Page:Memoirs of a Huguenot Family.djvu/516

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MEMOIRS OF A HUGUENOT FAMILY.

pied our thoughts, from the time of our succeeding to the Crown. We now behold, with due gratitude to God for it, that our exertions have accomplished what we proposed, since the greater part of our subjects of the said pretended Reformed religion have embraced the Catholic, and inasmuch as on this account the execution of the Edict of Nantes, and every thing else ordered in favor of the pretended Reformed religion becomes useless, we have resolved that we can do nothing better, with the view of destroying all memory of the past troubles, confusion and evils caused by the progress of this false religion in our Kingdom, which gave rise to this, and so many other preceding and subsequent Edicts and Proclamations, than to revoke entirely the said Edict of Nantes, and the secret articles granted after it, and all done since in favor of said religion.

1. Be it known, that for these causes, and others by which we are influenced, of our own certain knowledge, full power and Royal authority, we have by this perpetual and irrevocable decree repealed and revoked and we do repeal and revoke the Edict of the King our said Grandsire, given at Nantes in the month of April, 1598, to its full extent, together with the private articles issued on the 2d May following, and the Letters Patent executed upon them, and the Edict given at Nimes, in the month of July, 1629. We declare them all null and void, together with all other concessions proceeding from these or other Edicts, Proclamations and Decrees to the people of the pretended Reformed religion, of any kind whatsoever, which shall all be as though they never had any existence, and consequently, it is our will and pleasure, that all places of worship belonging to those of the said pretended Reformed religion, situated within our Kingdom, Countries, Lands and Manors under our government, be demolished forthwith.

2. We forbid our said subjects of the pretended Reformed religion to assemble themselves together for religious exercises in any place or private house, under any pretext whatsoever, the same in bailiwicks and otherwise, even if the said exercises may have been sustained by decrees of our Council.

3. We likewise forbid all Lords of the Manor, of whatever rank they may be, to hold religious exercises in their houses or within their fiefs, be the fiefs what kind they may, under penalty to all our said subjects who take part in said exercises, of confiscation and imprisonment.

4. We enjoin all Ministers of the said pretended Reformed re-