TO THE ADMIRAL DE COLIGNY.
f160AN ACCOUNT AND SOLEMN DISAVOWAL OF THE CONSPIRACY OF AMBOISE.
GENEVA, 16th April, 1561.
MONSEIGNEUR: — I have been apprised by my brother, f161 who is at present among you, that you thought it fitting and desirable that I should publish a printed apology to clear myself of the blame which has been laid to my charge, with respect to the enterprise of Amboise, as if I had given my consent to it. It is true that long before this time and from several quarters, I have been required and solicited to do this, and I might easily have done it, if I had consulted nothing but my own person; but I have forborne for two reasons: first, many persons would have esteemed it cruel to insult the calamity of poor people whose only crime was to have been actuated by inconsiderate zeal; and next, because it might have been thought that I had waited for the issue in order to square my sails
according to the winds. Wherefore I have chosen to suffer patiently to be wrongfully accused, rather than to manifest an excessive anxiety about my reputation. However I have never dissembled my opinion about that transaction, when I was questioned respecting it, as on the present occasion I am quite disposed, if you wish, Monseigneur, to hear a brief abstract of it, to lay before you the whole truth. Seven or eight months before the event, a certain person entrusted with the command of some troops consulted me, whether it was not lawful to resist the tyranny by which the children of God were then oppressed, and what means might be employed for that purpose. As I perceived that opinions of this sort were becoming very generally current, after having given him a peremptory answer that he should abandon all thoughts of this kind, I strove to demonstrate to him that he had no warrant for such conduct according to God; and that even according to the world such measures were ill-
concerted, presumptuous, and could have no successful issue. He was at no loss for an answer, and even for one that had a certain plausibility.
For, said he, nothing was to be attempted against the king nor against his authority, but all they aimed at was only to exact a government according to the laws of the country during the minority of the king. In the mean time great were the lamentations respecting the cruelties that were
practiced to abolish the Reformed religion, that they even expected hourly a horrible massacre to exterminate all the poor brethren. I replied simply to such objections that if a single drop of blood were spilled, floods of it would deluge Europe; that thus it were better we should perish a hundred times, than expose Christianity and the gospel to such opprobrium. I admitted, it is true, that if the princes of the blood demanded to be maintained in their rights for the common good, and if the Parliament joined them in their quarrel, that it would then be lawful for all good subjects to lend them armed assistance. The man afterwards asked me, if one of the princes of the blood, though not the first in rank, f162 had decided upon taking such a step, we were not then warranted to support him. I again gave him an answer in the negative with regard to this
supposition. In a word I adopted so decided a tone in condemning all his proposals that I was convinced he had completely abandoned them. And that is the reason why I did not breathe a syllable on the subject, because it would only have been breeding disturbances to no purpose.
Some time after that, I was very much astonished when Renaudie, f163 on his arrival from Paris, told me that he had been entrusted with the direction of such an enterprise, demonstrating the goodness of his cause by all the sophisms he could muster up. What is more, Monseigneur, I protest that he represented you as mixed up with the affair. Now, having always known him for a man puffed up with vanity and self-conceit, I constantly repelled all his advances, so that he could never wring from me the
slightest token of consent; on the contrary, I strove to turn him aside from these follies by many reasons which it would be too tedious to enumerate.
Seeing himself thus frustrated in his expectations, he plotted in secret both to seduce those whom he knew to have but little judgment, and also to empty the purses of those who would have been but little disposed to march with him. All this was done in small coteries and under the seal of an oath not to disclose any thing that was going on. Now, there was one
and revealed to him that La Renaudie, soliciting him for a contribution, had adjured him not to say a word about it especially to me, because I was unwilling that it should be known that I had given my consent to the enterprise. Master Peter Viret, without a moment’s delay, came to me, as in duty bound, and forthwith I begged Monsieur Beza to send for the man.
I also called in some witnesses, in whose presence I sharply reproved him for having made use of my name under false pretexts. He protested and swore that he had done no such thing, confessing, of his own accord, that if he had spoken as he was represented to have done, he would have been the most shameless of liars, since he had heard from me the very contrary of what was there reported. He who had made the report was struck dumb. However, these intrigues were still continued. Even when La Renaudie had withdrawn to the Bernese territory where he had his habitation, he gained over some who ceased not to attract others.
Hereupon I endeavored as well as I could to arrest the progress of the evil.
When I called before me those who had been inveigled into this wild project, every one denied it. Nevertheless they marched away, protesting all the time that it was to prevent all disturbance. So that seeing every thing go wrong, I bitterly lamented, and frequently I was heard to utter these words: Alas! I never thought to live to see the day in which we should have lost all credit among those who are renowned for their fidelity.
Is it possible that the church of Geneva should be thus despised by her own children? In one word, during all that time I did nothing but groan.
The council being apprised that some enterprise was going forward, although they were as yet ignorant of its nature, caused to be proclaimed by sound of trumpet that no man should stir, and issued similar
prohibitions throughout all private houses. Wherefore none left this city except clandestinely, and in small numbers, so that we did not know the mischief that they were secretly brewing. In fact, I looked upon it
altogether as a kind of childish game they were playing, and when I wished to cheer up my melancholy a little, I used to say that it was a crusade of knights errant, or of those of the round table who were in verity
bewitched. There is one who is at this moment my witness before God whom you have known, Monseigneur, and whom I have no need to name.
f164 When at first they broke the affair to him, he only turned it into ridicule, and from the respect he entertained for me flatly and laconically
refused to have any thing to do with it. Afterwards, contrary to his natural character, which was frank and straight forward, he consulted me whether he should not undertake a journey to settle some matters with his brother who had reduced him to great straits. I have no doubt but he was swayed by this motive, but he was also actuated by another consideration, namely, that of not being held for cowardly, especially as La Renaudie had boasted to him that you, Monseigneur, were favorable to the undertaking. I told him that if he would take my advice he ought not to go. As he affirmed and promised that he would avoid all contact with the conspirators, and stand aloof from their projects, I made use of these very words: — “I know you;
you will not stand aloof from it when once you are on the spot. Remain, then, where you are.” It is true, he made one exception to his promise, and declared that if you commanded him he should not dare to refuse.
Whereupon I replied: — “Have you profited so little in the school of God as to do evil in order to please men? On the contrary, the greatest service you could render the seigneur, to whom you bear so great an affection, would be to prevent him from meddling in this business, and tell him frankly that I send him word, in the name of God, that he does wrong if he allows himself to be entangled in so disorderly a proceeding.” However, I was not very uneasy on that score, because I was persuaded that there was no foundation for such surmises, and that the brazen-faced bragger who had made use of your name was screening himself under false colors.
Be that as it may, this poor seigneur having quitted me five or six times, almost overcome by my arguments, at last told me that he could never be at rest till he had undertaken a journey to see you; and, in truth, I believe that such was his intention. Nevertheless, I had conceived such
apprehensions of what took place, that I allowed him to set out with much regret. Nay, when he came to bid me farewell, in holding out my hand to him, I turned my back upon him to show what displeasure I felt in my heart.
If I should be asked why I did not more formally oppose the proceedings, I answer, that first of all I thought there was no great necessity for doing so, because I despised the enterprise as a childish affair. And, in fact, I always said that if the deed displeased me, the person of La Renaudie disgusted me still more. I held him for a frivolous person; I thought his project would fall to pieces of itself. Since I suspected no danger, I was
or kindle a fire that might spread too far; for it was to be presumed that many poor, innocent persons would pay for the rash presumption of others. This reason kept me back; I wished to spare the innocent whom I could not distinguish from the guilty; besides, I knew of no one to whom I could address myself to set things to rights. Nevertheless, Monsieur Coignet, who is the king’s ambassador to the Ligues, knows what I then said to him about the business. So far was I from wishing to swim between two currents, or dissimulate from craftiness, and still farther from wishing to gratify the ardor of those who were rushing, of their own accord, to their ruin. For I always declared, without any reserve, that if their folly succeeded, I should be the most degraded man in the world, as having betrayed the church, thrown obstacles in the way of God’s work, opposed myself to liberty, etc., etc.; since it is clear that I despised all these
imputations, and preferred to be held for a poltroon and a coward rather than give loose reins to what I condemned. You can judge, Monseigneur, why I was constrained to hold my peace, or, at least, not to make any great outcry. And yet it is an undoubted fact that at that time people heard me preach several sermons, in which I combated their cause with as much vehemence as I was master of. This can easily be verified, inasmuch as these sermons were copied word for word as I delivered them with the date of the month and of the day, whence, it is evident, that I did not play a double part, nor avail myself of silence to spring a mine under ground.
The result having turned out as every one knows, I was in deep distress, as was to be expected, but was by no means surprised, as if any thing unforeseen had happened, because I had constantly predicted the issue, protesting that I feared to be recognized in the end for too true a prophet.
Had it been in my power to adopt better measures, I should not have spared my pains, and I have often completely defeated other intrigues which had spread very widely and without apprising a single person in the kingdom of them. However, I cannot prevent people from accusing me in that quarter where I cannot be heard, but it suffices me to have God for my voucher, and all those who have intercourse with me for my witnesses;
so that wherever they shall be pleased to give me a hearing, I shall open my mouth to show that they do me great wrong who charge me with accusations so calumnious. Since that time, when the King of Navarre
begged me of his own good will and spontaneous movement to send to him M. Beza, he knows that my inclinations pointed at no other object than the public tranquillity of France, and the security of the king. But, besides, what he knows, I have good witnesses who can prove that by indirect means I have endeavored to cool those whose tempers were too much inflamed. If it please certain persons, either from malice or any other cause, to impute to me all the evil that is done at a great distance from me, what should I do except to entreat them to make inquiries and learn how the matter stands? For when the truth shall be brought to light, I shall have wherewith to confound all evil disposed people who would like to blame me. Excesses have been committed in Provence. f165 Some have taken up arms, several persons have been killed, but it remains to be proved that I had any secret understanding with the authors, if I had ever seen or known them, if we had ever communicated together by letters or messages. Now it will be found that I have no less condemned all their acts than I had those which had taken place previously. We have also heard something of a tumult that had fallen out at Lyons; f166 but, however that may be, the origin of all these disturbances came from elsewhere, and had it only depended on me, this thoughtless conduct would have been quietly put an end to. However, I have never seen the man to whom the fault was
attributed, and if thoughtless conduct there was, it is not for me who resisted it to bear the blame of it. Nay, because at that time the gentlemen of Geneva merely heard it whispered that certain persons were making a sudden rising, they strictly enjoined all the inhabitants of our city not to stir, and notwithstanding this, people have not ceased to say that fifteen hundred horsemen had gone from here. But it would have required a very piercing sight to count what never appeared. I also allow people to say that in this town punishments were inflicted on those who had put themselves too prominently forward, though they did so rather from simplicity than evil intentions. You have here, then, Monseigneur, a brief abstract of all that concerns me; that is to say, the naked truth of the facts by which you will judge in your wisdom whether it would be expedient, in order to clear my own character, (a thing by no means difficult,) that I should aggravate the cause of those whom I wish to protect. For I am astonished at seeing worthy people of great piety who have been
circumvented, because the warning which I gave them had been maliciously kept back from them. For the rest, I ought to be on my guard against being
injury or prejudice; nay, I desire, even if all the evil should fall on my own head, that the scandal of it should be buried in oblivion.
Monseigneur, having humbly commended myself to your indulgent favor, I will pray our heavenly Father to have you in his holy keeping, to increase you in all virtues, and govern you by his Spirit, even to the end.
[Fr. Orig., corrected by Calvin. — Library of Paris. Dupuy, 102.]