1598.

affociate or marry among them, fuffer them not to inhabit the earth, have not the leaft compaffion for them, beat them and kill them. The whole is amply and circumftantially difcuffed in the memorial of the clergy, to which we expect an answer." The humane hearts of laymen revolt at the open avowal of such cruelty; and though thefe execrable maxims had been long allowed the force of law, yet the wits of France pofted up fo many fatirical pieces against the clergy's humble orator, that they Jiterally mortified him, and actually joked him into his grave. (2)

Quintin's jurifprudence prevailed thirty eight years after his death, and perfecution, a fort of church polity, was adopted by the ftate. When the reformed church obtained liberty by the edict of Nantz, it acquired alfo a form of civil polity as a fecurity for the maintenance of its religious liberty. The prefervation of the peace of the kingdom was impoffible without the protection of the reformed. The state, therefore, protected them: but the implacable fouls of the ftate clergy never gave up the idea of blood-fhedding; tigers they were created, tigers they continued: but for three 1621. and twenty years tigers in chains. The god at Rome, that made them, created them in his own Rev. xiii. image, the image, faid an infpired prophet, of a beast!

During this neceffary ceffation of ecclefiaftical arms, that very bad man Cardinal Richlieu first invented a new mode of attacking the reformed. He thought-pacifick operations became chriftians

-that

(2) Beza, Hift. Eccl.-La Place, de l'eftat de la relig. et repub.-Varillas Char. ix.

-that it was high time to put a period to diffention-yea that an union of proteftants and catholicks was very practicable-Why could it not be effected? They were all children of the fame parent, and brethren in Chrift Jesus-their differences in opinion were lefs confiderable than the over zealous on either fide imagined—their systems indeed had fome apparent inconfiftencies: but, however, cool and candid explications might reconcile them. In this fophiftical manner did this first-born of deceit attack the reformed; and although he perfuaded his mafter, or rather his flave, the deluded Lewis XIII. to deprive his proteftant subjects of first one civil privilege, and then another, till he had stripped them of all, by reducing Rochelle, and had brought them to an abfolute de- 1628. pendence on the mere clemency of the crown, yet he kept preaching concord and union all the time, and beguiled many proteftants into the fnare.

Whether it were want of capacity, ignorance of regal courts, unacquaintedness with the true ground of feparation from a papal hierarchy, love of the world, or whatever were the cause, it is certain, many pious perfons were duped by this ecclefiaftical artifice; and, furprizing to tell! gave epifcopal hirelings credit for religious liberty, and actually concerted measures for a projected union. Three forts of perfons were concerned in this ruinous enterprize. The first were bad men; a bribe did their bufinefs. The fecond were credulous pietifts; fpecious pretences, foft words and filken noofes caught thefe wood-cocks. The third were wife and good men: but prejudiced in profpect of feeming usefulness, and dazzled with the fplendor of the great names of fuch as patronized the plan.

Drury,

Dury, Ferri, Amyraut, and Beaulieu, were all too deep in this scheme. (3) It was an observation of this ufual flexibility, which induced a great ftatefman to affirm, that every man was purchafable, if his price were bid.

Richlieu and Lewis XIII. went each to his own place, while Claude was a ftudent at Montauban : but their polity furvived them, and fell into the hands of Lewis XIV. that is to fay, into the hands of cardinals, confeffors, jefuits, queens, and proftitutes. It is a manifeft folecifm in history to affirm that all kings reign. Their majefties are flandered; one great foul now and then reigns, the reft allow their names to authorize the imperious paffions of thofe, who gull them and govern their kingdoms.

In this ftate of affairs, while coalition was all 1662. the cry, the difinterested Claude, as wife a poli tician as any of them all, now paltor of the church of Nifmes, was chofen Moderator of the Synod of Lower Languedoc. He was a man eminently qualified to prefide in fuch affemblies. He knew the world, as able physicians know poisons; the infidious artifices of bad men were tranfparent before the penetrating eye of his judgment, and he knew how to counteract them. He efteemed all good men: but he never thought of making their weakneffes maxims of church-government. He was abfolutely master of his own temper, and dexterous at catching the happy moment, in which the most stubborn and boisterous declaimers are manageable. His abilities were fo well known, that he was listened to with attention, and his upright attachment to the reformed religion obtained a general confidence

(3) See Bayle. Amyraut I-Beaulieu C-Ferry D.

confide in all he faid. He vifited the nobility, dined with Meffieurs the Intendants, paid pretty compliments to my lords, the prelates: but in matters of religion and confcience, he was ever known to be the inflexible, invariable, inconvertible John Claude.

In this Synod he broke all court-measures of coalition, and difmounted the machine of re-union in this province. This rendered him obnoxious to fome, lefs upright than himself; and presently came a decree of council prohibiting the exercife of his ministry throughout the whole province of Languedoc. Supported by a good confcience, he forbore preaching, and went to court; where, after profecuting his caufe for fix months, he was given to underfland, that the decree was irrevoca ble, and that reformed minifters not agreeable to the governors of the provinces must be removed. We shall have occafion again to call over the project of re-union, and we defer a juftification of Mr. Claude's conduct till then.

(4) During Mr. Claude's refidence in Paris, fe- 1662, veral perfons of the firft quality, and of exemplary piety informed him, that Marshal Turenne, who had refolved to quit the reformed religion, pretended to do fo on conviction that the doctrine of transubstantiation had always been held by profeffing chriftians, into which perfuafion he had been led by a book written either by Dr. Arnaud, or Dr. Nicolle, entitled The Perpetuity of the Faith: VOL. I.

C

Had

(4) I follow the dates of the Rev. Abel Rotolp de la Deveze, the biographer of Claude. They do not agree exactly with thofe of Bayle. See Arnaud. Rem. O. But as it is not a matter of great confequence, I fhall not attempt to recon.

cile them.

Had Mr. Claude acted on his own principles, he would have declined all attempts to fix a man of the Marshal's character. He knew mankind too well to wafte his theological treasure on men fufceptible of the stronger impreffions of character, fortune, and worldly glory. However, he yielded, to the follicitations of his noble friends, and published a complete answer to The Perpetuity, in thirty, anonymous pages. He traced the Sophifter through all his doublings, maintained the arguments, brought by Blondeli and Aubertine, and vigorously. purfued the fox, till he feemed to expire on the fpot. The Jansenists were ready to go mad, fo were all the Parifian Catholicks; for, could they have found out the author, their friends the Jefu. its would foon have prevailed with the head of their party to have answered his arguments. (5)

Mr. Claude, not being able to get his prohibition taken off, left Paris, and repaired to Montauban, entirely refigned to the providence of God. He could not but be happy, wherever he went, for he carried along with him a mind, that could reflect with approbation on the past, a will fubmiffive to the fupreme will of God, a confcience unftained with guilt, a heart free from tormenting paffions, and an undaunted confidence in the future protection of his Lord.

He arrived at Montauban on the Saturday, and the church infifted on his preaching next day. Contrary

(5) Lewis XIV. told the Duke of Orleans, he was dif pleafed with him, because he took the part of Cardinal de Noailles, and fpoke against the Jefuits: that, faid the king, is declaring against a party, at the head of which I myself amb What a glorious thing is it, exclaims Bayle, for a king to own himself at the head of a party!