great displeasure. Then sayd she, I may well take an othe, Marginalia Oderūt me gratis. Iohn. 15.that I neuer knew one of those wretched people, neither (that I wot of) euer saw any of them, And I had rather to meete. x. Deuils, thē one of those naughty knaues: for their opinions are so detestable, that happy & blessed are they, which neuer heard tell of them. And I was not then well aduised, at what tyme, by curiositie, I seyng the bishop of Aix so much troubled and angry, that hee could not eate nor drinke, did desire hym and constrayne hym to tell me the cause therof. Then hee perceiuyng that I would not be well contented if hee should not tell me, declared vnto me some parte of the cause: that is to say, that there was certeine heretickes, which spake against our holy mother the church, & among other errours, they mainteyned, yea to death, that all Byshops, Priestes, & pastours ought to be maryed, or els to be gelded: MarginaliaThe Popes clergie can not abyde honest mariage, to dye for it.and hearyng this, I was maruelously offended, & euer since I did hate them to the death. And also it was enioyned vnto me by penaunce, þ^t I should endeuour with all my power, to put these heretickes to death. After these friuolous talkes, there was great trouble & debate amongest them, and many threatnynges, whiche were to long here to describe.

MarginaliaQuærebant Principes sacerdotum et scribæ, quodmodo interficerent Iesum. Luke. 22.Then the President Chassanee, & the Councellers parted aside, and the gentlemē went on the other parte. The Archbyshop of Arles, the Bishop Aix, & diuers Abbottes, Priors, and others, assembled them selues together, to consult how this Arrest might be executed withal spede, entending to raise a new persecutiō, greater then that of Iohn the Iacobine Monke of Rome: For otherwise (sayd they) our state and honor is like to decay. We shalbe reproued, contemned, and derided of all men. And if none should thus vaunt and set them selues agaynst vs, but these pesantes, and such like, it were but a small matter: but many Doctours of Diuinitie, and men of the religious order, diuers Senatours and Aduocates, many wise and well learned men: also a great part of the nobilitie (if we may so say) and that of great renoume, yea euē of the chiefest Peeres in all Europe, begyn to contempt & despise vs, countyng vs to bee no true pastours of the Churche: so that excepte we see to this mischief, and prouide for remedye betyme, it is greatly to be feared, lest not onely we shalbe compelled to forsake our dignities, possessions, & lyuinges, MarginaliaNote how the popes church is led, not with any conscience of truth, but onely with loue of liuings.whiche we now wealthly enioy, but also the Churche beyng spoyled of her pastours and guides, shall hereafter come to a miserable ruine and vtter desolatiō. This matter therfore, now requireth great diligence and circumspection, and that withall celeritie.

Then the Archbishop of Arles, not forgettyng his Spanish subtilties and policies, gaue his aduise, as foloweth. Agaynst the nobilitie we must (sayd he) take hede that we attempt nothyn grashly: but rather, we must seeke all the meanes we can, howe to please them, for they are our shield, our fortresse & defence. And albeit we know that many of them do both speake and thinke euill of vs, and that they are of these new Gospellers, yet may we not reproue them, or exasperate them in any case: but seing they are to much bent agaynst vs already, we must rather seke how to wynne them, and to make them our frendes agayne, by giftes and presentes: and by this policie, we shall liue in safetie vnder their protection. But if we enterprise any thyng agaynst them, sure we are to gayne nothyng therby, as we are by experience alreadye sufficiently taught.

It is well sayd, sayth the Byshop of Aix: but I can shew you a good remedy for this disease. We must go about withall our endeuour, power, and policie, and all the frendes we can make, sparyng no charges, but spendyng goods, wealth and treasure, to make such a slaughter of the Merindolians, and rusticall pesantes, MarginaliaA butcherly religion which worketh all by bloude.that none shall be so bold hereafter, what soeuer they bee, yea although they be of the bloud Royall, once to open their mouthes agaynst vs, or the Ecclesiasticall state. And to bryng this matter to passe, we haue no better way, thē to withdrawe our selues to Auinion, in þ^e which Citie we shall finde many Byshops, Abbottes, and other famous men, which wil with vs, employ their whole endeuour, to mainteine and vphold the maiestie of our holy mother the Churche. MarginaliaCathedra pestilentiæ.This counsaile was well liked of them all. Wherupon the sayd Archbishop of Arles and the Bishop of Aix, went withall spede, to Auinion, there to assemble, out of hand, the Byshops and other men of authoritie and credite, to entreat this matter. In this pestilent conspiracie the Byshop of Aix, a stout champion and a great defender of the traditions of men, takyng vppon hym to be the chief Oratour, beganne in maner as foloweth.

MarginaliaAn oration of Catelme, that is, the oration of the Bishop of Aix, seditious, and bloudye.O Ye fathers and brethren, ye are not ignoraunt, that a great tēpest is raised vp against the litle barke of Christ Iesus, now in great daunger and ready to perishe. The storme commeth from the North, wherof all these troubles procede. The Seas rage, the waters rushe in, on euery side, the wyndes blowe & beate vpō our house, & we, without spedy remedie, are like to susteine shipwracke, & losse of altogether. For oblations MarginaliaYour oblations bee agaynst the Scripture.ceasse, pilgrimage MarginaliaYour pilgrimage is Idolatrye.& deuotion waxeth colde, charitie MarginaliaYour charitie is gone in deede, when ye seeke so the bloud of your brethren.is cleane gone, our estimationMarginaliaYour estimatiō is Pharisaicall. and authoritie is abased, our IurisdictionMarginaliaYour iurisdiction is tyrannicall. decayed, and the ordinauncesMarginaliaYour ordinaunces serue not to Christes glory, but your owne. of the Church despised. And wherfore are we set and ordeined ouer nations and kingdomes, but to roote out and destroy, to subuert and ouerthrowe, what so euer is agaynst our holy mother the Churche? Wherfore let vs now awake: let vs stand stoutly in the right of our own posseßiō, that we may roote out from the memorie of men for euer, the whole route of the wicked Lutherans: those foxes (I say) whiche destroye the vineyard of the Lord: those great whales, whiche go about to drown the litle barke of the sonne of God. We haue already well begon,