20.1. The French kings oration before an honourable assemblie at Paris.This speach of the kings dooth wholie concerne the emperor and fauoureth of displeasure

The French kings oration before an honourable assemblie at Paris.This speach of the kings dooth wholie concerne the emperor and fauoureth of displeasure

Compare 1577 edition: 1 _MY lord ambassadors, it hath gréeued me, and dooth gréeue me, that I haue béene constreined to handle you not so courte|ouslie and gratiouslie as for the good and EEBO page image 903 honourable behauiour, which you haue shewed in doo|ing your dutie being here with me, you haue deser|ued at my hands, sith I must néeds saie, yée haue ac|quit your selfe in euerie behalfe, as well to the honor of your maister, as good contentation of each man else, so that I am assured the fault resteth not in you, whie things haue not come to better end and purpose than they haue doone, for the good zeale and affection, which I haue euer prooued in you to the aduance|ment of peace and quieting of things, wherein I doubt not but you haue doone your duetie to the full.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 But being informed what your maister the elect emperor, against all right and law, as well diuine as humane, had commanded to be doone vnto my am|bassadors, and likewise to the other of the league re|maining with him, for the furtherance of things to|ward a peace, and contrarie to all good customs, which hitherto haue béene obserued betwixt princes, not onelie christians, but also infidels, me thought I could not otherwise doo, for the behoofe of mine owne ambassadours,What induced the French king to vse some discour|tesie against the emperors ambassadors. arrested and against reason kept in ward, but to doo the same to you, although I had no mind to vse you euill, for the reasons aboue said, for the which, and for the dutie you haue shewed in dooing that apperteined, I assure you my lord ambassador, that beside that I doubt not but your maister will recompense you for the same, yée may be assured that where particularlie in anie thing I may plea|sure you, I will doo it with as good a will as you can require me.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 And to make answer to that which your maister by word of mouth hath said vnto Guien and Cla|renceaux kings of armes of the king my good bro|ther and perpetuall and best alie,The king an|swereth the emperours words vtte|red to Guien his herald. and of me vpon the intimation of the warre which hath beene made by vs, consisting in eight points, I will that each one vnderstand it. First, as to the which he saith he mar|uelleth that he hauing me a prisoner by iust warre, and hauing also my faith, I should defie him, and that in reason I neither may nor ought to doo it; I answer thereto, that if I were his prisoner here, and that he had my faith, he had spoken true: but I know not that the emperor hath euer at anie time had my faith, that may in anie wise auaile him. For first in what warre so euer I haue béene, I know not that I haue either séene him or encountred with him.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 When I was prisoner, garded with foure or fiue hundred harquebuzers,The French K. saith that constraint and necessitie made him tractable to the emperor. sicke in my bed, and in dan|ger of death, it was an easie matter to constreine me, but not verie honorable to him that should doo it: and after that I returned into France, I know not anie that hath had power to compell me to it: and to doo it willinglie without constraint, it is a thing which I waie more, than so lightlie to bind my selfe thereto. And bicause I will not that my honor come in disputation, although I know well that euerie man of warre knoweth sufficientlie, that a prisoner garded is not bound to anie faith, nor can bind him|selfe thereto in anie thing: I doo neuerthelesse send to your master this writing signed with mine owne hand, the which my lord ambassadour I praie you read, and afterwards promise me to deliuer it vnto your master, and not to anie other. And herewith the king caused it to be deliuered to the said ambassador by master Iohn Robertet, one of the secretaries of the estate, and of his chamber.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 The empe|rors ambassa|dor refuseth to read the French kings letters sent to his soue|reigne.The ambassador tooke the writing in his hand, and after excused himselfe to the king, saieng: That as to him, by the letter which his master & souereigne lord had written vnto him now lastlie, his commis|sion was alreadie expired, and that he had no further commandement nor instructions from his maiestie, but to take leaue of the king with as much spéed as he might, and to returne home. Which he most hum|blie besought him to permit him to doo, without fur|ther charge or commission, although he knew that he was at his commanddement, and that he might at his pleasure constreine him, as seemed to him good. Herevnto the king answered; My lord am|bassador, sith you will not take vpon you to read this writing, I will cause it to be read in this companie, to the end that euerie one may vnderstand and know that I am cleered in that, whereof against trueth he goeth about to accuse me.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 Beside that, if you afterwards will not beare it,The French king deliuer|eth his mind with a corage, as vtter eni|mie to the em|perour. & deliuer it to him, I will send one of my heralds here present to go in companie with you: for whom you shall procure a good & auailable safe conduct, that he maie passe vnto your master, protesting & demand|ing, that an act maie be registred before this compa|nie, that if he will not it should come to his know|ledge, that I am discharged, in that I doo my best to cause him to vnderstand it accordinglie as I ought to doo, and in such sort as he can not pretend cause of ignorance. ¶After the king had ended these words, he called to him the said Robertet, and commanded him to reade the said writing with a lowd voice, which was doone word for word.

20.2. The copie of the said writing di|rected to the emperour.

The copie of the said writing di|rected to the emperour.

Compare 1577 edition: 1 2 _WE Francis, by the grace of God, king of France, lord of Genes, &c. To you Charles, by the same grace, chosen emperour of Rome, and king of Spaine. We doo you to wit, that being aduertised, that in all the an|swers that you haue made to our ambas|sadors and heraulds, sent to you for the e|stablishing of peace, in excusing your selfe, without all reason you haue accused vs, saieng, that we haue plight you our faith, and that therevpon (besides our promise) we departed out of your hands and power. In defense of our honour,The French kings allega|tions in de|fense of his honor charged with vntruth. which hereby might be burthened too much against all truth, we thought good to send you this writing; by which we giue you to vnder|stand, that notwithstanding that no man being in ward is bound to keepe faith, and that the same might be a sufficient excuse for vs: yet for the satisfieng of all men, and our said honor (which we mind to keepe, and will keepe, if it please God, vnto the death) that if ye haue charged, or will charge vs, not onelie with our said faith, and deliuerance, but that euer we did anie thing that became not a gentleman that had respect to his honor; that ye lie falslie in your throat: and as oft as ye saie it,The French king giueth the emperor the lie: sée Guic. pag 10 [...] ye lie: and we determine to defend our ho|nor to the vttermost drop of our bloud. Wherefore, seeing ye haue charged vs a|gainst all truth, write no more to vs here|after: but appoint vs the field, and we will bring you the weapons. Protesting, that if after this declaration ye write into anie place, or vse anie words against our honor, that the shame of the delaie of the combat shall light on you, seeing that the offering of combat is the end of all wri|ting. Made at our good towne and citie of Paris, the eight and twentith daie of EEBO page image 904 March. In the yere of our Lord, one thou|sand fiue hundred twentie and eight, be|fore Easter. Thus signed. Francis.