A DECLARATION of the moſt Chriſtian King, LOVIS the XIII. KING of FRANCE, and NAVARRE.

WHereas about eight yeares ſince, a party of tu­multuous and diſcontented perſons, abuſing the name and priviledge of Parliament, by fair and ſpecious pretences, and the aſſiſtance of the riotous City of London, drew the Subjects of England into a moſt violent and bloody Rebellion againſt their naturall Leige Lord, our deare and Royall Uncle, Charles the Firſt, King of Great Britaine and Ireland, of moſt bleſſed and pious memory, which they carryed on with implacable hatred, and indefa­tigable deviliſh policies, purſuing all that did oppoſe them with blood and rapine, and wading up to the ankles and neck, through a whole red Sea of humane and Country bloud, to the accompliſhment of their execrable and prodi­gious deſignes: Which having fully compaſſed, by getting His Majeſties Sacred Perſon into their power; after a moſt inhumane manner they hurry him from one Priſon to ano­ther, continually perplexing him with amphibolous Propo­ſitions, ſuch as neither in conſcience became a Chriſtian, nor in honour a King to grant. At length with Kiſſes and All-hailes in the fore-front of their Treaſon, they invite His Majeſty to a Perſonall Treaty; who to manifeſt his paſſio­nate deſire to peace, ſpread His Royall Selfe into acts of Grace and Favour; going beyond all His Predeceſſors in munificent Conceſſions: Yet even when he had yeelded be­yond their hope and expectation, and ſurrendred His moſt indiſputable Rights and Prerogatives into their hands: with malice as inexorable as the grave, deep and bottomleſſe as hell, they abruptly break off, and by force of Armes drag him to the Bar; where Vaſſals took upon them to judge2 their Soveraigne, and call him to an accompt, who owed an accompt to none but God alone, and having Blaſphe­mouſly upbrayded him with the unjuſt infamies of Tyrant, Traytour, and Murderer; and ſufficiently ſported them­ſelves with ſcorne and contempt, after a ſmall intervall of time, in Triumph they convey him to the Scaffold, which in aggravation of his ſorrow, they had prepared at the en­trance into his Royall Pallace, where in the ſight of his Sub­jects they committed a moſt Barbarous Aſſaſſination upon his Sacred Perſon, by ſevering his Royall Head from his Body, by the hands of the Common Hang-man; a pro­dition without a match, and ſuch as hath filled even the ve­ry Souls of Heathens with horrour and amazement: For it was the moſt nefarious, facinorous, flagitious and incogi­table act of Perſons neither generous, for there was no drop of ingenious bloud in them; Nor men, for they were for­ſaken of humanity, and had loſt the Bowels of manly com­paſſion; Nor doggs, unleſſe of the Brood of Cerberus; nor Tygers, nor Panthers, nor ravening Woolves, nor Shee­beares, nor any thing but the moſt unnaturall, ſtrange, very incarnated and tranſanimated Devils, that ever uſurpt hu­mane ſhape, to the vexatious torment and deſtruction of mankind: Nor have theſe ſponges of bloud yet ſuckt their fill, but with implacable Malice they yet purſue his Royall Iſſue, and by force of Armes withhold from them their In­dubitate and ſucceſſive Right, and have ſolemnly Proclaim­ed them Traytours in the chiefe ſtreets of that Kingdomes Metropolis, and all other Cities and Corporations, and that it ſhall be lawfull for any man to kill them, wherever they ſhall meet them within the limits of thoſe Territories as Spies and Enemies to the Common-wealth. And they have further declared and Proclaimed, That they will for ever aboliſh all Kingly-government, in England and Ireland, as chargable, unneceſſary and Tyrannicall, and in ſtead thereof will eſtabliſh an eternall Anarchy, (which they call3 a Common-wealth) perpetually enſlaving the miſerable people of thoſe Kingdomes, to the Tyrannicall wills of them and their Poſterity; and having broken the Diadems of State, and poſſeſſed themſelves of the Regalia, are now by way of ſale, ſharing all the Lands and Revenues of the Crowne, with the appurtenances among themſelves and their Favourits; Thus are they mounted to tranſcendents, not to be placed in the claſſes or Rankes of hitherto experi­enced or practiſed wickedneſſe; So that if all the Records and Chronicles ancient and Moderne, Divine & prophane, were throughly ſearcht by the moſt ſcrutinous eye, and all black and dire machinations, plots and conſpiracies, either contrived or acted by Rebells and Traytours, againſt their Princes, were arithmatically caſt up, here would be found the ſumma Totalis, Rebellion and Treaſon, being now brought to the fulneſſe of perfection:

Nor are theſe Fedifragones, miſcreants contented to im­brue, and bathe their hands in the Kings bloud, but they perſecute all his relations; inriching themſelves in the ruine of his illuſtrious Queen: inforcibly withholding from her that Dowry which the King and his Councell, in conſideration of a large and vaſt Summe of Money, alloted for her maintenance: Whereby they have broak the anci­ent league between the Kingdomes, and given us faire occa­ſion in hoſtile manner, with our Armies of Horſe, and Foot, to invade that Kingdome; Nor can we conceal our deepe ſence and juſt indignation, at thoſe groſſe and ſcandalous obloquies, which they daily caſt upon the perſon and repu­tation of our deare Aunt, the Queen Dowager, by their libellous Pamphlets, thoſe Meſſengers of their Malice, which like the plagues of Aegypt reduplicated and multi­plied, they daily ſend forth, by which Aegypticall flyes, they endeavour, what in them lyeth, to cauſe the ſweet oynt­ment of her pretious name to ſtinke upon the face of the Earth; although her unparralelled vertues are ſo candid4 and general, that ſhe may without flattery be ſtiled, The Pa­ragon of Queens, the Glory and miracle of her Sex, whoſe Honour and injuries, we are bound by the bonds of nature, and affinity, to vindicate and revenge.

And that they might macerate the whole world in bloud, and ſet all Chriſtian Kingdomes into flames and com­buſtion, they have diſpacht their Incendiaries, like Locuſts into all parts of Chriſtendome, who by ſubdolous and ſlie inſinuations and pretences of popular Liberty, and freedom from Monarchicall Tyranny, endeavour to carck the bonds of protection and fealty betweene Kings and their Subjects, as they have lately done in this our Kingdome, whereby Trumpeting ſedition & Rebellion in the ears of our people, they lately ſtirred them up to mutinies and inſurrections to the apparent hazard of our Royall perſon, Crowne and Dignities, which are now by Gods goodneſſe appeaſed and allayed; by which policy of dividing Kings and their Sub­jects throughout Chriſtendome, they hope to immerge all poſſibility of our ayde and aſſiſtance in reſtoring their pre­ſent Soveraigne, and eſtabliſh their hermaphroditicall Go­vernment with greater Security.

Having therefore upon very juſt grounds both of Con­ſcience and reaſon, taken theſe premiſes into our Princely conſideration, we have thought good, by the Nature and deliberate advice and conſent of the moſt illuſtrious Lady the Queen Regent our Royall Mother, and of the Princes, Prelats and Parliaments of our Kingdome, to ſtop and for­bid all trade and commerce between the Subjects of our Kingdom and that Rebellious Nation; till they ſhall return to their due obedience to their Soveraigne; and by our Royall Proclamation which we have cauſed to be publiſhed in all our Cities and Towns Corporate, within this our Kingdome of France, &c. We have ſtrictly prohibited all Engliſh Wool and woollen Cloth, or any other commo­dities to be brought into this Kingdome, and we have5 thereby Commanded all Sheriffs and Mayors, Balliffs and ſubordinate Officers to make diligent ſearch in all Cities, Towns, and Ports within their ſeverall Juriſdictions, and to ſeize upon and confiſcate to our uſe, all ſuch prohibited goods as they ſhall at any time hereafter finde in any part of our Dominions, and whoſoever ſhall conceale any ſuch prohibited goods ſo in their cuſtody, and not diſcover them to the chief Magiſtrate, or ſome other ſubordinate Officer in the City, Towne or Port, where they dwell within the compaſſe of four and twenty hours, ſhall forfeit their Eſtates, and for the firſt fault, ſuffer one Years Impriſon­ment; for the ſecond, five Years; and for the Third, perpe­tuall Impriſonment without bayle or mainpriſe. And we have further by our ſaid Proclamation commanded, that no Merchant or other Subject of our Kingdome, doc export or ſuffer to be exported by any Engliſh Merchant or others, any Corn, Wine, Oyle, Skins, Nuts, Cheſnuts, Beef, Pork, or any other Merchandiſes into that Kingdome of England: and whoſoever ſhall be found offending herein, ſhall incur the penalty of High Treaſon. And we have further com­manded all Engliſhmen, of what degree or quality ſoever, not warranted and protected by the King of England, or not naturalized Den zons of this Kingdom, to depart this King­dome by the 18 of October, next enſuing the Date of that our ſaid Proclamation; and that no Engliſhman whatſoever not protected or naturalized as aforeſaid doe preſume to re­maine in any part of our Dominions, upon paine of being executed, as Spies, Enemies and Traytours, to this our Kingdome: And it ſhall be High Treaſon for any Subject of this our Kingdome, to conceal or harbour within their Houſes any Engliſhman, not protected and naturalized as aforeſaid, and not diſcover the ſaid perſon to ſome Magi­ſtrate or Juſtice of Peace within four and twenty Houres.

And conceiving our ſelves bound both as a Chriſtian and a King, by the bonds of Religion and Nature, and the6 long continued League between the Kingdomes, to revenge the barbarous murder of the late King of England, of glorious memory, to repaire the injuries of our Royall Aunt, his Queen Dowager, and to reſtore King Charls the Second our Coſin, to the Thrones of his Kingdomes, and ſubdue his People to his obedience, we have Iſſued forth our Royall Commiſſion under the greate Seale of our Kingdome, whereby we have authorized our Right truſty and welbe­loved Coſin the Count of Saint Paul, to raiſe eight Regi­ments of Horſe, and twelve of Foot, each horſe Regiment to conſiſt of eight hundred, and the Foot of a thouſand; and of our owne Free will and princely grace, we are pleaſed to advance two yeares pay out of our Royall treaſury: and to furniſh the ſaid Count of Saint Paul, with a traine of Ar­tillery, and all other neceſſaries for martiall imployment; and have ſtreightly commanded the ſaid Count and all other Officers, and Souldiers of that Army, faithfully and obediently to obſerve all ſuch commands, as they ſhall from time to time receive from our moſt intirely beloved Coſin the King of England: and that they be ready to en­ter any part his Majeſties Dominions, as ſhall be thought moſt neceſſary by the ſaid King and his Councell, and there to joyne with any of his Majeſties Armies, and to fight with, kill and ſlay all that they ſhall finde in Rebellion a­gainſt his ſaid Majeſty: And foraſmuch as all Chriſtian Kings are concerned herein, we have thought good to pub­liſh this our Declaration, which we have cauſed to be tranſlated into all Languages, that all the Kings and Princes of Chriſtendome may take notice of our proceedings, and after our example, may contribute their utmoſt power and aſſiſtance for the reſtoring that injured King to his Domini­ons, and reducing his Subjects to his obedience.

Given at our Court at Paris,September 2^d. 1649.