Page:Readings in European History Vol 2.djvu/221

 The Catholic Reformation 183 arouse the just indignation of many others, who reckoned that this fury of the people would cost the king and France many a sorrowful day, Francois de Montmorency, who was nearly related to the dead man, and still more his friend, and who moreover had escaped the danger in time, had him taken by night from the gibbet by trusty men and car- ried to Chantilly, where he was buried in the chapel. The edict of Henry IV " for the pacification of the 287. Ex- troubles in his realms," commonly called the Edict of SSwfi"" Nantes, is dated from that town, April, 1598. It is very of Nantes voluminous, containing as it does ninety-two articles in I59 the main body of the edict, and fifty-six additional arti- cles, designed to reassure the Huguenots. A few only of its more important provisions are given below. Henry, by the grace of God ki?ig of France and of Navarre, to all to whom these presents come, greeting : Among the infinite benefits which it has pleased God to heap upon us, the most signal and precious is his granting us the strength and ability to withstand the fearful dis- orders and troubles which prevailed on our advent in this kingdom. The realm was so torn by innumerable factions and sects that the most legitimate of all the parties was fewest in numbers. God has given us strength to stand out against this storm; we have finally surmounted the waves and made our port of safety, — peace for our state. For which his be the glory all in all, and ours a free recognition of his grace in making use of our instrumentality in the good work. . . . We implore and await from the Divine Goodness the same protection and favor which he has ever granted to this kingdom from the beginning. . . . We have, by this perpetual and irrevocable edict, estab- lished and proclaimed and do establish and proclaim : I. First, that the recollection of everything done by one General party or the other between March, 1585, and our accession amnesty- to the crown, and during all the preceding period of