Protestant Exiles from France/Volume 2 - Book Third - Chapter 10 - Section VI
VI. Rev. James Pineton De Chambrun.
This Divine, a nobleman by birth, signed himself De Chambrun. The oldest families in France preferred to sign with their ancient surnames, rather than with their territorial titles. I would, however, have had no doubt that in this case the surname was Pineton, were it not that in the codicil of this Monsieur De Chambrun’s will, registered at Doctors’ Commons, he is styled “Master James De Chambrun, Sieur de Pineton.”
His grandfather received ordination at the hands of Calvin, and was Pasteur of Nismes from 1562 to 1601. He published, in 1584, a quarto volume, dedicated to King Henry of Navarre, in reply to Jan Hay, a Jesuit’s, calumnies on Calvin and the Reformation. It is said of this Jacques Pineton de Chambrun that, representing an ancient and noble family, he renounced the world that he might receive from Calvin the modest but glorious title of a minister of Christ. In 1609 his son, of the same name and title, and the father of the refugee, was ordained to the new charge of fourth Pastor of Nismes, and continued in that town till 1620, when he was translated to Orange, where he served the Reformed Church till his death in 1658.
The refugee Jacques was born at Orange in 1637. His divinity studies were carried on at Saumur, his connection with which is kept in memory in the volume containing the best academic disputations held in that university, where the thesis “De Libertate Christiana” is debated, respondente Jacobo Pineton A. Chambruno. At the age of twenty-one he succeeded his father as pasteur of Orange. He acquired great reputation as a minister, a professor of theology, a controversialist, and an influential gentleman, but amidst continual turmoil and tribulation until the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. Louis XIV., although not the sovereign of Orange, never scrupled to invade and occupy the little principality, if it pleased him so to do, and scrupled still less, when his persecuted Protestants sought an asylum there. In 1685 worshippers whose churches had been demolished, parents with children for baptism, and fugitives from oppression crowded the streets and the highways, and even the fields and woods of Orange. At length a representation was sent to the Prince of Orange as to the offence given to the French government by this refuge for contumacious French subjects, and also a warning that a military occupation of the principality of Orange on the part of France as a necessary precaution must be expected. The Prince was powerless to prevent the execution of this threat, and concluded a truce, by which eight days were allowed for the strangers to return to their homes. This truce the French broke, and precipitately surrounded the city, and quartered the dragoons and other soldiery upon it. The churches were demolished. Four Protestant ministers were thrown into prison. As for De Chambrun, he had for some time been confined to bed; to his chronic malady, gout, there had been added the pain arising from a fracture of the left thigh, and from a severe strain upon the sinews of the leg, so that, from want of sleep, he was in a state of pitiable debility and emaciation. He was, therefore, put under arrest, two dragoons keeping guard — one at his bedside, and the other at the street door. On the afternoon of his arrival the Comte de Tesse paid him a visit, admired his elegant mansion and furniture and fine library, recognised him as one of the noblesse, and blandly exhorted him as to religion to obey the king. He replied that his rulers were God and the Prince of Orange. The Count then entrapped him into a brief disputation with his tolerant neighbour, the Bishop of Orange; but the Protestant divine having the best of it, De Tessé asserted that the King of France had set his heart on making him a Catholic, and gave him a carte blanche to ask any favour at his Majesty’s hands. De Chambrun replied, that his Majesty could have no such high thoughts about a poor minister, but that he would so far identify himself with the Protestant ministers of France, as to ask, that like them, he might have a passport to retire into Holland. De Tessé answered that it would be politically dangerous to send him to be a councillor of the Prince of Orange. He then dropped his polite tone, and demanded obedience with threats of violence. Upon De Chambrun protesting that he would not dare to maltreat such an invalid and sufferer, the French Count departed in a rage. In less than two hours, the dragoons were quartered on him, who tormented him day and night, until he became so utterly insensible, that he was believed to be dead. De Tesse, alarmed lest the king should reproach and disgrace him for having gone too far, withdrew the dragoons from his house, and ordered a litter to be prepared to carry him to Pierre-Cise. The next day as he was carried off, crowds lined the streets and the road to the distance of half a league; every one expressed the deepest commiseration; and even De Tessé relented so far that he changed his destination to St. Esprit, which was a nearer and less dreadful prison than Pierre-Cise. The Governor of St. Esprit was a relation of Madame De Chambrun, and a brother of the Marquis de Montanègues. He lodged his prisoner in a private house, where he was attended by the companions of his journey, John Convenent, his nephew, and two valets, and latterly by his noble wife, who before the expiry of twenty days had been allowed to join him. At the expiry of that time he was removed to Valence; and with regard to his suite it must be recorded, in case the favour thus showed him might be over-rated by readers, that De Chambrun had to pay all the expenses of this involuntary journey. On arriving at their second halting-place, the violent attempts for his conversion were renewed, the Bishop of Valence being very vain, and ambitious of the fame of making such a proselyte. The practised attendants were withdrawn, and dragoons and archers were substituted to attend to his bandages and other surgical appliances. Under the excruciating agony which such cruel hands occasioned he felt as if he was going mad, and half unconsciously he cried out, Then I will reunite myself (Eh bien! je me reunirai). This phrase which was in those times employed to mean, “I will become a Roman Catholic,” was at once reported to the Bishop. With intense exultation he visited De Chambrun, to whom his own attendants had immediately been restored. The patient, however, protested that nothing but bodily pain had brought the magic words to his lips, and refused to sign a written recantation. Yet an express was sent to Paris announcing the conversion of Monsieur Pineton De Chambrun, and the Bishop received congratulatory letters from the Archbishop of Paris, Father La Chaise, and the Marquis of Louvois. The Bishop could not stultify himself by contradicting his own official report; he had, therefore, to wink at the pertinacity of De Chambrun, whom he removed to Romeyer, near Die, still retaining him within his own diocese. From February to July 1686 the prisoner remained here, till some symptoms giving a colour to his declaration that he required a surgical operation, he petitioned that he might be conveyed to Lyons. The Bishop said, Receive the sacrament in the first place. De Chambrun having replied, Your lordship will not be much longer annoyed by me, as I shall probably die under the surgeon’s knife, the Bishop exclaimed, “What will the king say to me, if I don’t make my reputed convert perform his duties? — Sir, your own ministers at Die have conformed. Would you be the only Huguenot in France.” Such eloquence was thrown away, and the Bishop could not inflict any open severities without robbing himself of the fame of a converter. The journey was therefore allowed, and on the 6th August De Chambrun had a consultation with a surgeon at Lyons. He saw that the inn was not a favourable starting-point for his projected flight into Switzerland; he therefore removed to a trusty friend’s house, and resorted to the artifice of employing the Archbishop of Lyons’ physician. Him and the surgeon he kept at bay till the beginning of September, when all was arranged for his escape. A friend cleverly executed his plans. A carriage was bought; two servants were hired in addition to his own two valets, and the four were put into handsome liveries. He himself was to be attired as an officer of state of the first rank, with a richly trimmed suit, a Venetian cravat, and a large wig. The carriage, containing himself and his nephew, with the two valets outside, started from his own door on Sunday evening, the Sth September 1686. They mixed with the other vehicles and equipages, and crossed the Bridge of the Rhone without being recognised, his friend nodding him a farewell, and thus giving the preconcerted signal that it was “all right.” They overtook the other two servants, who were on horseback as his escort, and the cortege travelled rapidly forward. One acted as an outrider, to secure immediate changes of horses, and to represent that “his lordship” travelled on pressing business. Innkeepers and postillions, being liberally paid, promoted despatch. At Beauvoisin, the outrider and the innkeeper had an altercation, and the former (when the carriage came up) was heard to exclaim, “My Lord pays handsomely, horses must be had at any price.” Hurrying towards the carriage-door, he apologised to “my lord” for the delay, no horses being there. The traveller pretended great indignation against the innkeeper for hindering the service of the king. He was humbly requested to alight and take a little rest in the house, but he roughly refused, alleging that he must proceed without loss of time. In fact, he was tightly strapped to the back of his carriage, that his debility might not be noticed. The villagers were now in groups all around, wondering what great personage he might be. It was early in the morning of Monday. He ordered some refreshment, and partook of it in the carriage. Thereafter he desired the landlord to serve wine to the bystanders, that they might drink the king’s health. After two hours’ delay, horses were obtained. And now the bridge was to be passed, where a dozen dragoons kept guard, but the rumour of “my lord” had reached them, and it being represented by the outrider that his master was a great officer travelling express, he crossed without interruption, the guard filing on each side and saluting.
He had now passed the French frontier; but there was still a guarded post on the great road across the Alps, and which the Duke of Savoy, then in alliance with France, maintained expressly to hinder the retreat of fugitive Protestants. Here the postillion informed him that the guards (seven in number) had placed themselves in a position to stop the way. He ordered him to dash through them. But a musket was pointed to the horses, and a soldier with a drawn sword came up to the carriage-door. To the question, “Why he dared to stop his carriage?” the soldier replied, that he had orders to let no person proceed without a passport. “How, sir?” cried De Chambrun, “do not I carry it upon my countenance? Is it thus that you retard the king’s service? When I arrive at Chambery I will have you put in prison.” The soldier saluted and began a cautious apology, which made De Chambrun redouble his threats. He asked the man, “Who and where is your officer?” “His name,” replied the soldier, “is Favier, and he is in yonder enclosure, eating grapes.” “He deserves,” exclaimed De Chambrun, “to be imprisoned for not being at his post. Let him be called, that I may speak to him.” He was accordingly summoned, and perhaps informed of the lordly envoy’s menace. He contented himself with calling to the guard, “Let my Lord pass.”
The cavalcade started with renewed speed and reached Chambery. After waiting to effect a trifling repair on the carriage, they went on safely, and the mountainous part of the journey was accomplished, not without agitating fears on the part of the fugitive that he might yet be overtaken by a government express. Having gained the bridge of the Arve, his heart was relieved, and at six o’clock on Tuesday morning, he drove through one of the gates of Geneva.
As his horses made the final halt in the inn-yard, the carriage broke down. His arrival was soon known; crowds of hospitable people congratulated him, among whom were the great Francis Turretin and the other pastors of Geneva. He met them with joy, but with deep humiliation and many tears, for his verbal recantation pressed heavily on his conscience. For this reason he gave to the book which he published concerning the Bourbon Persecution the title of “Les Larmes de Jacques Pineton de Chambrun,” alluding to the bitter tears of the Apostle Peter, whose case he took as the text of a sermon on the same Protestant and personal history. The sermon was published with the title, “Le Retablissement de Saint Pierre en son Apostolat.”
In Geneva De Chambrun insisted on confessing publicly his alleged abjuration, and on receiving a consistorial rebuke before partaking of the Lord’s Supper; he was also formally restored to the office of the ministry by an assembly of French refugee ministers, solely on account of his own request.
I have reserved for a continuous paragraph some memoirs of Madame de Chambrun, who is also upon our list of refugees. This lady was Louise, daughter of Monsieur De Chavanon of Orange; she had the additional surname or title of Perrot or De Perote. When the dragoons were molesting and torturing her husband, she continued in charge of his house, in spite of foul language constantly addressed to her, to watch opportunities for succouring him; but on his enforced farewell to Orange, she by his advice fled to her father’s house, where she hid herself. She was dragged from her hiding-place, and ordered to wait upon the dragoons in De Chambrun’s house. A friendly monk sent a messenger, who told De Tessé that she had done her duty. This was true morally and in words, but it was an imposition upon De Tessé, who interpreted it to mean that she had become a Catholic, the phrase, Elle a fait son devoir, having this meaning in the laws of France as to religion. This enabled her to go to her husband at St. Esprit, the dragoons being withdrawn, and herself set at liberty. She was with him until his memorable start of Lyons, when she immediately stole away into another house which he had taken for her. While a scheme was being arranged for smuggling her into Switzerland, the fact of her being in Lyons was reported, and an inquisitorial search was made for her, which she eluded by hiding among a pile of firewood. De Chambrun hired and paid some guides, with whom she and three other ladies left Lyons one night, but after a two hours’ walk the guides deserted them. Pursued by the military, and haunted by informers, they during nine successive wintry nights continued their walk through mountain paths, ice, and snow, and found themselves at the gate of Geneva on the 31st December 1686, the ladies ascribing the happy result to the fortitude of Madame De Chambrun, as the sole leader and heroine of the march.
In reply to his letter, reporting himself safe in Geneva, De Chambrun received a passport and a seasonable remittance of money from the Prince of Orange, and the refugee couple arrived at the Hague on the 28th March 1687. He was made the Prince’s domestic chaplain; and after the Revolution in England, on the invitation of their Majesties, they settled in their kingdom in 1689. He was at once made a Canon of Windsor, Queen Mary graciously saying as to the appointment, “It is only till a better preferment shall offer.” This year, and we need not wonder at it, proved to be his last. He died about six months after his arrival, and at the age of fifty-two.
The following is the substance of a codicil registered at London:—
Master James De Chambrun, Sieur de Pineton, His Majesty’s Minister of the Holy Gospel, making his codicil, being sick in bed, desired that his last will made at Orange may have its effect, except that the legacies therein named shall not be paid by his dear wife and heiress Madame Perrot et De Chavanon, but after her decease — reduceth Mr John Convenent’s legacy to 1000 livres — desires that his wife, by reason that the goods and effects he hath in this country are very inconsiderable, shall take them and dispose thereof at her will. This is his will, as he hath declared it with a loud voice to us his friends, witnesses thereunto required and subscribed, desiring that this his will may not be contested for want of solemnity, and hath signed at London 30th July 1689.
Guiran,
Councillor in the Parliament of Orange.
Proved 8th Feb. 1690 by Louise de Chambrun, alias de Perote, alias de Chavanon, relict, and legatee of the codicil.