Crudelitas Gallica

PARLIAMENT OF ROUEN.

Here the edict is recited against the ministers and others who have come from Geneva and other places, in whom a doctrine is taught for the Christian religion other than that which has been approved by the Roman Church: they preach in indecent attire, in places both public and private, sacred and profane, and in woods; they exercise the office of ministers of the word of God and of the sacraments of the Church, contrary to the custom of the Christian Church, and they ensure, both by themselves and through others, their supporters and followers, that many people in said prefectures of every sex, kind, and order, to the number of more than three thousand, are present at their sermons: some also are present, prepared and instructed with arms and weapons both for the purpose of offending and defending, with which they snatched from the hands of certain bailiffs some people apprehended for the sake of their doctrine, who were being led into prisons, neglecting the authority of the Civil Magistrate, and teaching the people that the Magistrate MUST NOT be obeyed, unless insofar as his commands are consistent with the Gospel. For these reasons, it pleased the Senate to decree all such Preachers, Ministers, Deacons, and Observers (who after this time are either detected preaching, or are convicted of having held sermons in the territory of Normandy, or against whom the laying on of hands has been decreed) as enemies of the King and the Republic, and as such, it proscribed them,

...to be preachers, along with those they call Ministers, Deacons, and Observers, who have come partly from Geneva, partly from other places, in which a doctrine is taught for the Christian religion other than that which has been approved by the Roman Church: they preach in indecent attire, in places both public and private, sacred and profane, and in the woods; they exercise the office of ministers of the word of God and of the sacraments of the Church, contrary to the custom of the Christian Church, and they ensure, both by themselves and through other supporters and followers, that many people in said prefectures of every sex, kind, and order, to the number of more than three thousand, are present at their sermons: some also are present, prepared and instructed with arms and weapons both for the purpose of offending and defending, * with which they snatched from the hands of certain bailiffs some people apprehended for the sake of their doctrine, who were being led into prisons, † neglecting the authority of the Civil Magistrate, and teaching the people that the Magistrate MUST NOT be obeyed, unless insofar as his commands are consistent with the Gospel. For these reasons, it pleased the Senate to decree all such Preachers, Ministers, Deacons, and Observers (who after this time are either detected preaching, or are convicted of having held sermons in the territory of Normandy, or against whom the laying on of hands has been decreed) † as enemies of the King and the Republic, and as such, it proscribed them,

† One city is named, so that a distraction may be made for the rest, since there is one religion of the Churches of France and Germany, contrary to the Papistic and King-Cardinalistic Tyranny, as is clear from the confession.

† No one carried arms against the Magistrate, but against the highwaymen whose hands this Senate Decree arms against all Divine and human laws, against most innocent men, neither ever heard, nor even convicted.

• If any resisted the Magistrate, the Church, which does not approve of this deed at all, as is clear from the published confession, should not bear the blame, but the madness of those who surpassed the patience of certain pious men.

† If it is the crime of treason to teach that God must be obeyed rather than men, as often as the Edicts of men are impious and blasphemous, what prevents Christ from having been rightly crucified, and the Martyrs rightly killed?

† Of what kind are the enemies of the Royal Majesty and the Republic, whom they