Tuesday, April 18. 1704.

Numb. 13.
[65]

THe Cevennois are not so much the Miracle of this Age, as ’tis a Wonder to me the Accounts we have had of them should obtain so much in an Age, so incredulous as this.

I cannot think ’tis my Business to enter into a Debate of Original Right in such an undertaking as this; and to concern these Sheets with an Enquiry into the Justice of their taking Arms, and the Reasonableness of their being Oppress’d for Matters of Conscience.

That the Christian Religion does no way justify the oppression of the Conscience, we who call ourselves Protestants generally grant; but how far those Oppressions justify the Subject in defending themselves, is a point so hotly debated, that in this Paper, wherein I carefully avoid the Strife of Parties, I shall not enter into the Dispute.

Besides, as I have frequently Ingag’d in the Argument on other occasions, I think ’tis needless to Examine a Case, here, which ought to take up a whole Volume by it self.

But there is a part of the Case of the Cevennois, which I shall be drawn in to speak of whether I will or no, by the necessary Consequence of the Story, and that is, to Examine whether ’tis Lawful to assist them.

And as in this Case I am of Opinion both sides are something Mistaken; I shall write with the more Caution, and, this Paper being of neither Party, endeavour to state the Case between Whig and Tory.

I confess it seems something plain to me, that if it be not Lawful for them to take Arms, it cannot be Lawful for us to assist them; because it cannot be just to joyn in an unjust Action: On the other hand, If it be Lawful for us to assist them, it must be Lawful for them to take Arms; because what it is just for one to abett, it must be just for the other to do.

In this Case I shall not absolutely Decide, till I have first Examined the past Ages of the World; and since Custom in such Cases is a fair Precedent, let us see how it stands in History; and in this Examination it shall not be enough to find a Precedent of one Nation, or one Party, but what has been the General Practice of all sides, and in particular of that Nation, whom we are now Discoursing.

Nor shall we go far back for Quotations, for the Later the Precedents, the more to the purpose.
Francis the first
sent a Powerful Army to the Assistance of the Flemmings, in their Revolt against Charles the fifth, and justified [66] it by a formal Declaration, in Answer to the Emperor’s Invective on that Head.

Lewis XI. Sent Assistance by Sea to the Rebellious Sicilians, and Maintain’d them in their Revolt from the Crown of Spain; till the Citizens of Messina, oppress’d by their Auxiliar French Forces, clear’d themselves by a secret Massacre at Vespers, known by the Name of the Sicilian Even-Song; afterwards in the like Case Lewis XIV. assisted the Sicilians in Rebellion against the Spaniards, and at last Deserted them again, and left them to the Mercy of their own Governours.

The Present King of France also twice Encourag’d the Catalognians to Revolt from the Spaniards, took them into his Publick Protection, and Defended them against their Lawful Prince, with an Army.

The Spaniards Publickly assisted the Catholick League in France, which was a General Insurrection and Defection of the Parisians and the Guises, against Henry the Third, their Lawful Prince, and a Zealous Catholick; which Rebellion they carried to such a heighth of Contempt and Indecency, that no Age can Parallel.

And tho’ the Particular Account of this Matter will take up a large Place in this History, yet I cannot omit a short Abridgment here, because it was done by a Roman Catholick Nation.

Henry the ThirdHenry III (1574-89), was king during the “Wars of Religion” (1562-98), and a time of dynastic strife., having a long while born the Insolence of the Guises, and found they wou’d at last be too hard for him, caus’d the Duke and Cardinal of Guise to be Assassinated: Upon this the Citizens of Paris began the most Furious Rebellion that ever that Kingdom felt: call’d in the Spaniards, rais’d a Tumult in the City, depos’d the King, declar’d he had forfeited his Crown, and that his Subjects not only might, but ought to cast off their Obedience.

Then they Voted, that they had therefore Power to make Confederacies, raise Soldiers, Levy Taxes, and dispose the Publick Revenues – This was not all, but giving the loose to their Fury, they shew’d him all the Marks of Insolence and Contempt, that was possible for Rebels and Mad-men; They broke down his Arms, revers’d his Statutes“Statues” in HRC 1, HRC 2 and Secord, and rag’d against all the Marks of Royalty, with scandalous and intollerable Insolencies. The Priests and Preachers Thundred against their Prince, stil’d him Henry de Valois, not King of France; call’d him Tyrant, Heretick, Murtherer, and Persecutor of the Holy Church; all Places were full of Libels and Songs, Insulting their King in the vilest manner possible; and at last, when he appeared in Arms under their Walls, and in all probability had severely Chastised them the next day, they prevented it by Assassination, and Murthered him by the hands of Jacques Clement, a Jacobin Fryer, who stab’d him in the Belly with a Dagger. Davila’s Hist. Civ. War of France, fol. 379.

To this Aggravated Rebellion, the Spaniards gave Publick Assistance; the Pope sent a Catholick Army to their help; the Duke of Parma rais’d the Siege of Paris with a Powerful Army of Spaniards; and at another time the Siege of Roan, and a Brigade of Spanish Infantry was left for the Defence of the League, and this at the same time that the Spaniards were in a strict Alliance with the King and Kingdom.

Our own Histories confirm the Practice of assisting the Protestants of Neighbouring Countries, tho’ in Arms against their own Governours. Queen Elizabeth did thus by the Admiral Coligni, when, in the first Hugonot War, he took up Arms against Charles the Ninth; the like She did by the King of Navarre, as well before he was King of France, as afterward.

The like her Majesty did afterwards by the Dutch, in their Revolt from the Spaniards, taking them Publickly into her Protection, and sending them the Earl of Leicester, under the Title of Governour.

The King of France did the same, and the Duke d’Anjou Entred with a Great Army to assist them against their Sovereign, the King of Spain.

King Charles I. in the same manner assisted the Rochellers, who on the very same foot with the Cevennois, took up Arms against their Prince, and three Expeditions were made for that purpose.

Thus far History proves it has been the General Custom of Europe to assist the Malecontents of our Neighbours; yet I will not say from thence, that ’tis always just, and at best it seems to me to be a very Indif-[67] ferent way of maintaining Leagues and Treaties, in most of which, it is generally Stipulated, that neither shall assist the Traytors, Rebels or Enemies of each other.

But in time of War the Case alters, and since all manners of Ways and Means are justifiable, by which we can annoy our Enemies; I cannot imagine on what pretence any People should question the Lawfulness, Justice, or Honour of assisting any sort of People, who give a Diversion to the Enemy.

From what other Pretence is the Doctrine of Reprisals to be justified, that because A– robs me at Sea, and takes my Ship, therefore I’ll fit out a Privateer, and go rob B–, who never injured me: That because the Kings fall out, the Subjects must turn Thieves; and while the Princes with Armies and Fleets fight for Honour, Private Men shall make War with one another, and Plunder the Goods of the Innocent Merchant.

This is made Lawful from the Iniquity of the Times, and the Custom of War, by which it seems Justifiable by all possible Methods to annoy the Enemy; and whatever may be said in Times of Peace, I never read of any Man that cou’d Argue against it in Times of War.

I shall enter no farther into this Debate. This Paper shall Embroil no Parties, nor Commence Disputes; and they that like it the less on that score, give me some reason to doubt their Cause requires them to be out of Love with Impartiality and Truth.

’Tis not a Question to me, whether we may justly assist the Camisars of the Cevennois; But ’tis a great Question to me how it should be done, tho’ all the Confederates should joyn in the Attempt.

Nay, so difficult it is to come at them, that it makes me very much Question the Truth of all the Great things we have heard from thence; because I know very well the Impossibility of any Accounts coming, but such as the French please to let pass.

We know that some Gentlemen, whose Zeal Surmounted their Discretion, Fatally Attempted, tho’ single and disguised, to pass thro’ France, and to joyn themselves to them, but found the Passes so well Guarded, and all People so strictly Searched and Examined, that they serv’d at last but as a Terrible Warning to others to avoid their Fate, and to lay aside the thought of it, as Impossible; for of three particular Gentlemen, who went from hence, two finish’d their Enterprize in the Horrid Execution of the Wheel, and the Third, attempting in vain to go on, came back to bring us an Account of it.

Mercure Scandale:
O R,
ADVICE from the Scandalous CLUB.

TWo Gentlemen falling out about the Publick News, had almost made a Duel of it, but to prevent Bloodshed, the Quarrel dwindled into a Wager; one laid that there was such a place as the Circle of Frankfort, and the other laid him Twenty Guineas to five, there was not.

And they agreed to Decide the Controversy before the Club; the Society thought it was but just, that he that advanc’d the Affirmative, should be put upon the Proof, according to the Laudable Custom of the Logick-Mongers; and so ask’d the Gentleman if he had any Authorities to make good his Opinion; he [68] told them readily he had: and being himself but meanly skill’d in Geography, and still worse in Authors, he told them he had one of unquestioned Reputation to justify it, and thereupon pulls out the Daily Courant. March 29. where he read as follows.

Deputies are sent by the Elector of Mentz to the Assembly of the States of the Circle of Frankfort.

The Club told him, he ought to produce better Authorities; for that by the Constitution of the Empire, in which they show’d him the Names of all the Circles, no such thing was to be found: so they gave the Wager against him.

The Gentleman in a great Passion demanded Justice against the Author of the Courant, for Imposing upon him. The Society told him, they own’d he ought to have some Satisfaction; but at last considering that most of the Folly is owing to those who will depend upon what such People write, they left him to take his Course at Law, if he thought fit.

The Author of this Paper was oblig’d to come before the Club himself, for false News, a thing he had promis’d to himself to be very careful in; for informing the World in his last Paper, that the Author of the London Post had submitted to Censure, and promis’d to revise his Papers and correct his Errors.

He acknowledg’d he was to blame to take a News-writer’s Word for any thing, and enagag’d never to believe any of ’em more.

An honest Country Fellow made a Complaint to the Club, that he had been set in the Stocks by the Justice of the Peace without any manner of Reason.

The Society told him they had no Power to redress him, but he must take his Remedy at Law; but telling them, he was a Poor Man, and could not do that, and importuning their Assistance, they demanded him to relate the Particulars.

He told them he happened to get a little Drunk one Night, at a Fair, and being somewhat Quarrelsome, had beaten a Man in his Neighbourhood, broke his Windows, and two or three such odd Tricks.

Well, Friend, said the Director of the Society, and was it for this that the Justice set you in the Stocks? Yes, Sir, Reply’d the Man: And don’t you think you deserv’d it, said the Director: Why yes, Sir, says the Honest Man: I had deserv’d it from you, if your Worship had been Justice; but I did not deserve it from Sir Edward – for it was not above a Month before, that he was so Drunk, he fell into our Mill-Pond, and if I had not lug’d him out, he had been Drownded.

The Society told him he was a Knave, and then Voted that the Justice had done him no wrong in setting him in the Stocks – But that he had done the Nation wrong when he pull’d him out of the Pond; and caus’d it to be Entered in their Books, That Sir Edward – was but an indifferent Justice of the Peace.

ADvertisements are taken in by J. Matthews, in Pilkington-Court in Little Britain.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S.
Books Printed and Sold by Jeffery Wale, at the Angel in St. Paul’s-Church-Yard.

VIRI Cl. Andrea Tacqueti Elementa Geometria à Guil. Whiston. 8vo.– Geo. Baglivi Praxis Medica, ad priscam observandi rationem revocanda, Libri duo. 8vo. – Epigrammatum Delectus ex omnibus tum Veteribus tum Recentioribus, accuratè decerptus; quibus hâc sextâ Editione subjungitur alterius Delectûs Specimen ex nuperis maximè Poetis ab electoribus pratermissis. In usum Schola Ætonensis. 12º.

Now in the Press.

CAssandra: (but I hope not) Telling what will come of it. Part I. In Answer to the Occasional Letter: Numb. I. Wherein the New Associations, &c. are considered.

+++ A Doctor in Physick Cures all the Degrees and Indispositions in Venereal Persons, by a most easie, safe, and expeditious Method; and of whom any Person may have Advice, and a perfect Cure, let his or her Disease be of the longest Date: He likewise gives his Advice in all Diseases, and prescribes a Cure. Dr. HARBOROUGH, (a Graduate Physician) in Great Knight-Riders-street, near Doctors Commons.

MDCCIV.

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