drive into a net, and then knock them on the head +.

* The candid and venerable prefident De Thou expreffes himself thus concerning these innocent and unfortunate perfons: "Homines effe qui tre"centis circiter abhinc annis afperum & incultum "folum vectigale à dominis acceperint, quod im"probo labore & affiduo cultu frugum ferax & "aptum pecori reddiderint; patientiffimos eos "laboris & inediæ, à litibus abhorrentes, erga

《་

egenos munificos, tributa principi & fua jura "dominis fedulò & fumma fide pendere; Dei cul

tum affiduis precibus & morum innocentiam præ "fe ferre, ceterum rarò divorum templa adire, nift

fi quando ad vicina fuis finibus oppida mercandi "aut negotiorum caufa divertant; què fi quando

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que pedem inferant, non dei, divorumque ftatuis "advolvi, nec cereos eis aut donaria ulla ponere ; non facerdotes ab eis rogari ut pro fe, aut propinquorum manibus rem divinam faciant, non << cruce frontem infigniri uti aliorum moris eft: "cùm cœlum intonant non fe luftrali aqua afperfed fublatis in cœlum oculis dei gere, opem implorare; non religionis ergo peregrè proficifci, non per vias antè crucium fimulacra caput ape. "rire; facra alio ritu, & populari lingua cele

brare;

After the death of Francis I. a prince, whom it must be confeffed, was more remarkable for his gallantries and his misfortunes than for his cruelty, the execution of a thousand heretics, and in particular that of Dubourg, a counfellor of the parliament, together with the maffacre of Vafly, made the perfecuted fly to arms. Their fect multiplied in proportion with the fires lighted for them, and the fwords of executioners drawn against them, patience gave way to rage, and they followed the ex

"brare; non denique Pontifici aut Epifcopis ho "norem deferre, fed quofdam è fuo numero de"lectos pro antiftibus & doctoribus habere. Hæe "uti ad Francifcum relata VI." Id. Feb. anni &c.

Madame de Cental, who was proprietor of part of the lands thus laid wafte and drenched in the blood of their quondam inhabitants, applied for redrefs to Henry II. who referred her to the parliament of Paris. The folicitor-general of Provence, whofe name was Guerin, and had been the principal author of thefe maffacres, was condemned to lofe his head; and was the only one who fuffered on this occafion, the punishment due to the other accomplices in his guilt; becaufe, fays De Thou, aulicorum favore deftitueretur, he had not friends at

court.

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ample

ample of their enemies in cruelty. Nine civil wars filled France with carnage; and a peace, more fatal than war itself, produced the day of St. Bartholomew, which stands without example in the annals of crimes.

Henry III. and Henry IV. fell victims to the league; the one by the hand of a Dominican friar, and the other by that of a monster who had been a brother of the Mendicant order. There are who pretend, that humanity, indulgence, and liberty of confcience, are horrible things; I would afk fuch persons serioufly, if they could have produced calamities comparable to those I have just related?

CHAP.

CHA P. IV.

Whether TOLERATION, is dangerous; and among what Nations it is practifed..

OME people will have it, that if we were

SOME

to make use of humanity and indulgence towards our mistaken brethren who pray to God in bad French, it would be putting arms into their hands, and we should see revived the bloody days of Jarnac, Moncontour, Coutras, Dreux, St. Denis, &c. I know not how this may be, as I have not the gift of prophecy; but I really cannot discover the congruity of this reasoning, "That because these men took up arms against "me when I oppreffed them, they will do the "fame if I fhew them favour."

And here I would willingly take the liberty to intreat those who have the reins of government in hand, or are deftined to fill the higheft ftations, for once to examine maturely, whether there is any reason to apprehend, that indulgence would occafion the fame rebellions as cruelty and oppreffion; and whether, what has happened under certain circumstances, would happen under others of a different nature; or

whether

whether times, opinions, and manners are always the fame ?

The Hugonots, it cannot be denied, have formerly given into all the rage of enthufiafm, and have been polluted with blood as well as ourfelves but can it be faid, that the prefent generation is as barbarous as the former? Have not time and reason, that have lately made fo great progrefs, together with good books, and that natural foftnefs introduced from fociety, found their way among those who have the guidance of these people? And do we not clearly perceive that almost all Europe has undergone a change within the laft century?

The hands of government have every where been ftrengthened, while the minds of the people have been softened and civilized; the general police, supported by numerous standing armies, leave us no longer any caufe to fear the return of thofe times of anarchy, when proteftant boors and catholic peasants were haftily called together from the labours of agriculture, to wield the fword against each others lives.

Alia tempora, alia cura. It would be highly abfurd in the present days to decimate the

body