323 XXII. Copy of the Instructions sent from the Council of Queen Elizabeth, to Henry Killegrew, Esq. then resident at the Court of Scotland, upon the arrival of the News of the Massacre of St. Bartholomew, A. D. 1572. Communicated by HENRY ELLIS, Esq. F. R. S. Secretary, in a Letter to the Right Honourable the EARL of AberDEEN, K. T. President. Read 15th January 1829. MY LORD, British Museum, 15th January 1829. A CONTROVERSY has of late been revived with some degree of warmth respecting the Massacre of Paris in 1572, usually called the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. On one side, every credible document has been represented as declaring that the Massacre was a sudden and unforeseen expedient, an ebullition of popular vengeance, suggested by the alarm which the failure of an attempt upon the life of the Admiral Coligni had excited, and by the danger to be expected from the revenge of his adherents. On the other side, it has been represented as the consequence of a premeditated plot to entrap and destroy the Hugonots in general. Again, on the one side the hypothesis of a preconcerted plot has been represented as not resting upon contemporary evidence. The other stating the hypothesis as actually advanced upon such authority. There cannot be a doubt but that contemporary opinion leaned to the side of pre-meditation; and that there was not a Court in Europe but believed that the Massacre of Paris was the result of a Plot, as deeply as it was deliberately planned. A fact which affords this opinion no trifling corroboration, is, that the documents upon the subject in France, have long ceased to exist amongst the Public Records. I have this evening the honour to lay before your Lordship and the Society of Antiquaries, the Instructions sent to Henry Killegrew, Esq. then resident at the Court of Scotland, to announce this Massacre, in which Elizabeth and her Ministers declare, that at the first they supposed it to have come but of private quarrel and contention between the Admiral and certain Noblemen of the reformed religion and the House of Guise; but adding that, from later circumstances, "you may saie that we are afraide, and in manner perfectlie do see, that this hath bene PREMEDITATED and MINDED OF LONG TIME BEFORE." Sir Francis Walsingham, one of the most sagacious Statesmen which any age has produced, was at this time the English Minister at Paris, and the whole of his correspondence during this eventful period, justifies the conclusion, though it is no where perhaps so strongly expressed as in these Instructions to Mr. Killegrew. These instructions show more closely than any other authority that the suspicion of the Hugonots as to preconcert was coeval with the Massacre. The title of these Instructions states explicitly that they were sent "immediately after the great murder;" but the precise date may be thought important. The Massacre at Paris was executed August 24th 1572, and about the end of that month was known in England. The terror which followed the deed prevented the news of it from being immediately sent off. The precise date of these Instructions, however, is ascertainable from Killegrew's answer to the Lords of the Council, a copy of which is preserved in the Cottonian volume Calig. C. iii. in which Killegrew, addressing Lord Burghley and Lord Ley a The Instructions from the Council to Walsingham upon the news of the Massacre, were not given till Sept. 9th. They were dated from Woodstock. cester, says, "Your Honours' of the 21st I received the 26th at Leith." He then says, "The late advertisements your Honours sent me I putt to good use; yt maketh them that have any feare of God, and zeale to religion, to breake out in open speeches of detestinge the Cruelties, and have exhibited a supplication to the Regent and the Lords assembled at this Convention to take councell in time to prevent the dangers apparent drawing neare; they have yet receaved noe answere, but the Regent himself confessed yesterday unto me that Strozy's coming is to be feared, and would fayne have the Castle of this town for the safe keeping of the King, not thinking Sterling sufficient." This letter is dated from Edinburgh, September 29th 1572. In the same Volume are some Memoranda of matters to be considered for the surety of the Queen's Majesty and the Realme, upon the knowledge of the great murders committed in France," apparently in Walsingham's hand-writing, dated, in the same hand with the body of the paper, September 7th 1572. They begin, "Fyrst it apperithe that ther is a COMPACTE to dystroye all persons that be of the relygyon, for that the execution was so teryble agaynst man, woman, and chylde of that relygyon, and is entended to be stylle prosecuted to the utter extyrpation of that relygyon." The following are the dates of the great and subordinate Massacres, as given by Lingard, vol. v. p. 680, whence it will be seen that the Massacre was prosecuted after that date. Paris, Aug. 24. La Charité, 26. Orleans, 27. Saumur and Angers, 29. Troyes, SEPT. 2. Bourges, 11. Rouen, 17. Romans, 20. 23. Bourdeaux, OCT. 3. Meaux, 25. Since the above was written, I have discovered that the news of the St. Bartholomew reached Scotland previous to Killegrew's Instructions. In a letter which he wrote from Edinburgh to Lord Burghley, September 21st, 1572, he says, "This afternone Mons" de Croque came to me, and so we went together to the Castle, where, before my L. of Lydington, my L. Hume, the byschope of Galaway and Verac, he made declaration of this late fact in France in generall terms, and caused Espinasse to open the matter in particuler, who did what he colde to prove the K. innocent, and th' Admiral and the conspirators gyltye, but yt was done with so small reason that no man present (as I thinke) did belyve. He declared further with what affection the Q. M2 did seame to excuse the Kinge, and to be sory that he was so yll advised and counselled." I am, my Lord, with great respect, Your Lordship's faithful servant, HENRY ELLIS. "Instructions given to Henrye Kyllygrewe, esquier, touching the troubles in Scotland, being sente thether im❜ediatelie after the great murder that was in France in August 1572, and the pacificac'on therof. "First, yow shall declare to the Regent, the Erle Murton, and to all those that be to him associate, and likewise to the Erle of Huntley, the Lordes Liddington and Graunge and their associates, that the cause of yor sending thether at this time is for that, we hearing complaintes of both the parties, the one complayning of th'other as violating the articles of abstinence, and yet that they both doe referre the hearing and remedying therof to us, and to or good brother the French King, by whose Ambassadd's both the parties first being moved, have agreed and assented to the abstinence. Therefore yow shall saie that we, contineweing in or former disposičon and desire to have an universall peace of that Realme, to succeede upon this abstinence, have thought good that in place of Sr William Drurie, knight, Marshall of Barwick, who nowe, in the absence of the L. of Hunsdon or Govern there, cannot well be spared from Barwick, to sende yow thether to understand of either side their complaintes, and to ioyne wth La Drogue,b or by any other good meanes, to procure the due observacons of the accorde & abstinence; and to hasten them to keepe the daies of meeting of certaine of the nobilitie, who should indifferentlie compounde the particular Complaintes amongst themselves, yf yt were possible, as was appointed in the accorde indented. "And yow shall further saie that, as we were minded to dispatch yow to this intente, there hath happened a verie strange accident in France, that the Admirall, and a great nomber of ye noble men of the religion reformed in France, have bene of unawares, manie in the night and many in the daye tyme, murdered and slaine; the wch at the first we supposed to have come but of privat quarrells and contention betwixt the house of Guise and them, and unknowing to the king, and against his will; but, understanding sithence that the king hath openlie in parliament verified and allowed the cruell murdering of so manie in Paris, and on that strange sorte as you can declare unto them: And that in other places of France, they of the religion be likewise persecuted, and are faine to flie so many as can. Yow may saie that we are afraide, and in manner perfectlie doe see, that this hath bene premeditated and minded of longe tyme before; and that yt is concluded amongst them to erradicate and utterlie to destroy all such as make profession of their true religion, according as is said to be concluded in the league made betwixt the Pope, the Kinge of Spaine, and other the Princes of Italie; and doe much feare that, as they have herewth gentle countenances and great promises of friendship, allured the Admirall, the King of Nauarre, the yonge Prince of Condie, Counte Rochfaucault, and other noble men of the religion wth their adherentes, to come together under cullor of the marriage and Royall intertainment, where they might be all at once attrapped and murdered; of whom they have saved verie fewe: so that there shall be some practises made either by penčons & faire promises, to allure such of the nobilitie of Scotland b It should be La Croque. |