Chap. HL 7e HISTORY of the PURITANS. 513 appeared, by a If annexed to their petition, that there were no lefs than K.,Chartes L fifty-nine of the nobility and gentry of that religion then in the corn- Iern mifiron. But the king not only connived at the Roman catholicks at home, but King eontri- unhappily contributed to the ruin of the proteftant religion abroad.. Car- butes to the dinal Richlieu having formed a defrgn to extirpate the hugonots of France, ic elf by fecuring all their places of flrength, laid liege to Roche?, a fea-port town with a good harbour, and a number of (hips fufficient for its de- fence. Richlieu taking advantage of the king's late match with France, lent to borrow (even or Eight fhips, to be employedas the king of France fhould dire t, who appointed them to block up the harbour of Rochel; but when the honeft tailors were told where they were going, they declared they would rather be thrown over-board, or hanged upon the'top of the malts, than fight againft their proteflant brethren. Notwithftanding ad- miral Pennington and the French officers ufed all their rhetorick to per - fuade them, they remained inflexible. The admiral therefore acquainted the king, who fent him a warrant to the followingeffet : " That he fhould " ° confign his own (hip immediately into the hands of the French admi- fe ral, with all her equipage, artillery, &c. and require the other feven " to put themfelves into the fervice of our dear brother the Frenchking; " and in cafe of backwardnefs or refufal, we command you to ufe all " forcible means, even to their finking." In purfuance of this warrant, the (hips were delivered into the hands of the French, but all the Englifb failors and officers deferted except two. The French having got the (hips and artillery, quickly manned them with failors of their own religion, and joining the reft of the French fleet, they blocked up the harbour, deftroyed the littlefleet of the Rochellers, and cut off their communication by tea with their proteftant friends, by whichmeans they were reduced to 61l the hardships of a molt dreadful famine; and after a long blockade both by lea and land, were forced to furrender the chief bulwarkofthe proteftant intereft in France, into the hands of the papifts. To return to the parliament; it has been remembered, that Mr. RichardMr. Monta- g a clergyman, and one of the king's chaplains, publifhed a book t ue cited be. in the year r 623. entitled a newgagfor an old goo/e, in anfwer to a po- ñ° »r he con- Oh book entitled a gag for the new gofpel. The book containing fun - rtufhw. dry propofrtions tending to the publick difturbance, was complained of Vol. I. in the houle of commons, who after having examined the author at their p' '73 bar, referred him to the archbifhop of Canterbury, who di(milfed him, with an exprefs prohibition to write no more about fuch matters. But Montague being encouraged from court, went on and publifhed an appeal to Ceo/ar, defigning it for king yames, but he being dead before it was ready, it was dedicated to king Charles; and recommended at firft by VOL. I. U u u feveral
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=