Page:Protestant Exiles from France Agnew vol 1.djvu/35

 assignes during our pleasure. The same to begynn ymediatlye from the feast of the birth of our Lord God last past out of the Treasure of us our heires and successors, remaining in the Exchequer of us our heires and successors by the hands of the Treasurer and Chamberlain of us our heires and successors there for the tyme being. The same to be paide at the fower usuall tearmes of the yeare, That is to saie, at the feastes of the annunciation of the blessed Virgin Marie, the Nativitie of Saint John Baptist, Saint Michaell the Archangel, and the birth of our Lord God, by even portions, although expresse mention, &c.

“Witnes our selfe at Westm : the Nynteenth day of Januarye [1611?] Per Breve de private sigillo,” &c.

King James divided the Scottish Church into two parties, viz., Conformitanes to government by prelates, and “Nonconformitanes,” i.e., stedfast Presbyterians. Near the end of his reign there was an opportunity for a generous rivalry between those parties. I quote from Calderwood’s History:— “1622. About this time there was a collection through the countrie for the Kirk of France. It began in Edinburgh upon the twelf and endit upon the twentie-sixt of Februar. The Nonconformitanes exceedit all others verie farre in their liberalitie. The servants maids and boyes were not behind for their part, for they contributed foure thousand merks. The summe of the whole amounted to threttie or threttie-five thousand merks. The ministers were forced to confesse that the Nonconformitanes were the honestest men in their fiockes.”

 

Huguenots, both at home and in exile, felt a fraternal interest in the troubles of Great Britain. The very soil of England was dear to them. And even King Charles I., though his education, his tendencies, and his connections might alarm them, succeeded to all the loyalty and devotion which the refugees in England felt for former rulers of their adopted country.

The French Protestants never ceased to love and admire their “sovereign lord, King Henry of Navarre;” and they were personally attached to his son and grandson, Louis XIII. and XIV. They never extended to their kings their rage against priestly persecutors and Popish mobs. In 1625 Charles I., by his marriage with their Princess, or “Madame,” Henriette Marie, became the son-in-law of their lamented King Henri, and thus a brother to Louis XIII. It cannot be denied that, soon after this matrimonial alliance, an English expedition had set out against the Huguenots, which, happily, did nothing. This deed was atoned for by the armament of 1627, which (although it also effected nothing) produced an impression that King Charles was doing his best to succour La Rochelle at the time of its memorable siege, and was thus personally deserving of the gratitude of the Huguenots. He had also propitiated the refugees in the year 1626 (23d Nov.) by an order addressed to all officers of the executive government which, reciting the honourable reception and substantial bounties accorded to British subjects and their children beyond the seas, required that the members of the Foreign Churches and their children should be maintained in the peaceable enjoyment of all the immunities which they held from His Majesty's predecessors.

The French Protestants were quite disposed to take the Royalist view of English affairs, as far as their feelings were concerned. If the King of England had cordially held the essentials of Bible Protestantism, and had promoted tolerant proceedings towards all Protestant churches, the Huguenots would never have complained of his blustering adherence to his prelatical and sacerdotal predilections. His complicity with Archbishop Laud brought him into collision with the French Protestants. English Church history, and especially the recorded experience of Archbishop 