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Interceffion of Saints, no Worshipping of Images, no praying to the Virgin Mary, &c. Truly their Trouble hereat was fo great, that it troubled me to fee their impatience: they rent their Clothes, and caft duft upon their Heads, and cryed out aloud, Blafphemy, Blafphemy; and upon this the Council broke up. Yet they affembled again the eighth Day; and all that was done then, was to agree upon another meeting of their Nation three Years after; which was concluded upon before their final Diffolution. I do believe there were many Jews there that would have been perfuaded to own the Lord Jefus; and this I affure you for a Truth, and it is for the Honor of our Religion, and the encouragement of our Divines: One eminent Rabbi there did deliver me his Opinion in conference with me, that he at firft feared that thofe which were fent from Rome, would cause an unhappy Period to their Council; and profeffed to me, that he much defired the prefence of fome Proteftant Divines, and efpecially of our English Diyines, of whom he had a better Opinion, than of any other Divines in the World: For he did believe that we have a great Love to their Nation; and this Reafon he gave me for their good Opinion of our Divines, because he understood that they did ordinarily pray for the Converfion of their Nation; which he did acknowledg to be a great Token of our Love towards them: And especially he commended the Minifters of London for excellent Preachers, and for their Charity towards their Nation; of whom he had heard a great Fame. As for the Church of Rome, they account it an Idolatrous Church, and therefore will not own their Religion: and by converfing with the Jews, I found that they generally think, that there is no other Chriftian Religion in the world, but that of the Church of Rome; and for Rome's Idolatry, they take offence at all Chriftian Religion. By which it appearethr that Rome is the greateft Enemy of the Jews Converfion.

For the place of the Jews next Meeting, it is probable it will be in Syria, in which Country I alfo was, and did there converse with the Sect of the Rechabites, living in Syria. They ftill obferve their old Cuftoms and Rules; they neither fow nor plant, nor build Houfes; but live in Tents, and often remove from one place to another, with their whole Family, Bag and Baggage. And feeing I find, that by the Italian Tongue I can converfe with the Jews, or any other Nation, in all the parts of the world where I have been; if God give me an opportunity, I fhall willingly attend their next Council. The good Lord profper it. Amen.

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Certain LETTERS, evidencing K
Charles II's Stedfastness in the

t

Proteftant Religion: Sent from the

Princess of Turenne, and the Mi

nifters of Charenton, to fome

Perfons of Quality in London.

ALETTER from the Princefs of Turenne, to a Noble Lady her Coufin-German, Madam de Caftelnaut, London,

My Dear Coufin,

I

IF you had not been for a long time accuftom'd to bear with, and to pardon my Laziness, I fhould be in pain for the judgment you might make of my Silence, and that I have delay'd fo long to answer the laft Letter I receiv'd from you: But if your Goodness protects me from the Reproaches which you have reafon to charge me with, it does not. fecure me from those which I ought to lay to my own charge, when I neglect to give you fuch Teftimonies as I am able of the Tenderness I have for you. It is true, that I fhall be more earneft to give you real and useful Proofs of it, than I am to let you see these weak Affurances; and you may be confident, my dear Confin, that I fhall ever cherish fuch Opportunities,

and

I

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and embrace them with all my heart as often as I am able. Yet I must complain of you to your felf, because you have again written to me with Ceremony, and did not follow this Method which is more flank and more convenient; and truly this was the thing which did contribute to my Laziness: for I am fo unacquainted with formal Writing, efpecially to thofe I love fo heartily, that I know not how to fet my felf to it, and I was afraid that it would be too uncivil to ufe fuch freedom after all those Complements you gave me. Yet at laft, Madam, my dear Coufin, I thought this fhould not make you fufpect that I could fail to join to that Affection I have for you, all thofe Resentments of Honour and Refpect which are due to you, and to which I am more particularly oblig'd than another, both by nearnefs in Blood, and by many other Reafons: Therefore I am fix'd to continue in this way in the Refolution to overcome you, and to oblige you to do fo too; otherwise, I do declare, that I fhall take a refufal for fuch a Complement as witneffes more Civility than Friendship, and for a kind of renouncing of this Commerce. I will therefore, Dear Coufin, expect a very kind Letter with little Ceremony; fuch a one Í do defire, and that you would receive this with the fame Affection wherewith I do write it. I long much for the Satiffaction to see you again in this Country, you have already feen many Revolutions in that where you are; and whatever my longing be for your return, I do avow it, That I wish with all my heart you may yet fee there that Change, which the prefent condition of affairs gives us reafon to hope very fhortly, and which all good Men defire with an extreme Paffion that is, The King's return into his former Luftre and Authority. I have ever wifh'd with great Paffion the re-eftablishment of that Prince for divers Reasons, both for the defire which I think every one ought to have, that things be done according to Juftice, and for the horror of the Crime committed upon the Perfon of the King his Father, which hath fince drawn. down fuch terrible Jugdgments on thofe Nations, and fo fearful Confufions in thofe Churches, which God had gather'd there, and which he had made flourish with fo much Luftre and Purity, that one cannot forbear to weep over their Ruin as bitterly as Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel did over that of Ferufalem, until it may please the Lord to hear us and fettle them. I profefs I canhot believe that that Sin can be expiated, nor the Interdict remov'd from among them, but by the re-eftablishment of their Lawful and Sovereign Lord, and by the rendring to him that Power which he receiv'd from God, and which for fo long a time hath been ufurp'd over him. The fame who commands to give God the things which are God's, com

mands

mands us alfo to render to Cafar the things that are Cefar's So that I believe that he who would content himself with one of these two Duties, and fo feparate the things which God hath join'd, fhould fatisfy neither; and that fo lame a Service fhould be lefs acceptable among Chriftians, than a lame Of fering was among the Jews. These Confiderations make me wifh with great Paffion that God would infpire thofe Nations to do their Duty; but I do avow it, that I double my Prayers and my Zeal, when I hear that the prefent Governours are no more thofe Sectarys, but Men of our Profeffion. They have had the misfortune to be flander'd by the Adverfa rys, as acceffary to the Death of their Sovereign, and that infamous Accufation feems to have blackt all their Brethren. Bleffed be the God of Mercy, who prefents to them fo fair an occafion to clear themselves, and to remove that Reproach from so holy a Profeffion as ours is, which we have ever brag'd to have this advantage above all others, in that it did teach us better than any other that which we owe to Sovereigns, and did not permit that Men fhould, under any pretext what foever,difpense themselves of the Oath of Fidelity which they have taken. I have fo great an impatience to hear that they have there fo re-establish'd it by fo juft and fo lovely an Action, that I cannot tell you with how much Affection I beg'd it of God on the Faft day which we kept at Charenton laft Eafter Week, and how earnestly I do beg it every day: And I believe there be few Lovers of the Peace of Jerufalem who make not the fame Prayer; and I fee that all thofe of our Profeffion in this Kingdom are more earneft in this than ever, whether it be that God infpires this Motion to pray more earnestly in a time when he will do his work (as he is often pleas'd to make the Prayers of his Children meet with the Decrees of his Providence) or whether they have taken more notice of late of the Effects of the Piety of the King of England, which makes them intereft themfelves more fenfibly in his Concerns. For my own part I profefs it, that I was exceedingly fatisfy'd when I had the Honour to pay my Refpects to him the laft time he paft thro this Country, having heard him speak with fo great Testimonys of Piety, that I was extremely edify'd. He was alfo pleas'd to give this Mark of his Communion with our Churches, as to go to Sermon at Rochel and at Rouen in his Paffage; and if he had ftaid here, we had had the honour to have feen him at Charenton. There can nothing be added to the Regularity which this Prince keeps in affifting daily at thofe Exercises of Piety, which are kept Morning and Evening in his Family. In a word, I blefs God, because the Marks of God's Election are feen in bim: And I hope God will ufe his Service

for

for re-eftablishing what we have before feen with fo much pleafure in his Dominions, and that his Subjects will have cause to bless the Lord for putting it into their Hearts, to render to their King his Crown, and as fair as ever he had it, and without fpoiling or defacing it in fetting it on his Head. I pray God with all my Heart that he may give them this Grace, and I do fo lay it to heart, that I take the liberty to write you a long Letter of it, which looks like a little Volume. But it is, dear Coufin, because I believe that as you are on the place, it is a point of Duty to contribute always what one can to infuse these Thoughts into fuch as have them not, and that every one ought to be ambitious to bring their little Stone toward that excellent Work. As I do defire very much that those in whom I am concern'd may employ themTelves toward what is excellent, I fhall be very glad that my Lady your Sifter in Law and You might contribute somewhat to this. Oblige me, by affuring her of my moft humble Service, and by believing me altogether

Tuesday, 6 April,

N. Stile, 1660.

Yours,

Ox. Caumont,

A Letter of Monfieur Daille to Monfieur Le Roy.

SIR,

NE of my Friends having defir'd me, a little while fince, to fend him a Copy of the great Bible printed at London, I remembred that the laft Winter you propos'd to fend one to Monfieur Duret, and my felf, for fifty Crowns, fo that I believ'd, that in this occafion I could not make an Addrefs to any with more conveniency than to you, that my Friend might be provided. And I hope you will grant me the Favor which I request of you, to inform me, whether you can at prefent perform your Promife, and fend me this Book for the price which you formerly expreft. Moreover, I cannot but rejoice with you for the happy News which is convey'd to us from the place where you are; whereby we are inform'd, that the univerfal Defire of the People feems with a common voice to recal their natural and lawful King. Befides that Generofity and Equity it felf obliges us to wish, that this Prince may return into his own Kingdom and Inheritance, of which he hath been unjustly depriv'd; we ought alfo to defire it for the honour of our Religion, which should be more dear to us than any other Intereft.

For

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