Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 1.djvu/128

 (Grindal); and after an interview, he wrote the following pithy letter to Bishop Grindal;—

Honoré Seigneur,

Suyvant l’advertisement je vous ay donné touchant les Complaintes de nos Marchans, pour les incommodités qui leur surviennent bien grandes et journellement en leurs traffiques, je vous supplie d'avoir souvenance, és lettres que vous ferez pour la Cour, de points suivans.

Premierement, Leurs Debiteurs font refus de les payer.

Secondement, Leurs Crediteurs ne less veulent supporter, ains les pressent par importunité pour avoir payement.

Tiercement, Quant aux Lettres de Change, ils tombent en reproche et prejudice de leur credit.

Votre humble serviteur, .

The government undertook to except the cargoes belonging to Protestant refugees. And with this view, lists of names were called for. All church members born in Flanders, and in other places under the dominion of the King of Spain, were included in the list. The French list, dated January 1569, was signed by Jean Cousin, Antoine de Pouchel and Pierre Chastelain, pasteurs, and by Michel Chaudron, Gerard de Lobel and others, anciens. (Strype’s Life of Grindal, Book I., chap. 13.)

In 1569 Cousin presided at consistories held about a foreign minister, a Spaniard by birth, but a French preacher by education, known as Corranus, or rather as Antonio Corrano (aliàs Bellerive?) That minister was learned and eloquent, but his piety was brought under suspicion through the reckless and irreverent style of his theological speculations. Cousin would not adopt the idea that instead of making provision for the instruction of the people in definite truths, the church should provide perches, provender, and dormitories for “enquirers;” because to give to a blundering enquirer the salary intended for a teacher would be an abandonment of the souls of the people to perish for lack of knowledge. Corrano’s case came up through his own petition for admission to the London French Church. But his opponents laid on the table a letter, which he admitted to be his own writing, and which contained a series of heterodox statements. He defended himself by pleading that the letter was written by way of questioning, not of affirmation. Cousin replied, “Such kind of questioning is not meet in these times for a minister of God’s church.”

In November 1571 he is entered in the census of strangers as residing in Blackfriars, and as a denizen. Great liberties were taken with the spelling of names in those old lists. In a list for 1568 printed in Strype’s “Annals of Elizabeth,” vol. iv., he and his family are entered as residents in Blackfriars thus:— “Mr Cossyn, Frenchman, minister, and Breugen, his wife, came for religion, with three boys and two wenches, which go to school, and are of the French Church.” In 1571, the enumerator mentions, “John Costen, minister of the French Church, and Burgoniena, his wife, both French borne,” and adds, “He came into this realme about ix. yeares past for religion.” The reader will find still greater liberties taken with the surname if he consults the imprint of the ledger, entitled, “The Spending of the Money” of Robert Nowell:—

“1569. 12 of febr. Geven to John Tawsin, minister to the frenche churche, as apperethe by his acquitance. 53s. 4d.”

“To a poore frenche minister in the p’sence of m$r$ Coosyns the frenche p’chere the the 16$th$ of Novemb$r$ A$o$ 1571. 10s.”

“Too m$r$ Coosynns the frenche preacher the 16$th$ of februarye A° 1573. 10s.”

In May 1578 there is this entry, “Too one m$r$ Coosins wieffe, a poore wyddowe stranger. 2s. 6d.” This may have been the good pasteur’s widow. We may, therefore, conjecture that it was on account of Mr Cousin’s death, that in February 1578 the London Church petitioned the Synod in France that Messieurs De Villiers and De la Fontaine, formerly his volunteer coadjutors, might be settled in London.  

Pierre de l’Oiseleur, chevalier, Seigneur de Villiers, was a native of Lille. He was educated for the law, and practised as an advocate in the parliament of Paris; but, meeting with disabilities and severe handling as a Protestant, he retired to Geneva, probably in the year 1564. He was befriended by Beza, and by his advice he became a