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Benjamin  Du  Plan 


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BENJAMIN    DU    PLAN. 


BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN 

GENTLEMAN      OF      ALAIS 

DEPUTY-GENERAL    OF  THE   REFORMED    CHURCHES 
OF  FRANCE 

FROM    I725    TO    I763. 


By 


D.    BONNEFON, 


PASTOR  OF  THE  REFORMED  CHURCH  OF  ALAIS, 
DEPARTMENT  OF  GARD. 


(Translated  from  the  original  with  the  Author's  permission.) 


LONDON: 

HODDER    AND    STOUGHTON, 

27,  Paternoster  Row. 

MDCCCLXZTIII. 


Geneva: 

'CONTINENT    AND    SWISS   TIMES  "    PRESS. 


TO  MR.  EDWARD  LLOYD. 


Dear  Sir, 

It  is  only  fitting  that  this  work  should  be 
dedicated  to  you,  since  its  conception  is  due  to  your 
suggestion  and  its  execution  to  your  help.  It  is 
associated  with  one  of  the  pleasantest  memories  of 
my  life  ;  it  recalls  our  first  interview  and  the 
interesting  excursion  we  made  together  in  the 
Cevenne  mountains  in  search  of  the  ancient  seat  of 
the  Du  Plans.  How  deeply  you  were  moved 
when  you  first  looked  on  the  time-honoured  walls 
which  had  witnessed  the  birth  of  your  revered 
ancestor,  the  hero  of  this  history  !  To  me  his 
remarkable  career  was  then  unknown,  but  the  docu- 
ments which  you  placed  in  my  hands  so  attracted 
my  attention,  and  appeared  so  important,  that 
1  desired  to  know  more.  I  consulted  our  religious 
histories.     One  work  alone  threw  a  little  light  on 


II  Dedication. 

the  devout  and  heroic  subject  of  this  biography,1 
but  it  was  enough  to  stimulate  me  to  further  research. 

With  this  object  I  made  a  journey  to  Geneva, 
and  consulted  there  the  correspondence  of  Antoine 
Court,  the  friend  and  fellow-worker  of  Benjamin 
Du  Plan — well-known  for  the  part  he  took  in  the 
revival  of  French  Protestantism  in  the  last  century. 
Amongst  the  documents  preserved  in  the  public 
library  of  Geneva,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  finding 
many  original  letters  written  by  your  ancestor  to 
Antoine  Court  ;  you  may  easily  imagine  with  what 
interest  I  read  them  !  I  went  expecting  at  most  to 
learn  a  few  particulars  relating  to  his  life  ;  I  found 
his  biography  almost  ready  to  my  hand. 

The  plan  was  laid  out,  the  work  itself  more  than 
half  accomplished.  I  had  only  to  select  from  the 
literary  treasures  before  me  the  letters  in  which  was 
unfolded  the  life-story  of  one  of  the  chief  actors  in  a 
little  known  but  most  important  episode  of  our 
religious  history.  You  on  your  part  were  good 
enough  to  entrust  me  with  your  family  papers, 
which — especially  the  letters  of  Du  Plan  to  his 
family  and  friends — helped  to  fill  up  a  great  gap  in 
the  correspondence  that  I  had  found  at  Greneva.  The 
letters  of  Du  Plan  and  Court  go  no  further  than  the 
time    of   the  unfortunate    misunderstanding    which 

1.  Histoire  de  la  Restauration  du  Protestantisme  en  France,  by 
Edmond  Hugues. 


Dedication.  HI 

embittered  their  relations  and  interrupted  their  inter- 
course, while  the  papers  that  you  placed  at  my 
disposal  have  enabled  me  to  trace  your  progenitor 
to  the  close  of  his  career.  They  show  him  in  the 
character  of  a  true  Christian,  and  as  the  indefatigable 
and  self-sacrificing  representative  of  the  Huguenot 
Churches  of  France,  and  their  perusal  fully 
confirmed  me  in  the  admiration  with  which  I  had 
already  begun  to  regard  him. 

I  have  arranged  these  materials  in  a  consecutive 
form,  and  the  running  commentary  by  which  thejr 
are  connected  will  serve  to  elucidate  and  explain 
them.  This  is  all  my  plan,  but  it  is  the  portrait  not 
the  frame  to  which  I  desire  to  direct  attention — a 
portrait  whose  original,  as  well  by  his  high  lineage 
as  his  magnanimous  character,  is  worthy  to  rank 
with  our  most  illustrious  Protestants. 

May  the  piety  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan  rouse  the 
emulation  of  more  than  one  reader  of  his  life  !  Then 
shall  we  have  no  reason  to  despair  of  the  future  of 
our  Churches.  I  can  well  believe  that  you  are  proud 
to  be  the  descendant  of  such  a  man,  and  that  you 
will  hesitate  at  no  sacrifice  to  honor  his  memory 
and  make  known  his  work.  If  I  have  been  able  to 
assist  in  this  noble  object  my  feeble  efforts  will 
have  been  amply  rewarded. 

D.  Bonnrfon,  Pastor. 
Alais,  September,   1876, 


BENJAMIN    DU    PLAN 


GENTLEMAN*   OF    ALA1S. 


CHAPTER    I. 

YOUTH    AND    CONVERSION    OF    BENJAMIN    DU    PLAN. 

1688—1710. 

Benjamin  de  Ribot,  Seigneur  du  Caila  and  Du 
Plan,  belonged  to  an  ancient  and  noble  family  the 
origin  of  which  dates  back  to  the  sixteenth  century. 
His  father,  Jacques  de  Ribot,  was  a  rich  feudal 
lord  having  a  castle  and  vassals,  besides  being 
proprietor  of  the  lands  of  Caila,  Du  Plan,  la  Favède, 
and  Rouveret. 

Benjamin  was  born  on  the  loth  of  March,  1688, 
in  the  Castle  of  La  Favède,  a  village  situated  not 
far  from  Alais,  at  the  foot  of  those  Cevenne  Moun- 
tains which  yet  resound  with  the  heroic  deeds  of 
the  Camisards.     Very  little  is  known  of  his  family 


(#)  The  French  title  Gentilhomme  served  formerly  to  designate 
man  of  nob.le  family. 


2  First  religious  emotions  of  Bu  Plan. 

or  his  infancy.  The  little  we  do  know  has  been 
gathered  from  family  papers  and  the  correspondence 
of  Benjamin  du  Plan  with  Antoine  Court.  In  1710, 
when  this  history  commences,  Benjamin  had  living 
both  father  and  mother,  and  a  young  sister  who  later  : 
went  to  reside  with  her  aunt  at  Geneva,  where  she 
died. 

What  was  the  attitude  of  the  family  of  Du  Plan 
in  the  terrible  conjuncture  of  this  epoch  ?  Did  they 
belong  to  the  class  of  the  new  converts,  that  is  to 
say  to  those  who  joined  the  Catholics  and  followed, 
outwardly  at  least,  the  forms  of  the  Romish  Church, 
as  was  the  case  with  the  greater  number  of  the  rich 
and  powerful  ?  It  is  probable.  Of  one  thing  how- 
ever we  are  certain,  that  Benjamin  was  ver3r  early 
among  the  number  of  those  pious  men  who,  despising 
all  threats,  refused  to  conform,  and  who  guarded  in 
the  depth  of  their  hearts,  pure  and  untouched,  the 
old  faith  of  their  fathers.  After  having  served  in 
the  Royal  Army,  then  a  custom  obligatory  upon  all 
young  Nobles,  we  find  him  at  the  age  of  twenty- 
two  laying  down  his  sword  in  order  that  he  might 
devote  himself  entirely  to  the  service  of  the  Church 
and  encourage,  by  his  example,  his  persecuted 
brethren. 

The  young  man  had  a  tender  heart  and  an  ardent 
imagination  ;  the  stories  told  by  his  father  and  mother 
had  deeply  moved  him  ;  in  his  youth  he  had  been 
interested  by  the  stirring  histories  of  Cavalier  and 
of  Roland,  and  his  native  home  recalled  at  every 
step  some  exciting  association.      He   had  himself 


He  is  instructed  by  the  Old  Camisard*.  3 

witnessed  the  acts  of  violence  practised  against  his 
co-religionists.  Sometimes  he  had  seen  from  the 
tower  of  the  castle  soldiers  marching  towards  Bre- 
noux,  a  village  situated  close  to  La  Favède  and  a 
stronghold  of  Protestantism.  At  other  times  he  had 
heard  the  firing  of  musketry  and  had  seen  his  fellow 
Protestants,  chained  together  as  criminals,  pass 
under  the  windows  on  their  way  to  the  dungeons 
of  the  fort  of  Alais,  from  thence  to  be  sent  either  to 
the  galleys  at  Marseilles  or  to  the  Tower  of  Cons- 
tance. In  1705,  being  then  seventeen  years  of  age, 
he  heard  that  the  neighbouring  villages  of  Brenoux, 
St-Paul- Lacoste  and  Soustelle,  having  been  suspec- 
ted of  giving  refuge  to  a  Camisard  band,  had  been 
pillaged  and  burned  and  that  all  the  inhabitants  had 
been  put  to  death.  The  result  of  these  scenes  which 
were  so  common  and  harrassing  to  his  feelings,  will 
be  shown  in  his  future  history. 

"In  1710,"  he  tell  us,  "having  made  the  acquaintance  of 
the  preachers  of  the  Cross,  I  abandoned  my  position  in  the 
army  to  devote  myself  entirely  to  the  support  and  diffusion 
of  the  Protestant  religion.  " 

Who  were  the  preachers  that  so  moved  the  heart 
of  this  young  soldier  and  induced  him  to  leave  the 
army  of  Louis  XIV.  that  he  might  join  the  holy 
militia  of  Jesus-Christ  ?  Most  probably  they  were 
some  of  the  elder  Camisard  prophets,  survivors  of 
the  last  war,  who  sought  b)r  their  fervid  discourses 
to  revive  the  dying  zeal  and  rouse  the  slumbering 
energies  of  the  Protestants,  and  to  organise  if  pos- 
sible a  new  crusade.     But  the  time  was  passed  ;  the 


4  He  attends  the  réunions  of  the  Inspired. 

defeat  of  Ravanel  and  of  Catinat  had  discouraged 
every  heart.  Moreover  revolt  was  impossible.  The 
country  was  encircled  and  guarded  in  all  directions. 
To  fight  under  such  circumstances  would  have  been 
useless.  Of  this  they  were  convinced.  Then,  too,  the 
discourses  of  these  elder  Camisards,  which  for  many 
preceding  years  had  been  so  eloquent,  had  lost  their 
power  and  could  not  reawaken  any  echo  in  the 
breasts  of  their  hearers.  Wearied  and  discouraged, 
the  old  preachers  returned  to  their  mountain  home 
to  mourn  the  past. 

But  from  1701  the  old  Cévenol  prophets  had  been 
succeeded  by  other  preachers  of  a  new  kind — men, 
but  more  often  women,  and  sometimes  even  children, 
who  spoke  in  secret  meetings.  The  chief  Camisards 
Avere  dead,  the  shepherds  exiled,  and  the  flock  scat- 
tered and  forsaken;  then  these  heroic  women, consul- 
ting only  their  faith,  their  duty,  and  their  self  denial, 
filled  up  the  void  and  supplied  the  place  of  the 
absent.  In  the  midst  of  the  raging  storm  they  held 
courageously  in  hand  the  helm  of  the  Church,  and 
braving  the  edicts  and  scorning  death  saved  expiring 
Protestantism  at  the  peril  of  their  lives.  They  jour- 
neyed from  country  to  country,  from  Vivarais  into 
the  Cevennes  and  from  the  Cevennes  into  Lower 
Languedoc,  stopping  in  the  towns  and  villages  and 
preaching  and  praying  where  they  were  desired  or 
where  they  were  moved  by  the  Spirit. 

They  prophesied,  believing  themselves  to  be 
inspired  ;  but  instead  of  the  shrieks,  the  frenzy,  and 
the  excited  cries  which  characterized  the  ancient 


His  vocation  becomes  apparent.  5 

Cévenol  prophets,  they  employed  soft  words,  affec- 
tionate language  and  tears.  In  eccentric  discourses 
composed  of  biblical  quotations  and  the  strange 
recital  of  their  visions,  they  preached  repentance  and 
cherished  the  hope  in  the  midst  of  their  present 
suffering  of  a  better  future.  They  rarely  encouraged 
rebellion,  but  rather  waited  patiently  with  joy 
and  firm  hope  for  deliverance  from  Clod  ;  they 
frequented  especially  those  places  which  had  been 
the  scenes  of  the  Camisard  war,  Brenoux,  Alais, 
Congénies,  Kimes,  Granges,  Loriol,  and  Lunel.  They 
were  there  the  recipients  of  a  blind  corifidence.  No 
one  undertook  anything  without  first  consulting 
them.  Had  anyone  a  doubt  as  to  the  prudence 
of  making  a  journey  to  attend  a  meeting,  the  inspired 
of  the  district  were  immediately  consulted.  They 
even  proclaimed  their  ability  to  exorcise  and  to  heal. 
It  often  happened  that  their  prophecies  were  not  ful- 
filled and  that  the  sick  did  not  recover  ;  in  spite  of 
this  nothing  could  shake  the  confidence  or  dissipate 
the  illusions  of  the  Protestants.  This  credulity  con- 
stituted the  power  of  the  inspired  and  led  in  some 
cases  to  grave  abuses. 

Thus  it  happened  that  old  Camisards  and  pro- 
phetesses were  the  first  preachers  who  shaped  the 
religious  education  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan.  His  artless 
soul  and  his  youthful  imagination  were  profoundly 
impressed  by  their  discourses.  His  conscience  was 
touched;  he  learned  to  lament  and  weep  over  his  sins, 
and  after  the  bitter  torments  of  repentance  found  at 
last  joy  and  peace.     He  was   often  seen  at  night 


6  An  Inspired  predicts  his  future. 

climbing  over  the  walls  of  the  castle,  notwithstanding 
the  remonstrances  of  his  father  and  the  tender  re- 
proaches of  his  mother,  and  setting  out  by  little  known 
paths  and  goat  tracks  to  ascend  the  hill  and  to  walk  • 
the  short  distance  which  separated  the  castle  from 
the  village  of  Brenoux.  There  would  he  listen  with 
delight  to  the  burning,  affectionate,  and  edifying- 
words  of  the  Inspired.  He  soon  became  one  of  the 
most  frequent  and  regular  attendants  at  these  secret 
meetings.  Once  he  ventured  to  overcome  his  natural 
timidity.  He  felt  himself  inwardly  moved  to  speak  ç 
he  did  speak,  and  Avith  so  much  unction  and  ease  that 
from  that  day  forth  the  peasants  considered  him  as 
their  shepherd  and  gathered  around  him.  Du  Plan 
did  not  wish  to  forfeit  their  confidence  ;  he  accepted 
this  perilous  honor,  though  it  exposed  him  to  almost 
innumerable  dangers. 

Would  the  cruel  laws  which  filled  the  galleys,, 
the  prisons,  and  the  convents  with  Protestants  be 
less  severe  against  a  young  Noble  who  abused  his 
influence  to  pervert  the  new  converts  ?  His  name, 
his  rank,  his  titles  and  his  social  position,  all  made 
him  a  mark  for  the  anger  of  the  government.  Never- 
theless he  braved  all  perils.  One  day  in  an  assembly 
an  Inspired  rose,  and  under  the  influence  of  the 
Spirit  said  to  him  :  "  I  tell  thee  my  child  not  to  fear,, 
the  enemy  shall  not  put  his  hand  upon  thee  ;  thou 
shalt  pass  through  the  fire  and  the  water  and  they 
shall  not  harm  thee." 

If  he  had  hesitated  before,  this  incident  led  him 
at  once  to  a  decision  !     Henceforth  he  belonged  no 


Condition  of  French  Protestantism.  7 

more  to  himself,  he  belonged  to  God  and  to  the 
Church.  Thus,  in  spite  of  the  opposition  of  his 
parents,  of  his  friends  and  of  all  the  wise  and  prudent 
of  his  time,  he  embraced  with  enthusiasm  his  voca- 
tion as  evangelist,  though  this  vocation  might  lead 
him  to  a  martyr's  end. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CONDITION  OF  FRENCH  PROTESTANTISM. 
1710—1715. 

The  better  to  understand  the  services  that 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  was  called  to  render  to  his  co- 
religionists and  to  appreciate  his  courage  until  the 
moment  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Antoine  Court, 
it  is  necessary  to  know  the  state  of  French  Protes- 
tantism between  1710  and  1715.  The  war  of  the 
Camisards  was  ended.  Coste,  and  Abraham  Mazel, 
the  last  of  the  prophets,  had  been  hanged  in  1710  ; 
Claris  had  been  broken  on  the  wheel  ;  the  last  few 
preachers  had  hidden  themselves  in  the  mountains, 
and  the  faithful,  tried  by  the  cruelty  of  the  edicts 
and  by  the  dread  of  bodily  suffering,  no  longer 
ventured  out  of  the  towns  to  worship  GTod  secretly 
in  the  Desert.  The  last  assemblies  were  completely 
dispersed  in  1711  by  the  soldiers,  and  it  was  thought 
that  all  trace  of  Protestantism  had  disappeared.  A 
new  Edict  of  the  8th  of  March  1712,  starting  from 


8  Penalties  against  the  relaps. 

the  principle  that  there  were  no  more  Huguenots  in 
France,  declared  that  all  those  who  henceforth 
should  die  without  the  sacraments  were  to  be  con- 
sidered as  relaps,  that  is  to  say  their  memory  should 
be  ignored,  their  goods  confiscated,  and  their  bodies 
dragged  on  the  hurdle,  and  deprived  of  sepulture. 
In*  virtue  of  this  cruel  Edict,  when  a  Protestant  fell 
sick  the  priests  carrying  the  viaticum  entered  his 
house,  followed  by  the  ushers  and  the  registrar,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  afflicted  relatives  they  wearied 
with  their  demands  and  their  menaces  the  old  men, 
the  women  and  the  young  girls.  If  the  sick  man 
repelled  the  priest  his  family  was  ruined  and  his 
name  publicly  dishonored.  In  the  South  where  the 
most  revolting  scenes  were  enacted  it  was  a  common 
thing  for  mobs  to  gather  round  the  house  of  a  dead 
heretic  and  clamorously  demand  his  body.  Amidst 
the  plaudits  of  the  crowd,  a  hurdle  would  be  brought, 
the  naked  corpse,  scarcely  cold,  would  be  placed 
upon  it  and  dragged  by  the  jeering  rabble  in  the 
gutters,  and  through  the  streets  and  public  places  of 
the  town  5  finally  the  corpse  after  being  hanged  by 
the  feet  to  a  gibbet  for  twenty-four  hours  would  be 
cast  into  the  sewer. 

Another  result  of  this  Edict  was  to  render  ille- 
gitimate any  marriages  solemnized  elsewhere  than 
at  the  Church.  As  civil  marriage  did  not  exist  at 
this  period  it  was  necessary  that  all  marriages  should 
take  place  before  a  priest,  else  the  law  did  not 
recognize  them,  and  husbands  could,  if  they  wished, 
demand  their  nullity  and  contract  new  unions.     To 


Protestant  Marriages  considered  illegitimate.  9 

avoid  the  grave  consequences  resulting  from  this 
state  of  things,  some  compromised  with  their  con- 
sciences, and  were  married  at  the  Church  as  well  as 
by  the  pastor.  Let  me  add,  however,  that  the 
greater  part,  the  law  notwithstanding,  were  united 
only  according  to  their  own  faith,  but  they  were 
considered  to  live  in  disorder  and  their  children  were 
regarded  as  illegitimate. 

The  ancient  and  cruel  decrees  published  after  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  were  put  in  force 
with  greater  vigour  than  ever.  The  unhappy 
Huguenots  were  harried  from  the  cradle  to  the 
grave.  Their  children  were  torn  from  them, 
baptized,  and  conducted  by  force  to  the  Catholic- 
Schools.  Their  men  could  not  occupy  any  public 
office  however  humble,  commercial  and  industrial 
careers  were  alone  open  to  them,  and  the  simple  title 
of  Protestant  exposed  them  to  the  most  cruel 
injustice  on  the  part  of  a  biassed  and  hostile  legisla- 
tion. They  were  subjected  to  a  constant  surveillance 
not  only  by  the  clergy  and  the  King's  officers  but 
even  by  their  own  neighbours,  a  single  charge  being 
sufficient  to  ruin  them.  They  were  compelled  to 
observe  the  fasts  and  ceremonies  of  the  Catholic 
Church,  to  be  present  on  Sundays  at  the  services  and  to 
confess  and  communicate  once  every  year.  If  they 
failed,  they  were  threatened  and  accused  of  disobey- 
ing the  King.  Not  beiDg  in  a  condition  to  resist,  the 
Protestants  submitted  for  the  most  part  to  these 
requirements,  but  they  were  Huguenots  in  then- 
hearts. 


10  The  Tower  of  Constance. 

» 
As  to  those  who  remained  obdurate  their  lot  was 
pitiable.  At  first  numerous  fines  were  imposed, 
and  if  they  still  refused  to  abjure  they  were 
punished  according  to  the  fullest  rigour  of  the  law* 
The  men  had  their  goods  confiscated  and  were  sent 
to  the  galleys  for  life,  the  women  were  confined  in 
convents  and  prisons.  The  young  girls  were  incarce- 
rated in  the  old  Castle  of  Carcassonne,  and  the 
women  in  the  Tower  of  Constance.  This  Tower  is 
situated  in  the  salt  marshes  which  surround  Aigues- 
Mortes.  It  is  a  round  and  massive  building  ninety 
feet  high  and  sixty  feet  broad,  divided  into  two  stories 
forming  two  vast  vaulted  chambers  of  considerable 
height.  The  Protestants  were  confined  in  the  upper- 
most. They  lived  huddled  together  in  this  dungeon, 
which  was  lighted  by  a  large  opening  in  the  roof  six 
feet  wide,  exposing  them  to  the  sun,  the  rain, 
and  the  unwholesome  exalations  of  the  neighbouring 
marshes.  Hope  of  escape  there  was  none.  Sentinels 
watched  the  roof.  A  narrow  and  winding  staircase, 
shut  by  a  double  door  of  iron,  and  guarded,  formed 
the  only  means  of  egress.  The  walls  were  eighteen 
feet  in  thickness. 

Protestants  condemned  to  the  galleys  were  sent 
to  Dunkirk  or  Rochefort,  to  Toulon  or  to  Marseilles. 
They  were  conducted  to  the  bagnio  *,  coupled  b}7- 
the  neck,  the  hands,  and  the  feet  to  thieves  and 
assassins.  The  heaviest  chains  were  reserved  for  the 


1.    The  place  where  the  Convicts  were  detained  when  not  at  work 
on  the  galleys. 


The  penalty  of  the  galleys.  11 

Protestants  ;  if  they  fell  with  fatigue,  strokes  from  a 
stick  compelled  them  to  rise.  On  their  arrival  at  the 
bagnio,  after  being  attired  in  the  casaque  and  the 
bonnet  rouge  they  were  led  to  the  galleys.  There 
with  the  other  galley  slaves  they  were  attached  two 
by  two  to  the  benches  of  the  ship,  so  that  they  were 
unable  to  move  further  than  the  length  of  their 
chain  and  had  to  eat,  drink  and  sleep  at  their  posts. 
They  were  made  to  swing  the  long  and  heavy  oars 
which  propelled  the  galley.  A  gallery  was  raised 
the  whole  length  of  the  benches  where  the  inspec- 
tors, holding  the  lash  in  their  hand,  walked  to  and 
fro.  At  the  time  of  service  and  at  the  elevation 
of  the  host,  they  forced  the  Huguenot  galley  slave 
to  doff  his  bonnet  ;  if  he  refused  they  laid  bare  his 
back,  four  men  held  his  hands  and  feet,  while  the 
executioner  armed  with  a  tarred  rope  stiffened  by 
the  sea  water  struck  him  with  all  his  force.  The 
victim  recoiled  under  the  rope,  the  skin  was  torn, 
his  back  became  one  quivering  and  bloody  wound 
which  was  afterwards  washed  with  salt  and  vinegar. 
Some  unfortunates  would  get  as  many  as  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  lashes  ;  if  they  fainted  they  were 
carried  to  the  hospital  and  received,  when  cured  the 
remainder  of  their  punishment.  Numbers  were  con- 
demned to  the  galleys  in  1712  and  1713. 

These  galley  slaves  were  not  of  the  lower  orders,, 
they  belonged  in  general  to  the  best  and  most  hon- 
orable families  in  France;  merchants,  sons  of  pas- 
tors, magistrates,  and  noblemen.  Can  the  intensity 
of  their  sufferings  be  imagined  !    Their  only  conso- 


12  Resignation  of  the  Protestants. 

lation  was  in  prayer.  Now  and  then  they  might 
receive  a  secret  visit  from  a  brave  friend  who  would 
slip  into  their  hands  a  letter  bathed  with  the  tears 
of  their  wives,  their  parents,  and  their  persecuted 
and  proscribed  brethren.  Collections  were  made  for 
them  in  France,  in  the  Assemblies  of  the  Desert, 
and  in  foreign  countries;  these  gifts  touched  their 
hearts,  and  in  the  records  of  the  Trench  Church  in 
London  are  still  preserved  many  affecting  letters 
written  by  these  unfortunates,  who  despite  their 
hard  lot  forgot  not  to  thank  those  who  had  remem- 
bered the  poor  captives. 

To  escape  these  persecutions,  some  of  the  richer 
Protestants  fled  to  foreign  lands  with  their  families 
and  their  fortunes,  but  in  1713  an  Edict  forbade  all 
new  converts  to  quit  the  kingdom  under  pain  of 
being  sent  to  the  galleys  for  life,  while  those  who 
aided  them  to  escape  became  liable  to  the  penalty 
of  death. 

Notwithstanding  these  decrees,  the  Protestants 
remained  calm,  waiting  with  resignation  for  better 
days.  A  small  number  fled,  a  still  smaller  number 
abjured,  and  the  remainder  conformed  in  appearance 
to  the  practices  of  the  Romish  Church.  In  place  of 
public  service  they  celebrated  each  day  in  their  own 
houses  family  worship;  there  they  read  the  Bible 
and  strengthened  themselves  by  prayer.  We  possess 
one  of  these  touching  prayers  which  was  read  on 
Sundays  around  the  hearth  at  the  same  hour  that  in 
peaceful  days  they  were  wont  to  repair  to  the  house 
of  (rod  : 


Worship  in  the  Home.  13 

"  Great  God,  Whom  the  heaven  of  heavens  cannot  contain, 
but  Who  hast  promised  to  be  found  where  two  or  three  are 
gathered  together  in  Thy  name,  Thou  seest  us  assembled  in 
this  house  to  praise  Thee,  to  adore  Thy  greatness,  and  to 
implore  Thy  compassion.  We  mourn  in  secret  that  we  are 
deprived  of  our  public  ordinances  and  also  that  Thou  dost 
not  hear  in  our  temples  the  voice  of  Thy  servants.  But  far 
from  murmuring  against  Thy  providence,  we  acknowledge 
that  Thou  couldst  with  justice  overwhelm  us  with  Thy  most 
severe  judgments  ;  thus  we  admire  Thy  goodness  in  the 
midst  of  Thy  chastisements.  But  we  implore  Thee  to  have 
pity  upon  us.  We  are  without  temples,  but  do  Thou  fill  this 
house  with  Thy  glorious  presence  !  We  are  without  pastors; 
but  be  Thou  Thyself  our  pastor.  Instruct  us  in  the  truths 
of  Thy  Gospel.  We  are  about  to  read  and  meditate  upon 
Thy  word.  Imprint  it  on  our  hearts  !  From  what  we  may 
there  learn  make  us  to  know  Thee  better,  what  Thou  art  and 
what  we  are  ;  what  Thou  bast  done  for  our  salvation  and 
what  we  ought  to  do  tor  Thy  service  ;  make  us  to  know 
the  virtues  that  are  pleasing  in  Thy  sight  and  the  vices 
that  Thou  abhorrest  ;  the  penalties  with  which  Thou  threa- 
tenest  the  impenitent,  the  lukewarm,  the  timid,  the  cowardly, 
and  the  profane,  and  the  glorious  recompense  that  Thou 
hast  promised  to  those  who  shall  be  faithful  to  Thee.  May 
we.  when  we  retire  from  this  short  worship,  be  more  holy, 
more  zealous  for  Thy  glory  and  for  Thy  truth,  more  drawn 
from  the  world  and  more  strictly  observant  of  Thy  command- 
ments !  Hear  us  for  Thy  Son's  sake  !  " 

Occasionnally,  and  at  long  intervals,  a  pastor, 
disguised  in  a  borrowed  costume  and  decorated 
with  chaplets  and  relics,  the  better  to  ward  off  sus- 
picion, would  visit  them.  These  courageous  mis- 
sionaries stole,  at  the  peril  of  their  lives,  from 
house  to  house,  baptizing  the  new  born,  marrying 


14  Worship  in  the  Desert. 

the  betrothed,  exhorting  the  sick  and  comforting  the 
dying.  When  one  of  them  arrived  in  a  village — where 
the  faithful  would  often  contend  amongst  themselves 
for  the  perilous  honor  of  receiving  him,  a  secret 
assembly  was  immediately  convoked  ;  the  hour  and 
the  place  of  rendez-vous,  a  lonely  wood,  a  deep  cave, 
or  a  secluded  valley,  were  whispered  one  to  another, 
and  at  the  hour  appointed,  mostly  at  night,  each 
started  alone  for  the  appointed  place.  There  the 
pastor  read  the  gospel,  addressed  an  exhortation, 
and  administered  the  sacrament.  The  service  was 
opened  and  closed  by  the  singing  of  psalms.  As 
soon  as  the  congregation  was  assembled  sentinels 
were  stationed  in  the  neighbourhood,  or  mounted 
on  the  trees  and  the  rocks  where  they  kept  watch 
and  signalled  the  approach  of  the  soldiers.  In  1712 
and  171 3,  the  Intendants  and  the  military  governors 
followed  up  these  assemblies  with  the  utmost  rigour. 
The  women  who  were  there  captured  were  condem- 
ned to  prison,  the  men  to  the  galleys,  and  the  pastor 
to  the  gibbet.  The  following  is  a  description  of 
one  of  these  meetings  in  the  Desert  as  given  by  an 
eye  witness  ;  it  dates  from  the  latter  part  of  the 
seventeenth  century,  but  all  these  assemblies  were 
of  similar  character. 

"  About  a  year  before  our  brethren  of  the  Cevennes  had 
raised  the  Standard  of  the  Holy  War,  we  received  a  three 
days  notice  that  the  venerable  Brousson  would  hold  an 
assembly  at  the  Baume-des-Hors,  near  Mus;  the  place  which 
bore  this  name  was  nothing  more  than  an  ancient  and 
disused  quarry.    The  place  was  well  chosen.    Picture  to 


An  Assembly  in  the  Desert.  15 

yourself  a  rugged  bill  furrowed  in  every  direction,  with 
deep  hollows  and  precipitous  sides  and  quarried  to  the  very 
summit.  It  might  be  likened  to  an  immense  whale  in  the 
carcase  of  which  a  thousand  voracious  fishes  had  made 
innumerable  openings.  Strangers  visit  these  places  with 
caution,  where  on  all  hands  open  black  abysses  which  cannot 
be  looked  into  without  giddiness,  and  among  which  it  is 
impossible  to  venture  without  losing  one'3  way.  But  these 
disruptions  and  upheavals,  this  labyrinth  of  passes,  and 
these  numerous  pathways  among  the  precipices,  wonderfully 
favored  us  in  putting  us  beyond  reach  of  the  pursuing 
cavalry.  The  Baume -des-Hors  was  concealed  behind  bushes 
and  a  large  rock  ;  the  opening  was  so  narrow  and  tortuous 
that  it  was  impossible  to  enter  it  without  climbing.  On  the 
morning  of  the  appointed  day,  the  suspicions  of  the  Catho- 
lics were  averted  by  some  pretending  to  be  ill,  and  by  others 
going  to  mass.  The  Psalms  and  the  books  for  worship  as 
well  as  the  arms  which  had  escaped  discovery  were  disin- 
terred. "  (Later  Antoine  Court  would  not  allow  arms  to  be 
brought  to  the  assemblies.)  u  The  women  trembled,  but 
nevertheless  they  did  not  advise  us  to  absent  ourselves  from 
the  assembly,  because  though  they  feared  the  danger,  on 
the  other  hand  they  heartily  desired  us  to  unite  ourselves 
with  the  brethren.  The  day  appeared  long  while  waiting 
for  this  joyous  event,  and  though  we  were  under  fear  of  a 
great  danger,  we  alternated  between  the  hope  of  seeing  the 
spiritual  family  and  the  dread  of  never  again  beholding  our 
families  after  the  flesh!  At  length  the  night  arrived  and 
with  it  a  cold  and  penetrating  rain.  The  weather  was 
fearful.  God  had  evidently  favoured  us  ;  we  stole  away 
stealthily,  leaving  our  old  men  sorrowful  and  our  mothers 
praying  for  us.  I  had  not  yet  reached  my  eighteenth  year 
— my  sister,  my  brother,  and  my  father  accompanied  me. 
On  the  road  we  met  the  sentinels  at  their  posts  already,  who 
promised  us  to  keep  good  watch.  The  assembly  was  already 
numerous  when  we  arrived  ;  for  the  whole  Vaunage  had 
flocked  thither.    What  a  sad  spectacle  !    the  clothes  of  the 


16  An  Assembly  in  the  Desert. 

women,  the  girls,  and  the  children  dripped  with  water  ;  the 
wind  imprisoned  in  the  deep  hollows  made  a  plaintive  howl- 
ing ;  and  to  light  up  the  cavernous  depths  there  were  a  few 
small  lanterns,  whose  feeble  gleam  only  rendered  the  dark- 
ness of  the  place  more  horrible. 

"  In  the  midst  of  the  Assembly  was  seated  the  venerable 
Brousson,  wearing  the  coarse  dress  of  a  peasant,  rendered 
still  more  mean  by  the  dirt  which  had  soiled  it.  The  women 
had  encircled  with  their  black  aprons  the  chair  which  served 
for  a  pnlpit.  The  chalices  and  the  bread  for  the  sacrament 
were  placed  on  a  stone.  The  service  commenced  by  the 
reading  of  the  Bible  and  the  singing  ot  psalms.  They  were 
doubtless  well  chosen  for  the  occasion.  While  listening  to 
the  unfortunate  Fulcran  Key  of  Nimes,  who  led  this  part  of 
the  worship  and  who  began  thus  his  apprenticeship  to 
martyrdom,  we  forgot  the  cold,  we  heard  no  more  of  the 
storm  and  we  thought  no  more  of  the  dragonnades.  The 
preacher  chose  for  his  text  the  memorable  words  of  Jesus 
Christ,  found  in  St.  Matthew  Chap.  X,  v.  22,  '  but  he  that 
endureth  to  the  end  shall  be  saved.  '  Wishing  to  con- 
vince us  that  salvation  was  not  assured  except  to  those 
who  fought  without  ceasing  the  good  fight  of  faith,  he 
cited  to  us  the  example  ot  all  the  confessors  of  ancient 
and  apostolic  times  ;  then  he  described  the  courage  of 
the  martyrs  of  our  own  days,  confounding  their  judges 
when  before  the  Tribunal,  moving  their  executioners  when 
on  the  wheel,  and  receiving  in  Heaven  the  crown  of  life  ; 
afterwards  he  recounted  the  torments  of  cowardly  apos- 
tates, reserved  for  eternal  fires  and  consumed  by  the  ago- 
nies of  remorse.  What  tears  of  repentance  fell  and  what 
solemn  vows  to  be  faithful  were  made  at  this  moment  !  It 
was  in  the  midst  of  our  sobbing  that  the  pastor  blessed  the 
bread  and  the  wine  ;  then  we  prostrated  ourselves  before 
God  and  besought  Him  to  pardon  and  strengthen  us.  All  at 
once  a  voice  cried  :  '  The  dragoons  '  !  !  !  '  Fly  '  !  !  !  and  at 
the  same  moment  a  discharge  of  musketry  showed  us  that 
our  last  hour  had  come.     I  cannot  describe  to  you  what 


Zeal  and  devotion  of  Du  Plan.  17 

passed  in  the  cave.  The  thickest  darkness  enveloped  us, 
the  curses  of  the  soldiers,  and  the  groans  of  the  dying  were 
confounded  together  in  this  frightful  tumult.  I  do  not  know- 
how  I  made  my  escape.  I  arrived  in  the  presence  of  my  mother 
terror  stricken  and  despondent.  My  relations  had  not  yet  re- 
turned ;  in  vain  we  waited  for  them,  they  returned  no  more.. . 
My  father  was  found  lying  in  a  hollow  where  he  had  broken 
his  skull  in  falling.  My  brother  had  received  a  bullet  in  the 
breast,  and  my  sister  had  been  taken  to  the  Tower  of 
Constance  with  the  women  who  had  been  captured.  .  .  . 
Fifteen  days  afterwards  I  accompanied  my  mother  to 
another  assembly  in  the  Desert."  ' 

Such  were  the  dangers  that  the  Nobleman  of 
Alai.s  embraced  voluntarily  in  1710.  The  strength 
of  his  faith  and  the  fervour  of  his  zeal  may  thus  be 
appreciated.  From  that  time  his  one  aim  in  life 
day  and  night  was  to  supply  the  place  of  the  absent 
pastors  ;  he  went  continually  with  consolations  to 
the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  dying,  and  distributed  a 
part  of  his  goods  to  the  poor  and  indigent.  His  com- 
passionate heart  urged  him  towards  Marseilles  ;  he 
wished  to  address  a  word  of  Christian  sympathy  to 
the  confessors.  Far  from  abating  his  zeal  the 
sight  of  these  sufferers  stirred  up  his  piety  and 
devotion.  He  returned  to  Alais  happy  to  have 
done  some  good  to  his  brethren  and  desirous  of 
rendering  them  still  further  assistance.  Imbued 
with  a  holy  zeal  he  went  to  the  surrounding  towns 
of  Anduze,  Nimes,  Lunel,  and  Montpellier,  or  where 
ever  he  could  reunite  the  brethren  ;  he  performed 
the   functions   of  preacher,    consoled  the  afflicted, 

i.  LTEvangéliste,  1837, page  176. 


18  The  family  of  Antoine  Court. 

strengthened  the  weak,  preached  patience  and  resig- 
nation and  made  clear  to  all  the  hope  of  a  better 
future. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST  JOURNEYS  OF  ANTOINE  COURT. 
1696—1715. 

It  is  impossible  to  relate  the  life  of  Du  Plan 
without  speaking  of  Antoine  Court.  These  two 
distinguished  men,  though  of  different  conditions, 
were  called  very  early  to  the  same  destiny.  The 
nobleman  and  the  peasant  knew  each  other  from 
their  youth  and  lived  side  by  side  in  closest  intimacy 
during  the  fourteen  most  laborious  and  perilous 
years  of  their  lives. 

Antoine  Court  was  born  in  1696  at  Villeneuve- 
de-Berg  a  small  town  of  the  Vivarais.  Educated  by 
a  pious  mother  he  received  very  early  those  religious 
impressions  which  are  rarely  effaced.  As  he  belonged 
to  a  poor  family  he  had  not  received  a  classical 
education  ;  but  this  want  was  supplied  by  his  natural 
abilities,  his  reflections  and  a  thorough  knowledge  of 
the  Scriptures.  He  even  acquired  in  his  later  years 
an  unusual  acquaintance  with  religious  questions,  and 
the  history  of  Protestantism.  His  piety  was 
strengthened  by  his  frequent  attendance  at  the  assem- 
blies of  the  Desert,  where  he  loved  to  accompany  his 
mother  in  spite  of  the  perils  of  the  undertaking.  He 
became  an  assiduous  hearer,  and  at  the  age  of  seven- 


His  call  to  the  Holy  Ministry.  19 

teen  he  fulfilled  the  duties  of  reader.  Frequently  these 
assemblies  were  presided  over  by  preachers — women 
and  young  girls — who  called  themselves  Prophetesses 
and  Inspired.  Antoine  Court  was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  young  persons  who  after  the  popular  belief  were 
animated  "  by  the  Spirit  of  Grod."'  He  felt  within 
himself  an  early  call  to  the  Holy  Ministry,  and  a 
Prophetess  encountering  him  strengthened  this  idea  in 
his  mind  by  predicting  for  him  an  early  and  blessed 
career.  Falling  into  ecstacies  she  cried  "  The  sword 
which  thou  seest  on  the  side  of  My  servant  is  My 
Word  which  shall  be  in  his  mouth  as  a  two  edged 
sword  :  this  abundant  dew  which  thou  hast  seen  fall 
on  his  head  is  the  same  Word  which  shall  abide  in 
him  plenteously."  One  day  when  he  was  in  "  one  of 
these  mysterious  assemblies,  in  a  moment  of  sudden 
exhaltation  he  began  to  preach.  The  audience,  few 
in  number  and  composed  exclusively  of  women  were 
deeply  impressed.  From  this  day  his  ministry  really 
commenced." '  Antoine  Court  immediately  set  him- 
self to  work  and  convoked  assemblies.  The  greatness 
of  the  danger  did  not  stop  him,  for  he  felt 
instinctively  that  if  the  people  continued  to  be 
deprived  of  worship  it  would  not  be  long  before 
they  abandoned  the  faith.  It  was  not  without  tears 
that  his  mother,  now  a  widow,  saw  leaving  her  that 
only  son  who  was  her  joy  and  her  support  ;  she  found 
however  in  religion  the  power  to  make  this  sacrifice 
to  God. 

l.  Ed.  Hugues.    Histoire  de  la  Restauration  du  Protestautismc  eu 
France. 


20  He  parts  from  his  Mother. 

The  following  is  his  own  touching  account  of 
this  separation  : 

"  My  mother  loved  me  tenderly.  I  was  the  only  son  left 
to  her,  and  since  the  death  of  my  father,  she  had  set  all  her 
hopes  upon  me.  But  she  knew  religion  ;  and  what  was 
better  still  both  loved  and  practised  it.  Still  she  could 
not  learn  my  resolution  without  being  moved.  She  perceived 
all  the  dangers  to  which  I  should  be  exposed  and  she 
saw  herself  for  ever  deprived  of  a  son  whom  she  loved 
better  than  herselt  ;  but  she  reflected  on  the  happiness 
it  would  afford  me  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  Hand  ot  God 
for  the  instruction  and  consolation  of  His  afflicted  Church, 
in  which  she  was  so  deeply  interested,  and  on  the  advantages 
which  that  Church  would  one  day  receive  from  my  ministry. 
Thus  her  love  for  me  and  her  attachment  to  religion,  made 
her  experience  in  turn  all  that  can  be  felt  in  the  heart  of 
a  tender  mother  and  a  truly  zealous  Christian.  What 
touching  things  did  she  not  say  to  me  !  What  tears  did  she 
not  shed  !  But  to  strengthen  her  resolution  and  my 
confidence  in  myself,  as  well  as  to  gain  her  approval, 
I  preached  before  her,  taking  for  my  text  the  words  of  the 
Gospel  'Whosoever  loveth  father  and  mother  more  than  Me  is 
not  worthy  of  Me.'  All  that  I  said  on  this  beautiful  text,  so 
qualified  to  teach  us  how  our  love  for  God  ought  to  exceed 
that  for  His  creatures,  sensibly  affected  my  dear  mother.  She 
henceforth  regarded  me  as  a  victim  whom  she  had  conse- 
crated, like  another  Abraham,  to  the  Divine  Will." 

The  young  missionary  first  went  into  the  Viva- 
rais  which  had  now  become  atrueDesert.  His  appeals 
drew  forth  little  response.  Such  Avas  the  terror  among 
the  brethren,  that  it  was  almost  impossible  to  assemble 
ten,  twenty  or  thirty  persons  in  some  cavern  or 
hole  in  a  rock.  He  was  however  less  grieved  by  the 
indifference  of  his  co-religionists,  than  by  the 
ridiculous  eccentricities  into  which  the  Inspired  had 


His  first  rounds  in  the    Vivarais.  21 

fallen.  u  My  first  operations,"  he  tells  us  himself 
"were  in  the  neighbourhood  ofVivarais.  The  scaffolds 
and  the  gibbets  were  yet  red  with  the  blood  of 
many  Protestants  whom  the  spirit  of  fanaticism  had 
led  into  the  madness  of  rebellion.  Here  were 
found  a  few  men,  and  about  fifteen  women  and 
girls  who  with  the  title  of  preachers  combined  the 
function  of  Prophets  and  Prophetesses.  I  fear 
I  should  not  be  believed  if  I  were  to  relate  all 
that  these  false  or  bewitched  persons  said  both 
imworth)'  of  and  dishonoring  to  religion.  I  set 
myself  at  once  to  convince  the  men  of  imposture  and 
to  win  the  women  and  children  from  error.  It  was  not 
unusual  to  see  in  the  assemblies,  few  in  number  as 
they  were,  two  or  three  women  and  sometimes  men 
fall  down  in  ecstacies  and  speak  all  at  once,  like 
those  Corinthians  to  whom  St.  Paul  addressed  his 
censures.  I  soon  became  known  as  another  Elijah,  the 
scourge  of  the  prophets.  My  discourse  was  accompanied 
by  the  happiest  success,  and  my  progress  was  very 
rapid.  Shortly  fanaticism  disappeared  altogether  ; 
those  who  still  retained  some  tincture  of  it  conversed 
among  themselves  in  secret."  ' 

In  1715  Antoine  Court  went  to  Nimes  where  he 
had  been  called  by  the  Church.  After  having 
travelled  as  a  missionary,  in  Provence  and  Lower 
Languedoc,  he  was  grieved  to  see  the  deep  dejection 
into  which  the  majority  of  his  brethren  had  fallen. 
For  some  time  he  had  been  meditating  on  the  best 

1.  Mémoire  of  A.  Court,  written  in  1752  and  preserved  in  the  manu- 
scripts of  Paul  Rabaut. 


22  The  Synod  of  1715. 

means  of  restoring  Protestantism  from  its  abasement. 
It  was  in  1715,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  that  he  com- 
menced this  great  work. 

Four  ways  presented  themselves  to  him.  "  The 
first, "  he  tells  us  in  his  Memoirs,  "  was  to  convoke 
religious  assemblies  and  instruct  the  people  there  : — 
the  second,  to  battle  with  fanaticism,  which  was 
spreading  like  a  conflagration  in  all  quarters,  and  to 
bring  back  to  more  sane  ideas  those  who  had  had 
the  weakness  or  the  misfortune  to  become  infected 
by  it  : — the  third,  to  re-establish  discipline,  the  use  of 
consistories,  of  elders,  of  colloquies,  and  of  synods  : — 
the  fourth,  to  train,  as  far  as  possible,  young 
preachers  and  to  call  ministers  from  foreign  countries, 
and  if  they  feared  to  expose  themselves  to  martyr- 
dom, and  were  not  disposed  to  respond  to  my  press- 
ing stimulations,  then  to  solicit  help  in  money  from  the 
Protestant  Powers,  in  order  to  aid  the  studies  and 
maintenance  of  young  men  in  whom  I  found  sufficient 
courage  and  good  will  to  devote  themselves  to  the 
service  and  salvation  of  their  brethren." 

Antoine  Court  had  already  put  into  execution 
the  first  of  these  methods,  by  convoking  assemblies 
in  all  parts.  In  1715  he  endeavoured  to  re-establish 
the  proscribed  religion.  He  convoked  a  Synod  at 
Nimes  at  which  some  laymen  and  preachers  who  had 
responded  to  his  invitation  elaborated  certain  rules. 
In  this  Synod  it  was  agreed  that  each  Church  should 
appoint  Elders  who  should  be  responsible  for 
the  convoking  of  assemblies  in  favorable  places  and 
with  all  possible  prudence.  They  afterwards  decided 


Court'*  Companions  in  work.  23 

that  according  to  the  command  of  St.  Paul,  women 
should  henceforth  be  forbidden  to  preach  :  that  the 
Holy  Scriptures  should  become  the  sole  rule  of  faith, 
and  that  as  a  consequence  they  should  reject  all  the 
pretended  revelations,  which  had  been  in  vogue  until 
that  time,  the  same  having  caused  great  abuse. 

History  has  handed  down  to  us  the  names  of  the 
preachers  who  aided  Court  in  his  work  of  restoration. 
They  were  Jean  Hue  and  Jean  Vesson,  who  were 
afterwards  deposed  from  office  ;  Pierre  Durand  and 
Etienne  Arnaud,  two  future  martyrs,  and  Jean 
Bouvière  alias  Crotte  ;  but  the  most  remarkable  of 
all  was  Pierre  Carrière  alias  Cortiez.  This  pastor 
of  the  Desert  had  not  had  the  education  of  Court  but 
he  surpassed  him  in  activity  and  fearlessness.  When 
the  Synod  met,  Cortiez  was  at  Geneva.  Worn  out 
with  his  long  and  laborious  work  of  evangelization, 
and  free  from  the  incessant  pursuits  of  the 
dragoons,  he  had  gone  to  seek  repose  in  that  city,  and 
had  established  himself  there  since -1712.  He  there 
married  a  dressmaker  of  the  name  of  Isabeau. 
Unable  with  resignation  to  live  far  from  his 
persecuted  brethren,  he  left  his  wife,  returned  to 
France  and  the  Cevennes,  and  did  not  delay  to  enter 
into  communication  with  Antoine  Court.  None  of 
these  preachers  had  received  pastoral  consecration. 
In  1717  Court  urged  Cortiez  to  go  to  Zurich  to 
receive  the  imposition  ot  hands.  On  his  return  he 
consecrated  Court  in  a  Synod,  "  and  thus  he  secured 
the  thread  of  ordination,  according  to  the  apostolic 
rule  of  the  French  Reformed  Church." 


24       First  interview  of  Du  Plan  with  Antoine  Court. 

Among  the  lait}', he  who  became  the  most  eminent 
fellow  labourer,  and  the  most  devoted  friend 
of  Antoine  Court  was  without  doubt  Benjamin 
Du  Plan. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

FIRST  INTERVIEW  OF  BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN 

WITH    ANTOINE    COURT. 

1715. 

It  was  on  his  return  from  the  Synod  of  1715, 
during  a  tour  of  evangelization,  that  Antoine  Court, 
on  his  way  through  Alais,  saw  Benjamin  Du  Plan  for 
the  first  time.  After  this  interview,  the  two  young 
men  experienced  the  liveliest  sympathy  for  each  other. 
Du  Plan  was  older  than  Court  by  some  years  ;  he 
was  superior  in  knowledge  and  experience  in  addi- 
tion to  which  his  high  social  position,  and  above 
all  his  piety,  rendered  him  worthy  of  respect.  "  The 
young  preacher,"  says  the  historian  of  Antoine 
Court,  "  submitted  himself  without  anxiety  to  the 
authority  of  this  man  of  talent,  fortune,  and  piety. 
He  listened  to  his  recommendations,  and  confided  in 
his  experience,  and  as  their  projects  were  the  same 
he  arrived  at  no  decision  without  first  consulting 
him.  Du  Plan,  on  his  part,  encouraged  him,  praised 
his  ardour,  and  used  all  his  efforts  to  remove  the 
difficulties  that  lay  in  his  path.  Indeed,  in  this 
great  work  of  religious  revival  undertaken  by 
Antoine  Court  with  so  much  courage   and  firmness, 


Du  Plan  approves  of  Court's  projects.  25 

the  warm  exhortations  of  such  men,  and  their  sup- 
port and  counsel,  were  absolutely  necessary  to  for- 
tify his  mind  ;  any  other  man  would  have  failed 
before  the  almost  insurmountable  difficulties  he  had 
to  encounter."  * 

Antoine  Court  who  already  knew  Benjamin  Du 
Plan  by  reputation,  hastened  to  explain  to  his  new 
friend  his  projects  of  reform  and  the  last  decisions 
of  the  Synod  ;  Du  Plan  at  once  appreciated  their 
importance  and  urgent  necessity.  He  had  himself 
been  struck  with  the  absence  of  union  of  the 
Churches  among  themselves,  and  had  more  than 
once  lamented  the  disorders  produced  by  the 
unruliness  of  certain  members.  He  thoroughly  ap- 
proved of  all  that  had  been  decided  upon  at  Nimes, 
and  admired  not  onl}*-  the  courage  and  the  energy, 
l)ut  above  all  the  organising  genius  of  his  young 
friend,  and  promised  him  his  most  devoted  co-ope- 
ration. 

The  heart  of  Antoine  Court  bounded  at  this 
promise,  for  he  knew  how  great  and  legitimate  was 
the  influence  of  Du  Plan  on  the  Churches  of  Lower 
Languedoc  ;  he  was  not  unacquainted  with  his 
sympathies  for  the  Inspired,  and  he  had  feared  that 
the  last  decisions  of  the  Synod  relative  to  fanati- 
cism would  have  alienated  the  young  gentleman.  It 
was  not  so.  Without  doubt  the  conciliatory  spirit 
of  Du  Plan  might  have  preferred  more  mo- 
deration in  language   and  above  all  more  charity  : 

1.    Eil.  Hugues,  already  quoted. 


26  His  justification  of  inspiration. 

but  he  knew,  on  the  other  hand,  the  urgent  neces- 
sity of  uniting  in  one  common  organisation  all  the 
vital  energies  of  the  Church,  the  scattering  of  which 
would  in  a  short  time  have  consummated  its  ruin. 
Benjamin  Du  Plan,  being  a  warm  partisan  of  order 
and  discipline,  had  already  advised  the  formation  of 
the  official  bodies  agreed  to  by  the  Synod  and  had 
required  from  all  the  faithful,  under  pain  of  excom- 
munication, respect  for  the  constitution  and  discipline 
of  the  Church.  In  these  troublous  times  this  was  its 
salvation. 

The  judgment  pronounced  by  Court  and  the 
Synod  upon  the  Inspired  in  general  appeared  to  him 
excessive.  He  was  the  first  to  acknowledge  the 
whims  and  the  extravagances  of  some  ;  but  was  it 
not  going  too  far  to  comprehend  in  one  category 
all  as  imposters  and  fools  ?  .Was  it  not  necessary 
to  recognise  that  a  great  number  were  sincere  and, 
in  consequence,  worthy  of  great  respect  ?  During 
the  four  years  he  had  associated  with  these  per- 
sons and  habitually  attended  their  assemblies,  he 
had  seen  and  heard  things  which  to  him  appeared 
extraordinary  and  inexplicable  ;  ignorant  women, 
and  even  children,  expressed  themselves  in  a  choice 
language  to  which  they  were  not  accustomed,  pro- 
claiming the  wonderful  truths  of  Grod  ;  many  had 
predicted  things  to  him  which  had  afterwards  come 
to  pass  ;  and  finally  he  could  not  forget  that  at  these 
meetings  his  soul  had  received  the  light  of  the 
Gospel  ;  and  that  his  heart  had  there  found  repose 
and  peace. 


Antoine  Court  and  Du  Plan  make  a  friendly  league.    27 

Over  and  above  these  astonishing  facts  was  it 
not  true  that  the  belief  in  inspiration  and  prophecy 
was  also  according  to  the  analogy  of  faith?  Did  not 
the  Bible  justify  this  belief?  Did  not  the  Old 
Testament  contain  positive  declarations  on  this 
subject  ?  Was  not  that  of  the  prophet  Joel 
sufficient: — "And  it  shall  come  to  pass  afterward, 
that  I  will  pour  out  My  Spirit  upon  all  flesh  ;  and 
your  sons  and  your  daughters  shall  prophecy,  your 
old  men  shall  dream  dreams,  your  young  men  shall 
see  visions  :  and  also  upon  the  servants  and  upon 
the  handmaids  in  those  days  will  I  pour  out  My 
Spirit."     (Joel  II,  28-29.)? 

Lastly  had  not  the  Spirit  been  revealed  in  all 
ages  ?  Were  not  miracles  performed  in  the  first 
days  of  Christianity  ?  Why  should  the  cycle  of  re- 
velation be  for  ever  closed  ? 

Such  reasons  as  these  justified  the  pious  Noble- 
man of  Alais  in  his  particular  ideas.  He  had  dis- 
closed them  during  his  first  interview  with  Antoine 
Court,  who  had  not  hesitated  frankly  to  give  his  ad- 
vice. Court  was  happy  to  see  that  Du  Plan  was  no 
sectarian  and  that  his  particular  ideas  had  not  des- 
troyed his  ecclesiastical  principles.  When  separating, 
they  agreed  to  work  frankly  together  for  the  re- 
establishment  of  order  and  discipline,  and  as  to 
the  question  of  inspiration  they  agreed  to  consider 
it  later.  Alas  that  question  was  destined  to 
be  the  torment  of  the  life  of  Du  Plan  ;  it  created 
for  him  incessant  annoyance,  owing  to  the  in- 
tolerance   of    a  few  pastors   and   laymen,    and  it 


28  Death  of  Louis  XIV. 

at  last  put  a  stop  to  his  missionary  activity. 
Perhaps  he  did  not  always  take  sufficient  account  of 
the  susceptibilities  and  weaknesses  of  his  brethren  ; 
and  did  not  always  exercise  sufficient  wisdom  and 
prudence  in  his  relations  with  the  Inspired. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  in  the  midst  of  these  struggles 
he  found,  in  Antoine  Court,  a  constant  defender  and 
a  devoted  friend.  Antoine  Court  knew  him  well 
and  rendered  justice  to  the  rectitude  of  his  character 
and  the  sincerity  of  his  sentiments,  never  forgetting 
the  efficient  aid  that  Du  Plan  had  rendered  him  in 
the  commencement  of  a  career  sown  with  perils  of 
all  kinds. 

Thus  he  rendered  his  acknowledgement. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  END  OF  ONE  REIGN  AND  THE  COMMENCEMENT 
OF  ANOTHER. 

1715-1716. 

Some  days  after  the  Synod,  Louis  XIV.,  the 
great  persecutor,  he  whom  our  fathers  dreaded  as  "the 
flail  of  Grod,"  died  on  the  1st  of  September  1715.  The 
Churches  breathed  again,  and  under  a  new  reign 
hoped  to  see  their  long  and  cruel  sufferings  amelio- 
rated. They  had  unknowingly  just  escaped  a 
greater  misfortune.  Before  departing  from  this 
world  to  appear  in  the  presence  of  the  Sovereign 
Judge,    the  Despot   wished  to  crown  his  work  of 


His  last  Declaration.  29 

persecution  by  a  Declaration,  which  his  Confessor 
helped  him  to  sign.  This  Declaration  was  thus 
worded  :  "  All  those  who  declare  their  intention 
to  persist  and  to  die  in  the  pretended  Reformed 
Religion  shall  be  considered  as  '  relaps  ■  l  whether 
or  not  they  may  have  made  abjuration.  Whereas 
there  are  still  sojourning  in  our  Kingdom  many  who 
have  professed  the  pretended  Reformed  Religion, 
or  who  have  been  born  of  Protestant  parents  since 
our  prohibition  of  the  practice  of  the  said  Religion, 
the  same  is  more  than  sufficient  proof  that  they  have 
embraced  the  Roman  Catholic  and  Apostolic 
Religion  without  which  they  would  not  have  been 
tolerated.  "  2 

The  Parliament  of  Paris,  so  ready  heretofore  to 
register  every  intolerant  law,  withheld,  for  a  whole 
month  their  assent  to  this  declaration.  "Do  the 
annals  of  the  world  offer  another  example  of  a 
code  founded  on  such  a  fiotion?"  3  On  the 
publication  of  the  Edict  a  cry  of  grief  was  uttered 
by  every  Protestant,  a  fervent  prayer  ascended  to 
Clod,  the  Refuge  of  the  desolate,  and  the  death  of 
the  King  was  regarded  by  the  persecuted  as  a 
providential  deliverance. 

What  would  be  the  conduct  of  the  Regent  2 
Would  he  ratify  this  odious  Declaration,  or  would 
he  abrogate-  all  these  cruel  Edicts,    that  had  shed 

1.  The  canons  of  the  Popes  thus  called  those  who  had  anew  fallen 
into  heresy  after  having  abjured  and  been  absolved  by  the  Bishop. 

2.  Declaration  8th  March  1715. 

3.  Lemontey,  Etablissement  Monarchique  de  Louis  XIV. 


30  Influence  of  Charlotte  on  the  Regent. 

innocent  blood  and  impoverished  France,  by  driving 
from  her  bosom  the  best  of  her  children  ?  Every 
thing  seemed  hopeful.  The  new  ruler,  being 
the  son  of  Graston  of  Orleans  (the  brother  of 
Louis  XIV.),  and  of  the  Princess  Palatine,  Elizabeth 
Charlotte  of  Bavaria,  was  thus  allied  by  blood 
to  a  Protestant  King.  Though  Catholic  by  pro- 
fession, Charlotte  was  never  so  in  fact  ;  she 
was  even  at  heart  attached  to  Protestantism,  and 
often  shed  tears  in  secret  over  the  unfortunate 
condition  of  her  former  co-religionists.  Now  that 
her  son  held  in  his  hands  the  reins  of  power, 
she  implored  him,  with  truly  Christian  zeal, 
to  break  the  chains  of  the  Protestant  slaves. 
The  Regent  liberated  sixty-eight  of  these  unfor- 
tunates ;  free  exit  from  the  kingdom  was  permitted  ; 
and  the  Intendants  of  Dauphiny,  Guienne,  and 
Languedoc  received  instructions  to  be  more  lenient. 
He  appeared  indeed  well  disposed.  He  deplored 
the  fatal  consequences  of  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict 
of  Nantes  which  he  wished  to  repair  by  throwing 
open  the  frontiers  to  the  French  fugitives.  Unfor- 
tunately he  had  neither  the  power  nor  the  time  to 
execute  these  good  designs.  The  necessity  of  hu- 
mouring the  Episcopate,  his  incredulity,  his  natural 
indolence  and  his  immoderate  love  of  pleasure,  ren- 
dered him  insensible  to  the  cries  of  anguish  from  the 
Huguenots,  for  whom  his  mother  continued  vainly 
to  intercede.  The  Duke  of  Orleans  responded 
vaguely  to  the  numerous  petitions  of  the  Protes- 
tants, by  saying  that  he  hoped  to  find  in  their  good 


Persecution  in  Languedoc.  31 

conduct  cause  for  granting  such  indulgences  as 
might  be  found  compatible  with  prudence. 

All  at  once  in  1716,  their  hopes  were  dissipated, 
and  their  suspense  was  ended  :  the  Regent  in  his 
turn  became  a  persecutor.  In  the  month  of  June  there 
appeared  and  was  posted  up  in  all  the  boroughs  and 
villages  of  Languedoc  a  Royal  Decree,  which  revived 
all  the  restrictive  laws  of  the  preceding  reign  against 
the  assemblies,  the  ministers  and  the  preachers. 
Great  was  the  dismay  of  the  Huguenots.  Antoine 
Court  became  the  interpreter  of  his  brethren  in  an 
apology  which  he  wrote  to  Roquelaure  ;  he  therein 
protested  their  loyalty  to  the  Throne  ;  he  said  they 
were  not  seditious,  that  they  only  solicited  permission 
to  have  full  liberty  to  worship  the  Grod  of  their  fathers 
in  the  Desert.  "  Moreover,"  continued  he,  "whatever 
reception  might  be  given  to  their  petition,  they  were 
resolved  neither  to  abandon  their  assemblies,  nor  to 
renounce  that  faith  for  which  they  had  so  long 
sacrificed  their  lives  ;  what  sufferings  soever  should 
be  reserved  for  them,  they  would  die  without 
murmuring,  and  nothing  should  root  out  from  their 
hearts  the  sentiment  of  love  which  they  cherished 
for  the  King  and  the  Monarchy." 

The  answer  to  this  courageous  appeal  was  an 
increase  of  persecution.  The  frontier  was  again 
barred  to  the  refugees  who,  under  the  illusory  hope 
of  happier  days,  had  hastened  to  return  to  their 
country.  The  dragonnades  recommenced.  In  1717, 
an  assembly  was  surprised  near  Anduze  and 
seventy-four  persons  were  seized  and  conducted  to 


32  Arrest  of  Etienne  Arnaud. 

Montpellier.  Of  this  number  twenty-two  men 
were  condemned  to  the  galleys  and  the  women  to 
prison.  The  executioner  received  orders  to  erect 
in  the  Place  of  Anduze  a  post  upon  which  was  to 
be  inscribed  the  names  of  the  prisoners. 

These  severe  measures  narrowly  missed  pro- 
ducing a  revolt.  Such  an  irreparable  misfortune 
was  prevented  by  Antoine  Court.  By  his  preaching, 
by  the  numerous  Synods,  and  by  the  influence  of  his 
friends,  he  succeeded  in  calming  the  minds  of  the 
people.  He  endeavoured  to  obtain  liberty,  not  so 
much  by  violence,  like  the  Camisards,  as  by  resig- 
nation like  the  early  Christians.  He  himself  set 
the  example  on  a  memorable  occasion,  which  we 
recall,  because  it  affords  us  the  opportunity  of 
introducing  the  hero  of  our  history. 

In  1718  the  young  preacher  Etienne  Arnaud,  on 
his  return  from  an  Assembly  which  he  had  convoked 
in  the  environs  of  Alais,  was  arrested  by  soldiers.  He 
was  a  young  man  of  great  promise.  Originally  of 
St.  Hippolyte  de  la  Planquette,  he  had  sought  refuge 
in  Switzerland  after  the  defeat  of  the  Camisards,  had 
since  returned  to  France  in .  company  with  Cortiez 
and  had  devoted  himself  to  the  evangelization  of 
his  co-religionists.  Court  soon  became  attached  to 
him,  and  we  have  seen  him  sitting  with  a  small 
number  of  preachers  at  the  Synod  of  1715.  He  had 
also  become  the  friend  of  Du  Plan  who  was  in  the 
habit  of  receiving  him  at  his  house,  and  also  of 
helping  him. 


Efforts  to  obtain  hit   release.  .">."> 

The  news  of  the  seizure  of  A  maud  produced  a  pain- 
ful impression  among  the  Huguenots,  who  had  appre- 
ciated his  character  and  his  precocious  talents.  A 
detachment  of  not  more  thy  u  forty  soldiers  was  to  con- 
duct him  from  Alais  to  Montpellier.  A  few  resolute 
men  resolved  upon  lying  in  ambush  on  the  road  in  order 
to  rescue  the  young  preacher.  Hut;  before  putting 
this  plan  into  execution  they  consulted  Court.  Court 
loved  Arnaud  as  a  brother  and  would  have  given  his 
life  to  save  him.  He  did  not.  however,  believe  it 
right  to  encourage  the  conspirators  in  their  project, 
which  he  forbad  them  t«-  put  into  execution,  "pre- 
ferring to  see  a  brother  seal  w  it  h  his  blood  the  truths 
he  had  preached,  rather  than  risk  plunging  the  coun- 
try into  agitation  by  giving  him  his  liberty  to  edify 
the  people  once  more." 

Du  Plan  endeavoured  in  another  way  to  save  his 
young  friend  from  death.  H--  r  rote  to  the  Court 
imploring  its  favour.  The  <  '..urt  responded  favour- 
ably to  this  appeal,  an<  gave  orders  accordingly  to 
the  judges  of  Montpellier  ;  but  the  <-ruel  Intendant 
Baville,1  determined  not  to  Le1  his  prey  escape  him, 
had  transported  Arnaud  from  th>  prison  of  Mont- 
pellier to  that  of  Nism&s,  a*  he  counted  much  on 
the  unscrupulous  subservience  of  the  judges  at  that 
place.  Time  pressed  ;  Du  Plan  wrote  to  the  sister 
of  Arnaud  who  was  ai  Paris,  ;o,d  advised  her  of 
the  steps  to  be  taken  to  obtain  the  liberty  of  her 
brother.      These  were    com]  letely    successful,    but 


1.  Arnaud  was  the  last  victi i"  ihi*  ■■'■■•■  i  laU  ndant  wli<>  had  «lone 

SO  much  mischief  tt»  our  Church»  k. 


34  Du  Plana  letter  to  the  mother  of  Arnaud. 

unfortunately  too  late.  Baville  used  his  influence 
to  constrain  the  judges,  who  were  devoted  to  him,  to 
try,  and  to  condemn  Arnaud,  and  caused  him  to 
be  hung  on  the  Place  de  la  Maréchale  at  Alais. 
The  young  martyr  submitted  to  his  cruel  fate  with 
a  heroic  firmness  which  drew  tears  from  the  Governor, 
the  Jesuit  who  assisted  him,  and  even  from  the 
executioner  himself. 

The  following  is  the  touching  letter  written  by 
Du  Plan  to  the  mother  of  Arnaud,  then  a  refugee  at 
Geneva,  eight  days  after  the  execution  of  the  young 
preacher  : — 

"  My  dear  Sister  in  Jesua  Christ, 
u  After  having  debated  in  my  mind  several  days  wheth  er 
to  write  to  you,  or  not,  I  have  thought  it  my  duty  to 
disregard  all  opposing  considerations,  and  to  do  so.  As 
you  interest  yourself  so  much  in  all  that  relates  to  the  Church, 
and  particularly  in  everything  connected  with  our  well 
beloved  younger  brother,  and  as  I  love  you  so  well,  it  is  a 
pleasure  to  me  to  inform  you  of  all  that  transpires  of 
any  importance  in  this  country.  You  will  learn  then,  my 
dear  sister,  that  this  faithful  confessor  of  the  truth,  after 
having  been  kept  prisoner  about  a  month,  during  which  time 
all  those  who  loved  religion  and  who  knew  him  offered  up 
their  prayers  to  God  for  his  deliverance,  has  been  condemned 
to  a  death  the  least  cruel  of  all  those  which  justice  can  inflict. 
The  sentence  was  pronounced  at  Nimes  and  executed  at  Alais. 
Never  was  seen  victim  more  tranquil  and  more  resigned  to 
death  than  this  poor  lamb.  His  most  cruel  enemies  were 
painfully  affected  ;  nearly  everyone  shed  tears.  The 
Jesuit,  though  his  importunate  exhortations  were  repeatedly 
repulsed  was  obliged  to  confess  that  if  he  had  been 
in  the  Romish  Church  he  would  have  been  regarded  as  a 
martyr;  the  officer  who  had  charge  of  him,  and  even  a  police 


He  consoles  her  in  her  affliction.  35 

officer,  and  many  others,  told  me  that  he  spoke  and  died 
like  a  saint;  the  executioner  in  tears  acknowledged  that  he 
had  put  to  death   an   angel.      I  cannot  indeed  tell  you 
all  the  good  which  has  been  said  of  this  dear  young  brother  ; 
his  gentleness,  his  patience,  and  his  charity,  have  so  gained 
and  so  softened  the  heart  of  all,  that  no  person  dare  speak  any 
evil  concerning  him,  without  exposing  himself  to  the  scorn 
and  hatred  of  the  public.    I  have  no  doubt,  my  dear  sister, 
that  you  will  submit  with  joy  to  the  Will  of  heaven  which 
had  predestinated  your  dear  son  to  be  among  the  number  of 
the  martyrs.    Men  have  only  executed  the  Decrees  of  God  ; 
we  must  adore  with  pious  submission  that  invisible  Hand 
which  rules  with  an  unerring  wisdom  all  the  events  which 
transpire  in  this  world.    We  might  in  truth  be  sad  while  the 
dear  lamb  was  among  the  wolves  ;  our  tears  seemed  reason- 
able ;  but  now  that  he  is  among  the  glorified  saints,  where  he 
contemplates  the  face  of  his  Saviour,  and  where  he  is  ravished 
with  joy,  we  should  be  indeed  blind,  ungrateful  and  unjust* 
to  regret  his  happiness  ;  God  forbid  !  It  would  be  necessary 
to  disown  the  faith  which  teaches  us  that  they  are  blessed 
who  have  suffered  for  truth,  and  are  dead  in  the  Lord  ;  yea 
certainly,  for  they  rest  from  their  labours,  and  their  works  do 
follow  them.     I  know,  I  have  seen,  and  I  am  with  others 
witness  to  the  fact  that  this  dear  young  brother  conquered 
and  died  as  a  faithful  servant  of  God.    I  believe,  and  am 
assured  that  the  Lord  according  to  the  truth  of  His  promises 
has  admitted  him  into  His  Kingdom  of  Glory,  to  receive  part 
of  His  inheritance.  It  is  tniswhich  consoles  me  in  the  affliction 
I  have  felt  in  being  deprived  of  his  presence.    I  rejoice 
indeed  with  him,  in  the  hope  that  I  shall  soon  rejoin  him 
there,  where  he  is  for  ever  praising,  blessing,  and  glorifying 
my  Saviour  and  my  God.    You  no  doubt  agree,  my  dear 
sister,  in  these  sentiments  :  You  dwell  in  a  place  where  you 
have  favorable  opportunities  tor  confirming  yourself  in  them  ; 
I  beseech  you  never  to  neglect  them  ;  every  day   with  the 
help  of  that  grace  which  never  fails  those  who  ask  for  it  as 
they     should,     increase    in    holiness,     and    be    assured 


36  Scipion  Soulan. 

that  you  will  soon  see  the  accomplishment  of  the  promises 
which  God  has  made  to  His  Church  and   especially  to  him 
who  calls  himself  always  with  much  esteem,  sincerity,  and 
affection,  my  very  dear  sister  in  Jesus  Christ, 
u  Your  very  humble  brother  and  servant, 

"  Benj D 

"  If  the  martyr  had  wished  to  redeem  his   life   at  the 
expense  of  his  conscience  he  could  have  done  so. 
"Nimes,  1st  of  February,  1718." 


CHAPTER  VI. 

CARDINAL  ALBÉRONI  AND  SCIPION  SOULAN. 
1719. 

A  grave  event  proved  to  the  Regent  in  a 
striking  manner  the  peaceable  character  of  the  Hu- 
guenots of  his  kingdom. 

At  this  period,  war  having  broken  out  between 
France  and  Spain,  the  ambitious  and  intriguing  Car- 
dinal Albéroni,  minister  of  Philip  V.,  conceived  the 
idea  of  stirring  up  the  Protestants  of  Languedoc  to 
create  troubles  in  France  during  the  progress  of 
which  she  might  be  attacked  on  the  frontier.  To  this 
end  he  made  use  of  a  certain  Scipion  Soulan,  born  at 
St.Hilaire,near  Alais.  He  was  a  young  man,  twenty- 
five  years  of  age,  a  gambler  and  a  libertine  who  had 
roamed  about  the  world  and  tried  every  profes- 
sion. After  having  fought  in  his  youth  with  the 
Camisards  he  had  enrolled  himself  in  the  same  re- 
giment as  Du  Plan.  It  was  there  that  Du  Plan  had 
known  him.  Being  expelled  for  theft  he  left  for 
Venice  ;  from  thence  he  went  into   Spain  where  he 


Action  of  the  Regent.  37 

offered  his  services  to  Albéroni.  The  Duke  of  Or- 
leans was  alarmed  and  feared  a  general  insurrection. 
He  immediately  negociated  with  Ba.snage,  formerly 
a  pastor  of  Rouen,  who  had  retired  into  Holland 
since  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  and 
with  Professor  l'ietet  of  (Jeneva.  in  order  to  induce 
them  to  use  their  influence  with  their  co-religionists  of 
Languedoc,  to  prevent  an  insurrection.  Pietet  and 
Basnage  wrote  immediately;  they  bade  their  brethren 
entertain  respect  for  and  loyalty  to  the  Sovereign 
and  counselled  them  to  suspend  the  assemblies. 
Their  letters  appeared  in  profusion  in  Poitou  and 
Languedoc,  and  caused  the  greatest  surprise.  Antoine 
Court,  who  knew  nothing  of  the  affair  of  Soulan  and 
the  conspiracy  of  Albéroni,  hastened  to  respond  by 
a  long  and  beautiful  letter  to  the  Pastor  of  La  Haye. 
He  therein  declared  the  loyalty  of  his  brethren 
towards  the  King,  but  at  the  same  time  their  firm 
resolution  to  continue  to  serve  (iod  in  the  Desert. 

"We  will,"  he  said,  "to  our  last  hour,  while  rendering 
to  Caesar  that  which  is  Caesar's,  render  to  God  that  which 
is  Cod's.  Our  assemblies  are  not  riotous,  and  we  do  not 
carry  arms  ;  we  have  carefully  forbidden  them  under  pain  of 
high  treason  not  only  human  but  divine  !  "  (1719.) 

The  Regent  did  not  limit  his  efforts  to  the  nego- 
tiations with  Basnage  and  Pietet.  He  conferred  with 
the  Marquis  de  Duquesne  who  was  then  at  Paris.  The 
Marquis  selected  aProtestantNobleman  of  Dauphiny, 
M.  (ienac  de  Beaulieu,  to  go  among  the  Protestants 
in  order  to  sound  them  and  prevent  insurrection. 
This  gentleman  came  to  Nismes,  and  conferred  with 


38  Du  Plan's  mission  to  Nismes. 

the  leading  men  amongst  the  Huguenots,  Nobles  and 
merchants,  who  were  all  astonished  at  the  fears  of  the 
Court  and  assured  him  of  their  loyalty.  M.  de  Beau- 
lieu,  according  to  his  instructions,  demanded  for 
a  time  the  cessation  of  their  religious  assemblies. 
They  replied  that  this  did  not  depend  upon  them, 
and  that  it  was  necessary  to  speak  to  the  ministers 
who  convoked  the  assemblies.  M.  de  Beaulieu 
then  addressed  himself  to  Antoine  Court,  who  at 
that  time  was  taking  the  mineral  waters  at  Euzet, 
appointing  a  meeting  at  Durfort.  Court  wrote  im- 
mediately to  Du  Plan,  whom  he  always  consulted  on 
grave  affairs,  and  M.  de  Beaulieu,  having  failed  to 
attend  the  rendez-vous  at  Durfort  under  pretext  that 
he  feared  to  exceed  his  orders,  Du  Plan  went  to 
confer  with  him  at  Nismes.  Before  leaving,  the 
pious  emissary,  feeling  the  need  of  the  help  of  the 
Church,  wrote  to  his  friend  and  the  Elders  recom- 
mending himself  and  his  mission  to  their  prayers. 
He  wrote  the  following  letter  to  the  Elders  : — 

To  Messieurs  my  good  friends,  wheresoever  they  are. 
Messieurs  and  dear  brethren, 

a  I  await  your  news  with  impatience.  I  have  received 
the  letter  of  our  brother  Court  which  has  given  me  much 
pleasure,  displaying  as  it  does  his  resolution  to  sustain  the 
interests  and  the  glory  of  God  in  reference  to  the  assemblies. 
I  believe,  Messieurs,  that  you  all  hold  the  same  sentiments  ; 
the  chief  thing  is  to  observe  carefully  the  rules,  the  mode- 
ration, and  the  maxims  ot  Jesus  Christ,  Who  was  full  of 
gentleness,  humility,  charity,  holiness  and  zeal  for  the  ad- 
vancement of  His  Father's  glory.    Persevere,  my  very  dear 


IL   there  vindicates  the  Assemblies.  39 

brethren,  in  the  good  work  which  the  Lord  has  put  in  your 
hands.  Be  faithful  unto  Ilim  and  you  will  undoubtedly  see 
in  our  days  the  Church  flourish  in  this  kingdom  in  spite  of 
Satan,  the  world  and  the  flesh.  God  permits  His  enemies  to 
walk  the  face  ot  the  earth  in  order  to  prove  the  righteous, 
but  the  wicked  shall  be  consumed  to  give  place  to  a  nation  of 
righteousness  who  shall  glorify  God  in  spirit  and  in  truth. 

u  I  received  yesterday  evening,  my  dear  brethren,  a 
letter  from  M.  Plantier,  by  an  express,  which  informed  me 
that  M.  .  .  .  wished  to  have  an  interview  with  me  before 
leaving,  in  order  to  render  an  account  of  his  commission,  but 
the  affair  presses  and  I  have  not  a  day  to  spare.  Le  Sieur 
Plantier  judged  it  apropos  that  M.  Court  and  others  should 
be  at  the  rendez-vous,  but  as  he  left  the  thing  to  my  direction, 
I  have  not  thought  it  right  to  expose  you  to  danger  ;  1  know 
well  enough  your  sentiments  on  all  our  affairs.  I  shall  act 
as  your  representative  and  afterwards  render  to  you  an 
exact  account  of  our  conference.  I  pray  you,  my  very  dear 
brethren,  as  the  business  is  delicate  and  of  great  importance, 
not  to  forget  in  all  your  prayers  to  ask  Him  Who  is  your 
Interpreter  to  give  me  His  Spirit,  that  I  may  speak  with 
wisdom  and  with  power,  in  behalf  ot  the  interests  of  the 
Church  which  He  has  redeemed  by  His  blood. 

"  Remember  the  fast  of  the  7th  of  September.  I  pray  that 
God  may  sustain  and  animate  you  by  His  spirit,  and  that  by 
His  grace  He  may  soon  make  us  to  unite,  without  fear  of  our 
enemies,  in  sounding  glorious  Alleluias  to  the  Eternal,  our 
God.  I  am  always,  very  sincerely,  your  very  humble  and 
obedient  servant." 

May  1719.  "Benjamin." 

On  arriving  at  Nismes,  Du  Plan  first  held  a  few 
conferences  with  the  chief  citizens,  merchants,  and 
noblemen  of  the  neighbourhood  who,  though  not 
openly,  were  at  heart  Protestants.  They  advised 
suspending  the  assemblies.     Du  Plan   rejected  this 


40  ReimH  of  his  Mission, 

with  indignation,  and  at  the  close  of  the  conference 
he  wrote  to  the  Marquis  de  Duquesne,  in  the  name 
of  the  Churches,  to  assure  the  Court  of  their  fidelity, 
but  to  affirm  also,  that  they  would  at  any  price 
render  to  Grod  that  which  belonged  to  Grod  in 
glorifying  Him  in  the  assemblies.  As  to  Soulan, 
if  he  came  into  Languedoc  to  excite  the  people,  Du 
Plan  promised  to  arrest  and  deliver  him  over  to 
justice,  on  condition  thaï  he  should  not  be  put  to 
death. 

The  Marquis  de  Duquesne  communicated  this 
letter  to  the  Regent  or  to  the  chief  Minister  ;  it 
was  declared  to  be  satisfactory  and  M.  de  Beaulieu 
assured  the  Nobleman  of  Alais  that  the  cessation  of 
the  assemblies  would  n<>  longer  be  insisted  upon. 

This  news  was  not  long  in  being  disseminated 
among  the  faithful.  The  heart  of  Court  expanded 
with  joy.  The  past  was  forgotten, the  future  was  full 
of  hope.  The  Court  convinced  at  last  that  the  Pro- 
testants were  not  rebels,  would  surely  relax  its 
rigourous  measures  and  out  a  stop  to  cruel  and 
causeless  persecution.  A  Synod  was  immediately 
convoked  for  the  21st  of  March  1719,  and  it  was 
thereat  resolved  to  write  two  letters  to  M.  de 
Beaulieu;  the  one  relating  to  the  assemblies  and  the 
other  to  the  devotion  of  the  Protestants  to  the  King. 

Du  Plan,  not  having  been  able  to  be  present  at 
this  reunion,  considered  it  his  duty  to  write  to  his 
colleagues,  to  recommend  continued  patience,  resig- 
nation and  fidelity. 


Du  Plan's  letter  to  the  Synod.  41 

"  To  the  Pastors,  Elders  and  Brethren,  assembled  tor  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church, 

u  Messieurs  my  very  dear  and  honored  brethren  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  peace,  grace  and  love  of  our  Saviour 
God  be  with  you. 

u  Being  unable,  for  reasons  which  I  cannot  put  in  writing, 
to  take  part  in  the  Assembly  of  which  two  of  you  have  done  me 
the  honor  to  inform  me,  I  shall  increase  my  prayers  to  God, 
to  the  end  that  His  spirit  may  preside  over  it  in  an  especial 
manner  for  the  glory  of  His  Great  and  Holy  name,  for  the 
edification  ot  His  church,  for  the  confusion  of  Satan,  and  for 
the  destruction  of  Anti-Christ  and  his  agents.  I  hope  through 
the  mercy  of  God  that  my  prayers  will  have  more  effect  than 
my  presence,  and  that  your  charity  and  discretion  will 
convince  you  that  my  absence  is  based  on  sound  reasons. 
For  I  regard  it  as  an  honor  and  a  glory  to  be  united  with  the 
faithful  servants  of  Jesus  Christ,  though  the  world  scorns, 
calumniates,  and  persecutes  them.  I  am  ready  even,  if  it  be 
necessary,  with  the  help  and  grace  of  my  God,  to  sacrifice 
worldly  goods,  temporal  honors,  and  life  tor  the  service 
of  His  church. 

"  Before  giving  you  my  advice  on  the  business  which 
you  will  discuss,  it  is  well  that  I  should  inform  you  that  the 
authorities  are  not  ignorant  of  your  names  ;  they  know  all 
that  happens  in  the  country.  For  this  reason  it  is  more 
necessary  than  ever  to  redouble  our  prayers  to  God,  to  the 
end  that  He  may  change  the  heart  of  our  enemies  in  our 
favor.  Our  brother  Court  knows  that  we  have  informed  the 
Court  of  our  innocence  and  loyalty  to  the  King,  but  that  is 
not  enough.  It  is  necessary  that  we  be  loyal  to  God  and 
that  we  have  in  view  in  all  our  actions  only  the  glory  ot  God 
and  the  salvation  of  our  neighbours  ;  it  is  necessary  that  His 
law  and  commandments  should  bo  written  in  our  hearts, 
before  we  presume  to  publish  them  to  His  people.  Woe  to 
him  who,  after  having  shown  to  others  the  way  of  salva- 
tion, falls  himself  into  the  abyss  of  perdition. 

u  The  Commandant  and  the  Intendant  of  the  Province 


42  He  recommends  moderation. 

are  travelling  through  the  towns  and  villages  of  the  country  ; 
it  is  well  that  I  should  remain  where  I  am,  to  learn  if  possible 
from  their  speech  and  conversation,  whether  we  have  yet 
to  suffer,  or  whether  we  may  hope  for  some  alleviationof  our 
sufferings.     I  will  inform  you  ot  all  on  the  first  opportunity.. 

"  I  have  learned,  my  dear  brethren,  that  you  assemble, 
not  alone  to  take  necessary  measures  for  the  edification  of  the- 
Church  but  to  anticipate  the  cunning  of  the  Devil  who  is 
always  seeking  to  raise  divisions  among  you.  It  is  of  the 
utmost  importance  that  you  should  be  united  among  your- 
selves, for  you  know  that  a  kingdom  divided  against  itself 
cannot  stand.  In  the  name  of  God,  think  of  your  latter  end  ; 
let  each  one  guard  his  secret  thoughts  ;  God  knows  your 
intentions  ;  if  you  work  for  His  glory  and  not  for  your  own 
interests,  God  will  prepare  for  you  an  eternal  glory  and  great 
happiness  ;  but  if  unhappily  anyone  allows  himself  to  be 
blindly  seduced  by  his  self-love,  in  seeking  the  esteem  and 
approbation  of  men  and  the  ease  and  pleasures  of  the  flesh, 
God  will  confound  him,  and  permit  him  tjo  fall  into  the  hands 
of  men  or  of  demons,  who  will  cause  him  to  perish.  In  the 
name  of  God,  my  dear  brethren,  let  each  one  examine  hinir 
self!  If  anyone  is  reputed  to  possess  any  thing  or  any  talent 
which  does  not  glorify  God,  he  is  unworthy  to  bear  the  name 
of  Christian  ;  he  who  is  the  most  endowed  with  grace  and 
virtue,  let  him  be  the  most  humble  and  charitable  ;  let  him 
not  raise  his  voice  in  the  assembly  with  bitterness  against 
his  brother,  when  he  has  erred  in  ecclesiastical  discipline, 
but  endeavour  with  gentleness  to  bring  him  back  into  the 
right  path  !  It  is  thus  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  good  Shepherd, 
Whom  we  should  imitate,  acts  towards  us  when  we  wander. 

"  The  unhappy  state  of  our  affairs  does  not  permit  us  to 
use  rigourous  excommunication.  Declare  however  in  the 
midst  of  the  assembly  of  Pastors  and  Elders  that  you  will 
leave  to  the  justice  of  God  the  first  who  shall  infringe  by 
pride,  or  by  a  schismatic,  heretical  or  calumniating  spirit, 
against  the  rules  you  have  established,  in  the  name  of  God 
the  Father,  the  Son,  and  the  Holy  Spirit,  for  the  advancement 


He  exhorts  to  prayer.  43 

of  His  reign  and  the  good  of  His  Church!  After  this  the 
faithful  pastors  may  rest  in  the  assurance  that  Providence 
will  avenge  in  a  terrible  manner  any  outrages  against  its 
glory. 

u  Although  I  believe  that  in  these  Synodal  Assemblies  you 
are  careful  to  implore  the  assistance  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  bear 
with  me  if  I  exhort  you  to  be  more  frequent  in  prayer  than 
you  have  hitherto  been.  This  is  necessary  for  several  reasons  : 
first,  because  you  know  that  except  the  Lord  build  the  house 
they  labour  in  vain  that  build  it,  and  that  it  is  useless  to 
make  wise  laws  if  the  Lord  does  not  bless  your  efforts  by 
diffusing  His  love  in  your  hearts  to  observe  them  : 
secondly,  because  we  are  under  the  cross  and  always 
in  danger  of  falling  into  the  hands  of  our  enemies  who 
would  delight  in  sacrificing  us  to  their  hatred:  and 
lastly,  because  I  believe  it  to  be  true  that  God  is  ready  to 
manifest  His  power  and  His  compassion  on  behalt  of  His 
Church,  if  we  are  careful  frequently  to  humble  ourselves  in 
His  presence,  to  pray  for  His  help,  and  to  render  thanks  for 
all  the  good  that  we  have  received  from  His  bountiful  Hand. 

M  I  pray  you  to  be  so  good  as  to  send  me  before  separat- 
ing an  abstract  of  the  resolutions  you  may  adopt.  I  commend 
myself  to  your  earnest  prayers  ;  do  not  forget  me  in  your 
assemblies  or  in  private  ;  since  I  never  forget  you  when 
I  offer  my  supplications  to  God.  God  bless  and  sanctify  you, 
and  God  render  you  faithful  in  the  ministry  which  He  has 
committed  to  you;  God  render  you  more  and  more  capable 
of  edifying  and  consoling  His  afflicted  Church  !  God  at  length 
grant  that  you  may  obtain  an  entire  victory,  over  the  world, 
the  flesh  and  the  devil  and  that  you  may  inherit  the  Crown 
of  righteousness  which  I  wish  for  you  with  all  my  soul,  as 
being,  Messieurs  and  my  dear  and  well  beloved  brethren  in 
Jesus  Christ,  your  humble  and  affectionate  servant. 

May  1719.  "Benjamin." 


44  The  pestilence  of  Alms. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE  PESTILENCE  OF  ALAI8. 
1720—1721. 

What  was  the  result  of  all  these  courageous 
protestations  of  fidelity  towards  the  Prince  ?  The 
Court  was  so  much  perplexed  with  Spain  that  the 
persecution  appeared  to  abate.  The  assemblies 
could  be  attended  without  being  seriously  dis- 
turbed by  the  troops.  Nevertheless  neither  the 
edicts  nor  the  ordinances  had  been  abrogated  ;  they 
were  always  suspended,  like  the  sword  of  Damocles, 
over  the  heads  of  the  pastors  and  the  faithful,  as 
these  did  not  fail  soon  to  discover.  When  Spain 
had  been  subdued,  and  though  there  was  no  dread  of 
a  new  crusade  from  the  Camisards,  the  Court  renewed 
against  Protestantism  the  work  of  destruction  under- 
taken by  Louis  XIV.  In  Brittany,  Dauphiny, 
Poitou,  and  Languedoc,  and  wherever  Huguenots 
were  found,  their  assemblies  were  dispersed  and  the 
preachers  rigorously  hunted. 

Bornage  had  succeeded  Baville  as  Intendant  of 
Languedoc,  a  change  that  for  the  Protestants  of  the 
South  was  only  a  change  of  executioners.  The  new 
Intendant  sought  to  surpass  in  zeal,  that  is  to  say 
in  cruelty,  his  predecessor  of  sinister  memory. 
Accompanied  by  the  Duke  de  Roquelaure,  he  visited 
the  province,  summoned  before  him  the  chief 
Protestants  of  each  town  and  forbade  them  to  hold 
their  assemblies  under  pain  of  incurring  the  anger 


Relii/ious  geai  ie  reawakened.  45 

of  the  Regent.  One  year  had  scareely  elapsed  since 
the  brilliant  promises — made  by  the  DukedeBeaulieu 
— in  the  name  of  the  Prince  ! 

The  troubles  of  the  Church  were  now  increased  by 
the  appearance  of  a  new  scourge.  The  pestilence 
which  had  desolated  and  depopulated  Marseilles 
spread  with  an  incredible  rapidity  to  Provence  and 
Languedoc.  In  1721  it  broke  out  at  Alais,  and  there 
made  great  ravages.  The  wise  measures  adopted  by 
the  magistrates  checked  its  progress.  "  A  cordon  of 
troops  was  formed  to  prevent  communication  with 
the  other  towns.  No  one  was  allowed  either  to  go 
in  or  out  ;  infirmaries  were  established  outside  the 
town,  where  persons  who  were  attacked  by  the 
sickness  were  carried  and  quarantine  was  instituted 
in  the  country  houses  of  the  environs  :  all  those  who 
had  communicated  with  the  infected,  and  all  the 
contents  of  the  houses  where  the  pestilence  had 
resulted  in  death  were  fumigated.  The  persons 
to  whom  this  work  was  intrusted  as  well 
as  those  who  interred  the  bodies,  had  no  commu- 
nication with  the  other  inhabitants,  all  of  whom  were 
shut  up,  each  family  in  its  own  house,  and  not 
allowed  to  go  out  without  incurring  the  severest 
penalties.  The  Catholics  were  also  forbidden  to 
assemble  more  than  twelve  persons  at  one  time  in 
their  churches.''  l 

The  ravages  of  the  scourge  revived  the  zeal 
of  the  religious;  the  Protestants  saw  in  it  a 
judgment  of  Grod  to   punish  the    infidelity    of   His 

1.  Bonnal  Olive.    Notice  sur  Adit*. 


46  Activity  and  devotion  of  Du  Plan. 

people.  The  Pastors,  entirely  occupied  in  visiting 
and  caring  for  their  sick,  entertained  for  a  moment  the 
idea  of  suspending  the  assemblies,  but  the  faithful 
protested,  and  in  spite  of  the  general  interdict  hasten- 
ed into  the  desert  to  edify  and  humble  themselves. 
The  rich,  more  alarmed  than  the  poor,  displayed 
an  extreme  zeal  ;  the  preaching  bore  happy  results, 
and  the  young  people  openly  manifested  sentiments 
of  repentance.  "  At  the  sight  of  this  spiritual  re- 
surrection,*' wrote  Court  in  1721,  "it  appears  that 
new  blood  circulates  in  the  veins  of  the  Protestants, 
and  that  a  new  spirit  animates  their  body.  Satan 
falls  like  lightning  from  heaven."  The  Churches  of 
Lozère,  the  Pont-de-Montvert,  Saint  Julien  d'Arpaon, 
and  Cassagnas  made  great  progress  ;  it  was  neces- 
sary to  increase  the  number  of  the  Elders  of  the 
Churches  of  Lasalle,  Saumane  and  Alais  ;  and  the 
town  of  Ganges,  which  had  been  very  remiss,  returned 
again  to  the  faith. 

During  all  the  time  of  the  scourge,  the  zeal  and 
devotion  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan  were  redoubled  and 
his  health  in  consequence  became  impaired,  and  for 
years  after  he  suffered  from  the  excessive  fatigues 
which  he  endured  during  this  terrible  calamity. 
He  continued  his  religious  réunions  with  the 
tacit  permission  of  Mgr.  d'Avéjan,  Bishop  of  Alais  ; 
but  the  Governor  of  the  town  and  the  Commandant 
of  the  troops  were  greatly  irritated  at  it.  "  They 
knew  all  that  I  did,"  Du  Plan  tells  us  himself;  "  the 
officers  and  soldiers  seeing  me  pass  along  the  streets 
pointed  to  me  with   their   finger   saying   to   their 


He  is  tolerated  by  the  Bishop.  47 

comrades,  '  there  is  the  minister  of  the  Huguenots.' 
Although  these  things  were  told  me,  I  went  from 
time  to  time  as  usual  to  the  surprise  of  everybody, 
to  visit  the  Bishop,  the  (iovernor,  and  even 
the  Jesuits;  but  that  which  above  all  surprized 
one  day  the  Ecclesiastics,  who  were  instigating  the 
Bishop  against  me  with  great  zeal,  were  the  Pre- 
lates own  words,  afterwards  reported  to  me  by  a 
gentleman  who  was  present  :  'Let  him  alone,  he 
is  my  principal  curate.'  " 

Such  tolerance  at  that  time  and  from  individuals 
so  exalted  can  only  be  explained  by  the  intimate 
and  friendly  relations  which  united  the  family  of  Du 
Plan  with  the  great  personages  of  the  town,  and  in 
particular  with  the  Marquis  de  la  Fare,  a  relation 
of  the  Bishop  d'Avejan. 

Yet  the  public  misfortunes  scarcely  abated  the 
persecution  ;  the  assemblies  were  hunted  down,  the 
galleys  were  crowded  with  new  slaves  and  the 
Tower  of  Constance  with  new  prisoners.  It  is 
especially  mentioned  that  one  assembly  was  sur- 
prised in  a  place  called  the  Torrent  du  Caderemi,  a 
locality  situated  near  Nismes,  fifty  persons  were 
arrested  and  shut  up  in  the  fort  of  Nismes,  three 
were  condemned  to  the  galleys  and  nineteen  were 
transported  to  the  Mississippi. 


48  Departure  of  Court  for  Geneva. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BENJAMIN   DU    PLAN    AND    THE    VE8S0NNIENS. 

1721—1724. 

The  year  1721  was  for  Du  Plan  a  particularly 
unfortunate  one.  To  the  two  scourges,  the  pestilence 
and  the  persecution,  was  added  a  quarrel  in  the 
Church  on  the  subject  of  the  Inspired.  This  quarrel 
broke  out  during  the  absence  of  Antoine  Court,  who 
had  set  out  for  Geneva  in  1720.  The  object  of  his 
journey  was  to  dissipate  the  prejudices  ©f  the  pastors 
and  the  faithful  of  that  Church  against  their  co-reli- 
gionists of  Prance.  The  former  had  falsely  accused  the 
preachers  of  exposing  the  Protestants  without  neces- 
sity, by  obstinately  holding  illicit  assemblies  in  the 
Desert  ;  they  reproached  them  also  with  fomenting 
revolt  against  the  King  and  with  permitting  them- 
selves to  be  carried  away  by  the  ridiculous  eccentri- 
cities of  visionaries  and  the  Inspired.  Court  con- 
quered all  these  prejudices.,  and  revived  the  interest 
and  zeal  with  which  the  faithful  of  Greneva  had  never 
ceased  to  regard  their  brethren  of  France,  notwith- 
standing the  menaces  and  the  restrictive  measures  of 
the  King.  He  was  away  two  years.  During  this 
time  his  flock,  their  sufferings  and  misfortunes  were 
the  constant  objects  of  his  sympathy  and  solicitude.  He 
had  confided  them  to  faithful  hands.  Cortiez  replaced 
him,  and  Benjamin  Du  Plan  used  redoubled  activity 
and  zeal.  But  his  absence  appeared  too  long.  Cortiez, 
overworked,  and  no  longer  equal  to  the  task,  wrote 


His  letter  to  Du  Plan.  49 

letter  after  letter  to  his  colleague  to  hasten  his 
return  ;  Du  Plan  was  no  less  pressing  ;  Antoine 
Court  replied  to  the  Gentleman  of  Alais  : 

"  Monsieur, 
"  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  your  valuable  letter 
in  which  I  have  seen  with  renewed  pleasure  that  you  show 
the  same  piety  and  the  same  zeal  which  God  has  so  long 
scattered  abundantly  in  your  soul  :  you  have  always 
followed  the  salutary  movements  that  inspired  these  virtues 
in  a  heart  which  gloried  in  their  possession.  By  the  one  you 
have  defended  the  interest  and  the  truth  of  religion,  and 
by  the  other  you  have  taught  its  followers  in  your  own 
person  that  nothing  is  contained  in  its  precepts  which  it  is 
not  easy  to  practice.  By  one  of  these  virtues  I  see  you 
sacrificing  ease,  goods,  honor  and,  if  requisite,  life  itself,  to 
the  salvation  of  your  brethren,  in  communicating  to  them  the 
light  and  the  knowledge  with  which  Heaven  inspires  you  ; 
by  the  other  you  show  me  that  there  is  nothing,  however 
difficult  in  appearance,  which  is  not  easy  of  accomplishment 
to  a  true  soul,  and  a  noble  and  generous  heart  ;  and  by 
both  you  encourage  me  to  hasten  the  resumption  of  my  duties 
in  our  afflicted  Churches  ;  you  represent  the  necessity  in  a 
manner  so  touching  and  pathetic,  so  elevated  and  sublime, 
that  it  is  difficult  to  reply.  You  further  accompany  the 
whole  by  your  own  example,  so  that  I  seem  to  hear  your 
voice  (which  would  no  doubt  be  the  case  were  it  not  for 
your  great  modesty  and  low  estimation  of  all  that  you  do 
however  great  or  praiseworthy  it  may  be)  saying  :  'What,  my 
brother,  will  you  see  me  abandon  the  ease  and  the  repose 
which  I  enjoyed  in  my  home,  will  you  see  me  sacrifice 
the  delights  and  advantages  which  surrounded  my  life  iu  my 
native  town,  will  you  see  me,  who  am  so  tender  and 
delicate,  exposed  henceforth  to  the  burning  heat  of  summer 
and  the  sharp  frosts  ot  winter,  sleeping  sometimes  in  a  wood, 
sometimes  in  a  cavern,  sometimes  among  straw,  and  some- 
times in  another  place  still  worse  ;  and  will  you  who  ought 


50  His  letter  to  Du  Plan. 

to  be  already  accustomed  to  these  hardships,  remain  where 
you  are,  preferring  the  ease  and  advantages  of  life  in  a  city? 
I  admit  these  advantages  are  great,  and  have  no  doubt  they 
possess  charms  and  attractions  which  render  their  abandon- 
ment difficult.  But  even  if  the  charms  and  attractions  were 
greater  ought  you  not,  after  my  example,  (though  mine  might 
have  had  no  parallel  to  yours),  to  renounce  them  as 
promptly  as  I  have  done,  since  we  work  together  for  the 
same  object,  since  the  very  reasons  that  have  decided  me  to 
make  the  sacrifice  I  have  made  ought  to  decide  you  to  make 
that  of  which  I  speak,  and  since,  in  a  word,  we  ought  both 
to  adopt  the  same  career.  If  my  example  should  not  have 
force  enough,  have  you  not  your  beloved  flock  who 
eagerly  ask  for  you  ?  Do  you  not  hear  their  feeble  voice, 
growing  weaker  by  calling  you  ?  does  not  your  conscience 
tell  you  what  to  do,  and  conjure  you  in  the  tenderest  manner 
to  come  and  use  the  talents  with  which  Providence 
has  endowed  you  for  their  instruction  and  consolation  '  ? 

"  To  this  imaginary  voice  I  would  reply  by  asking  why 
am  I  urged  by  so  many  powerful  reasons  and  interested 
motives  to  hasten  my  return  ;  have  I  no  desire  for  it,  and 
this  desire  is  it  not  a  fire  whose  flame  burns  and  consumes 
my  soul  ?  Do  I  not  long  for  the  wings  of  the  eagle  to  fly  to 
my  poor  sheep,  not  to  tear  them  with  my  claws,  but  to 
gather  them  under  the  wings  of  the  Gospel,  and  to  preach  to 
them  the  consolations,  promises,  and  hopes  that  it  gives  us  ? 
Have  I  not  often  prayed  with  the  Church  that  the  heavens 
might  open,  but  on  this  occassion  do  1  not  pray  that  they 
may  open  in  a  different  sense  in  order  to  shew  me  a  way 
by  which  I  may  have  free  access  to  our  mountains  ;  do  I  not 
watch  for  this  way?  Is  not  my  departure  the  constant 
subject  of  my  meditation  ?  I  think  of  it  night  and  day,  and 
wish  for  nothing  so  much  as  to  follow  our  dear  colleagues 
with  the  crook  in  my  hand,  leading  and  pasturing  our  flocks 
in  the  grassy  folds  of  the  Truth  and  on  the  verdant  banks  of 
the  inexhaustible  springs  of  water  leading  to  life  eternal. 
"Whilst  I  prepare  myself  for  this  journey,  pray  to  God  that  He 


Cortiez  accuses  Du  Plan  of  countenancing  the  Inspired.  51 

may  shew  me  the  way  by  which  I  should  pass  ;  that  He  may 
inspire  me  with  the  courage  I  need  :  that  He  may  preserve 
me  from  all  grievous  accidents,  and  that  He  may  disperse  all 
the  obstacles  which  oppose  themselves  in  my  path  ;  join  to 
all  this  your  wise  counsels. 

I  fear  being  recognised  on  the  way.  It  is  necessary  to 
render  an  account  everywhere  one  goes,  even  in  the  smallest 
village — who  you  are, whence  you  come,  and  whither  you  go. 
Let  me  know  what  precautions  I  ought  to  take,  and  by  what 
road  it  will  be  easiest  for  me  to  enter  the  province.  I  shall 
wait  with  impatience  the  honor  of  your  reply  to  the  above. 
Meanwhile  I  embrace  you  with  Christian  affection,  and 
I  beseech  you  to  believe  me  with  all  the  tenderness  and  zeal 
possible, 

"  Monsieur,  your  very  humble  and  very  obedient  servant, 

«  A.  C." 


Benjamin  Du  Plan  had  personal  reasons  for 
desiring  the  prompt  return  of  Antoine  Court.  His 
relations  with  the  Inspired  had  provoked  against  him 
the  party  of  Ecclesiastical  Order,  at  whose  head  was 
Cortiez.  Cortiez  had  no  great  affection  for  Benjamin 
DuPlan,  not  that  he  tailed  to  recognise  his  numerous 
merits7  but  he  mistrusted  his  ideas  on  inspiration 
and  accused  him  of  fomenting  division  in  the 
Church.  Had  this  accusation  any  foundation  ?  Had 
not  Du  Plan,  from  the  first,  encouraged  Antoine 
Court  in  his  work  of  revival?  Had  he  not  aided 
him^  not  alone  by  bis  counsel,  but  also  by  his  in- 
fluence ?  Had  he  not  taken  part  regularly  in  all  the 
Synods  and  Conferences,  supervised  the  deliberations, 
and  written  in  the  common  name  either  to  the  Regent 


52  History  of  Vesson. 

or  to  foreign  Princes?  Was  it  possible  to  find  a  better 
Huguenot,  and  at  the  same  time  a  Christian  more 
able  and  more  devoted?  What  then  was  his  crime? 
Why,  duringtheabsence  of  Antoine  Court,  did  Cortiez 
incite  the  faithful  against  the  pious  nobleman?  We 
have  already  said  it  was  because  the  latter  associated 
with  the  Inspired:  his  social  position  and  his  personal 
qualities  gave  to  this  obscure  party,  composed  in 
general  of  ignorant  persons,  a  lustre  and  relief  it 
did  not  merit.  Let  us  add  that  the  extravagances 
of  some  members  of  this  party  and,  above  all,  the 
revolt  of  two  of  its  principal  chiefs,  Vesson  and 
Hue,  against  the  established  order,  appeared  to 
justify  all  the  rigours  of  Cortiez. 

The  influence  of  Vesson  and  Hue  at  this  time 
was  so  considerable,  and  Du  Plan  suffered  so  much 
from  the  troubles  they  occasioned,  that  a  brief  sketch 
of  their  lives  may  not  be  deemed  superfluous. 

Vesson  was  a  native  of  De  Cros,  near  Saint 
Hippolyte.  He  set  himself  up  as  a  preacher  and  said 
he  was  inspired.  He  preached  in  the  desert  and  fell 
into  ecstacies,  and  held  his  assemblies  so  imprudently 
that  they  were  often  surprised  by  the  soldiers. 
Scarcely  had  he  signed  the  rules  of  the  Synod  of 
1715,  when  he  refused  to  submit  to  them.  His 
independent  spirit  could  not  bend  to  any  human 
judge.  He  re-appeared  no  more  at  the  Synodal 
reunions  and,  though  he  was  not  ordained,  he 
took  the  liberty  of  administering  the  Sacrament  and 
of  convoking  assemblies.  A  Synod  held  in  February 
1718  summoned  him  to  its  bar,  and  as  he  refused  to» 


The  Schism  of  Vesson  mid  Hue.  53 

appear  he  was  deprived  of  his  functions,  and 
denounced  as  a  schismatic.  It  decided  nevertheless 
that  he  should  be  re-instated  in  his  office  of  preacher 
if  he  would  express  regret  for  his  conduct.  The 
month  following*,  Vesson  at  a  conference  made  a 
public  apology  through  Cortiez ,  Rouvière  and 
Antoine  Court.  But  his  natural  impetuosity  and 
impatience  of  all  restraint  carried  him  away  anew, 
and  he  fell  again  into  the  same  faults;  he  violated 
the  established  rules,  and  sought  partisans  among 
the  Inspired,  who  were  enemies  of  all  discipline.  A 
Synod,  convoked  in  1720,  tried  him  and  suspended 
him  from  his  functions.  This  was  considered  a  bold 
act  by  some  who  feared  that  the  consequences  might 
prove  fatal  to  the  Church,  as  Vesson,  making  use  of 
his  popularity,  might  create  a  schism  and  increase 
the  difficulties  of  the  situation.  The  Protestants 
were  decimated  by  persecution  and  b}r  the  pestilence  -, 
■was  it  well  that  they  should  be  divided  among  them- 
selves and  present  to  their  mortal  enemies  the 
spectacle  of  discord  ?  Du  Plan  raised  his  voice,  not 
to  defend  Vesson,  on  the  contrary  he  blamed  him 
severely  and  sanctioned  his  excommunication,  but 
endeavoured  to  appease  angry  spirits,  and  to  arouse 
in  irritated  hearts  sentiments  of  charity,  peace  and 
moderation.  His  intentions  were  misunderstood,  he 
was  confounded  with  those  whose  cause  he  appeared 
to  support,  laymen  and  preachers  included  him  in 
the  same  condemnation  with  which  they  had  con- 
demned Vesson  and  his  partisans.     Unfortunately 


54  History  of  Hue. 

Court  was  absent  and  he  alone  was  able  to  clear  his 
friend  from  these  unjust  accusations. 

The  fears  entertained  by  some  were  realised- 
The  Synodal  decision  brought  the  irritation  of  the 
Inspired  to  a  climax  ;  they  separated  themselves 
from  the  Church  and  gathered  round  Vesson  and  Hue 
whom  they  henceforth  considered  as  their  chiefs. 
Vesson  went  into  Lower  Languedoc  and  Hue  into 
the  Cevennes. 

Hue  Mazel,  otherwise  Mazelet,  was  well  advanced 
in  years.  A  native  ofGénolhac,hehad  been  one  of  the 
first  of  the  Camisards  to  raise  the  standard  of  revolt, 
and  though  he  could  neither  read  nor  write  he  had 
preached  with  great  success  before  the  soldiers  of 
Roland.  The  war  having  terminated,  he  fled  into 
Switzerland,  but  his  desire  for  adventure  induced 
him  to  return  to  France,  where  he  held  some  inter- 
course with  the  Catholics  of  Montpellier.  It  was  there,, 
probably,  that  he  imbibed  the  doctrines  respecting 
the  resurrection,  and  the  peculiar  ideas  on  other 
subjects  which  afterwards  caused  anxiety  to  his 
colleagues.  Placed  in  communication  with  Antoine 
Court  he  became,  with  Vesson,  one  of  his  first  fellow 
labourers  and  signed  the  Synodal  rules  of  1715.  But 
this  act  was  soon  forgotten,  and  in  1719  he 
propounded  strange  ideas  on  the  question  of 
Protestant  marriages,  affirming  that  it  was  permis- 
sible, without  sinning,  to  be  married  at  the  Church 
and  to  sign  the  abjurations,  of  which  the  clergy  had 
established  the  form,  under  the  fallacious  pretext 
that  it  was  possible  to  abjure  the  heresies  of  Calvin. 


Irritation  of  Court  against  the  Female  Fanatics.     55 

without  abjuring  the  religion  of  Jesus  Christ.  A 
Synod  convoked  in  1719  suspended  and  deposed  him 
for  having  violated  the  rules.  But  this  ignorant  and 
self-opiniated  old  man,  instead  of  submitting  went 
into  the  Upper  Cevennes,  where  he  endeavoured  to 
propagate  his  dangerous  doctrines. 

Such  were  the  two  chiefs  who  put  themselves  at 
the  head  of  the  Inspired.  Under  these  circumstances 
Cortiez,  who  did  not  spare  Benjamin  Du  Plan, 
wrongfully  held  him  responsible  for  all  these  dis- 
orders. He  called  a  Synod  in  1721,  at  which 
Vesson  was  again  put  under  the  ban  of  the  Church; 
Du  Plan  had  been  summoned  and  was  compelled  to 
render  an  account  of  his  conduct  and  of  his  rela- 
tions with  the  adversaries  of  ecclesiastical  discipline. 
The  Gentleman  of  Alais  bowed  respectfully  before 
the  remonstrances  of  his  colleagues,  but  he  did  not 
adhere  less  firmly  to  his  convictions,  or  make  any 
perceptible  change  in  his  conduct. 

Antoine  Court  suffered  greatly  on  hearing  of 
the  severe  act  of  discipline  which  had  been  directed 
against  his  pious  friend.  He  was  more  irritated  than 
ever  against  the  extravagancies  and  fanaticisms  of 
the  sect.  "  Whenever,"  he  wrote,  "  I  think  of  these 
people  ascribing  to  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  their 
foolish  imaginings,  and  the  extravagancies  that 
they  have  committed,  and  of  which  I  have  often  been 
a  witness,  a  shivering  takes  possession  of  my  whole 
person,  my  flesh  creeps,  my  hair  stands  on  end,  my 
heart  trembles,  and  I  fear  that  a  thunderbolt  may 
descend   from   heaven    to    destroy    the    miserable 


56  He  remonstrates  with  them. 

i 

creatures  who  have  dared  to  call  the  Holy  Spirit 
the  author  of  all  these  things."  1  From  Geneva,  he 
wrote  a  letter  in  which,  following  the  commandment 
of  St.  Paul,2  he  rebuked  the  women  who  interfered 
with  preaching.  This  is  not  saying  that  he  condemned 
them  to  be  absolutely  dumb.  "  When  there  shall 
be  no  pastors  in  a  district,"  he  said,  "  let  the  women 
win  over  by  persuasion  and  restore  the  backsliders; 
let  them  console  the  afflicted,  visit  the  sick,  instruct 
the  young,  and  strengthen  the  weak  ;  let  them  do  all 
this,"  he  added,  "  by  private  conversation,  but  let 
them  never  take  the  liberty  of  preaching  like  doctors 
in  a  duly  convoked  assembly." 

In  order  to  give  greater  weight  to  his  remon- 
strances he  besought  Professor  Pictet  to  write  on  the 
same  subject.  The  Professor  thereupon  published  his 
famous  letter  "  On  those  who  believe  themselves 
inspired."  Pictet  enjoyed  great  authority,  and  his 
letter,  recognised  and  supported  by  the  Venerable 
Company  of  Pastors  of  Geneva,  produced  immense 
sensation.  Vesson  was  shunned,  and  his  most 
devoted  partisans  abandoned  him.  Having  no  further 
means  of  existence,  crippled  by  debt,  followed  by 
his  creditors,  and  prosecuted  by  the  Synods,  he  had 
recourse  to  expedients  in  order  to  live  and  to  main- 
tain his  numerous  family.  We  meet  with  him  again 
at  Montpellier,  chief  of  a  ridiculous  sect  which 
caused  his  ruin  and  indirectly  brought  about  the 
flight  and  exile  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan. 

1.  M.S.S.  de  Court,  Letter  of  6th  June  1721  to  Mdlle.  Simart. 

2.  I   Cor.  XIV,  34. 


The   Widow   Verchand  of  Montpellier.  57 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE     MULTIPLIANTS. 
1723. 

In  1721  there  lived  at  Montpellier  a  widow- 
named  Verchand,  originally  of  Soramières.  This  lady 
had  had  during  a  journey  in  the  Cevennes  a  strange 
vision  in  which  she  pretended  to  have  seen  Grod 
Himself.  On  returning  to  Montpellier  she  began  a 
correspondence  with  Benjamin  Du  Plan  whose 
reputation  for  piety  had  spread  far.  Believing  that 
she  desired  his  counsel  and  advice,  he  wrote  several 
letters  to  her  in  which  he  spoke  "  of  the  great 
matter  of  the  reign  of  Grod  and  the  deliverance  of 
the  Church,  and  asked  the  Almighty  to  accord  to 
her  more  and  more  the  light  and  virtue  of  His  spirit 
and  to  reveal  to  her  the  great  mysteries  of  His 
love/' 

At  this  time  the  pestilence  was  raging  in  Mont- 
pellier, and  the  faithful  everywhere  felt  the  need  of 
uniting  to  strengthen  themselves  in  the  faith. 
Mme.  Verchand  opened  her  house  to  them,  and  it  was 
soon  filled  with  the  preachers  and  the  prophets  of 
the  neighbourhood  ;  she  became  a  focus  of  resistance 
to  the  disciplinary  decisions  of  the  Synod  of  1721 
against  Vesson,  and  in  general  against  the  Inspired. 
The  brethren  Comte  of  Lunel,  and  Bonicel  of  Pont- 
de-Montvert  transformed  this  society  into  a  sect,  the 
leaders  of  which  denied  all  spiritual  authority  and 


58  She  endeavours  to  win  over  Du  Plan. 

recognised  no  other  guide  than  their  own  inspiration. 
It  was  to  this  odd  sect  that  Vesson  affiliated  himself. 

On  the  day  of  his  reception,  the  25th  of 
December,  1722,  he  received  the  imposition  of  hands 
from  the  three  chief  priests,  Bonicel,  Bourely  (a 
young  lad  of  sixteen  years),  and  Antoine  Comte,  and 
bound  himself  "to  serve  them  as  minister  and 
preacher,  to  do  nothing  without  their  advice,  to  be 
entirely  and  always  at  their  command,  and  finally, 
to  uphold  the  Ark  of  Truth." 

Through  his  mediation,  the  little  community 
entered  immediately  into  correspondence  with  the 
towns  where  the  rebel  preacher  counted  his  warmest 
partisans.  Mme.  Verchand  wrote  again  to  Du  Plan  ; 
she  tried  to  induce  him  to  come,  and  offered  him 
the  presidency  of  the  Church.  But  Du  Plan  had  too 
much  good  sense  to  allow  himself  to  be  seduced. 
The  presence  of  the  schismatic  Vesson  was  alone 
sufficient  to  show  him  his  duty.  He  replied  to 
Mme.  Verchand,  advising  her  to  abandon  these 
fanciful  projects,  and  to  separate  herself  from  the 
imposters  who  surrounded  her,  as  they  could  but 
compromise  her  and  lead  her  to  ruin.  His  foresight 
was  soon  justified. 

On  the  6th  of  March,  1723,  the  house  of 
Mme.  Verchand  was  invaded  by  a  detachment  of 
soldiers.  At  the  moment  they  entered  the  apartment 
in  which  the  sectarians  celebrated  their  strange  rites, 
there  were  in  the  house  thirteen  persons, — six 
men,  six  women  and  a  young  lad.  One  of  the 
six  men   wore,  like   a   priest,  an  aube,   on  which 


The  Sect  of  (he  Multipliants.  59 

was  placed  a  sort  of  shoulder  belt;  he  had  also  a 
cap  resembling  a  helmet  and  the  whole  was 
decorated  with  aigrettes  and  surrounded  with  golden 
paper  ;  he  held  in  his  hand  a  reed  which  served  as 
staff'  to  a  silken  banner.  Another  individual  was 
habited  in  a  dress  of  greyish  brown  ;  he  was 
furnished  with  a  baton  at  the  end  of  which  was  a 
circular  disk  of  pasteboard  surrounded  by  laurels 
and  containing  on  each  face  an  inscription  in  large 
characters.  As  to  the  women,  they  wore  black  caps 
bordered  with  silvery  white  taffetas,  each  cap  orna- 
mented with  an  aigrette  attached  by  a  green  ribbon. 
The  interior  of  the  house  was  as  fanciful  as  its 
inmates.  The  first  room  was  decorated  with  laurels, 
to  which  were  attached  apples,  oranges,  lemons,  and 
bottles  of  wine  and  brandy.  On  the  door  was  this 
inscription  ;  "  It  is  ordained  by  (rod  that  the  door 
shall  be  shut  against  all  who  come  here  and  refuse 
to  be  searched,  and  woe  to  them  who  suffer  it  not  !  " 
The  first  room  led  to  a  second  which  was  the 
sanctuary,  called  by  the  sectarians  the  "  New  Zion."' 
All  round  was  suspended  a  cordon  of  fleurs  de  lis  in 
golden  paper.  In  the  middle  stood  a  chair  raised  by 
four  steps  decorated  with  laurels,  ribbons,  and 
inscriptions  in  Hebrew.  The  ceiling  was  hung  in 
white  and  in  the  centre  was  a  representation  of  the 
sun  with  this  inscription  in  Latin  :  "  This  is  the 
true  way."  There  was  further  discovered  in  this 
room  a  dish  surrounded  by  a  napkin,  the  four 
ends  of  which  Avere  fastened  with  ribbons  of 
different   colours,   and    near    the    window    was    a 


60  Their  condemnation. 

square  table,  furnished  with  a  bell,  an  inkstand,  and 
a  Bible.  The  top  of  this  table  was  covered  with 
emblematical  designs,  such  as  scales,  heart,  and 
compass.  Each  object  had  its  signification.  The. 
laurels  represented  the  triumph  of  the  Church;  the 
oranges  figured  the  plenty  which  should  abound 
during  the  reign  of  Jesus  Christ  ;  the  white  taffetas 
suspended  from  the  ceiling  and  the  looped  ribbons 
of  four  colours  were  the  wedding  garments  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  and  the  chair  represented  the  mountain  of 
Horeb.  Behold  into  what  speculations  and  to  what 
a  mad  end  the  successors  of  the  first  Inspired  had 
been  gradually  led  by  their  disordered  brains! 

These  wretched  men  speedily  brought  about  their 
own  ruin.  Convicted  of  having  violated  the  Royal 
Edicts  which  prohibited  the  assemblies,  they  were 
condemned.  Vesson,  in  the  hope  of  escaping  death, 
offered  to  betray  his  co-religionists  to  the  govern- 
ment, and  for  this  service  he  demanded  secrecy  and 
five  hundred  crowns;  the  work  might  be  most 
conveniently  done  at  Easter,  when  the  Huguenots 
assembled  themselves  in  Synod;  he  would  then  pre- 
sent himself  before  them  and  announce  his  miraculous 
escape.  Bernage  scorned  the  propositions  of  the 
traitor  and  condemned  him  to  death  with  Bonicel, 
Antoine  Comte  and  a  prophetess  of  the  sect.  On 
the  22nd  of  April,  they  were  taken  from  the  citadel 
clad  in  their  shirts  only,  a  wax  taper  in  their  hands 
and  a  rope  round  their  necks.  Conducted  to  the 
front  of  the  Chapel  of  the  Citadel,  and  then  before 
the  Cross  of  the  Esplanade,  they  suffered  the  extreme 


TV  Execution  of  Veston  and  Hue.  61 

penalty  of  the  law,  and  were  hung  on  gibbets  erected 
on  the  Place.  The  other  prisoners  were  sent  to  the 
King's  galleys  for  life.  Mme.  Verchand,  Jeanne 
Mazaurigue  and  Suzanne  Loubière,  were  compelled 
to  witness  the  execution  of  their  accomplices  and 
were  afterwards  confined  in  the  Tower  of  Constance. 
Anne  Gaussent,  whose  only  crime  was  that  of  having 
attended  the  assemblies  without  having  shared  in  the 
ceremonies,  was  also  confined  in  the  Tower.  The 
house  was  rased  and  there  remained  nothing  of  the 
sect  of  the  Multipliants  but  the  name,  which  had 
been  given  to  the  street  in  which  the  house  was 
situated. 

Some  weeks  after  the  execution  of  Vesson,  the 
aged  Hue,  his  old  friend,  was  put  to  death  in  the 
same  manner,  and  at  the  same  place.  Arrested  in  a 
house  near  St.  Paul-la-Coste,  in  the  Cevennes,  he 
was  conducted  to  the  Citadel  of  Montpellier  where 
Vesson  had  already  been  confined.  The  old  man  was 
accused  of  having  presided  at  assemblies,  and  of 
preaching  :  convicted  of  the  double  crime,  he  was 
condemned  to  be  hung.  We  are  acquainted  with 
his  adventures,  and  the  versatility  of  his  opinions; 
his  ideas  concerning  marriage,  and  his  catholic  ten- 
dencies, had  more  than  once  been  the  object  of 
synodal  and  disciplinary  decisions;  the  obstinate  old 
man  had  resisted  and  seceded  and  had  at  length 
become  with  Vesson  a  chief  of  the  new  sect.  At 
the  last  moment,  under  the  pressure  of  urgent  solici- 
tations, he  disowned  his  past  life  and  abjured  his 
religion.    He  hoped  this  tardy  abjuration  would  save 


62  Du  Plan's  letter  to  Court  on  the  subject. 

him.  In  every  respect  he  was  mistaken;  on  the  5th 
of  May,  in  the  midst  of  an  extraordinary  excitement 
he  was  hanged,  and  died  with  great  resignation.  His 
funeral  was  pompous.  Proud  of  their  conquest  of  a 
preacher,  a  thing  they  were  not  accustomed  to,  the 
Catholics  pressed  in  crowds  to  his  interment.  Two 
hundred  penitents  marched  at  the  head  of  the  pro- 
cession, and  six  Franciscan  friars  carried  the  hier. 
On  each  side  of  the  cortege  numerous  ecclesiastics 
collected  alms  from  the  faithful,  and  lastly,  to  crown 
this  successful  work,  the  body  of  the  old  apostate 
was  placed  in  a  vault  of  Notre-Dame-des-Tables. 

The  execution  of  Vesson  and  of  Hue  Mazelet  was 
a  death  blow  to  the  Inspired-,  after  having  caused 
great  fear  and  mistrust  they  fell  into  ridicule  and 
contempt.  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  who  ought  not  to  be 
confounded  with  these  fanatics, — as  he  had  always 
openly  repudiated  their  opinions, — nevertheless  suf- 
fered much  from  the  sympathy  with  which  he  had 
regarded  the  best  of  the  Inspired.  It  was  only  the 
prestige  of  his  name  and  the  éclat  of  his  services 
that  arrested  the  attacks  of  Pierre  Cortiez  and  other 
fierce  adversaries.  He  was  compelled  to  defend  him- 
self with  his  pen  against  the  accusation  of  being  an 
accomplice  in  the  intrigues  of  the  men  whom  justice 
had  seized,  and  he  wrote  to  Antoine  Court  beseech- 
ing him  to  convoke  a  Synod  with  the  view  of 
pacifying  the  minds  of  the  brethren. 

u  Monsieur,  ray  dear  brother  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  : 
"  The  wisdom,  love  and  peace  of  God  be  with  you  ! 
Since  Providence  and  the  mercy  ot  God  have  sent  us  into 


Du  Plan  defends  his  conduct.  63 

this  country,  to  instruct,  console,  and  fortify  the  faithful,  we 
should  neglect  nothing  which  can  contribute  to  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church.  It  is  in  the  time  of 
tempest  that  a  good  pilot  displays  his  abilities.  It  is  in  the 
battle  that  a  wise  and  valiant  general  makes  known  his 
prudence  and  his  valour.  We  are  beaten  by  the  storm,  we 
are  encircled  by  the  enemy,  but  we  must  not  lose  courage  : 
on  the  contrary,  we  must  strengthen  the  weak,  raise  up  the 
fallen,  and  bring  back  to  the  combat  those  who  have  deserted 
or  wandered. 

"  I  am  persuaded,  my  dear  brother,  that  you  have  good 
intentions.  If  you  knew  my  heart,  you  would  be  persuaded 
that  my  intentions  are  also  good.  This  common  conviction 
should  lead  us  to  hope,  through  the  mercy  of  God,  for  a 
happy  issue  to  all  our  enterprises. 

u  As  I  ask  of  God  with  all  my  heart  for  grace  to  seek  only 
His  glory  and  the  edification  of  the  Church,  I  shall  make  no 
difficulty  in  revealing  to  you  my  thoughts,  my  sentiments  and 
my -projects.  In  the  first  place,  I  have  not  quitted  thekingdom 
because  God  has  endowed  me  with  talents  suitable  to  edify 
and  to  reunite  the  Church.  I  should  be  a  coward  if  I  aban- 
doned the  battle  field,  while  I  see  there  is  more  need  of  help 
than  ever.  Secondly,  I  was  concealed  and  scarcely  showed 
myself  for  a  time  because  my  presence  made  too  much 
éclat  and  because  I  did  not  wish  unnecessarily  to  irritate 
the  minds  of  our  adversaries,  who  are  thirsting  for  our 
"blood.  Moreover,  I  am  desirous  of  somewhat  calming  the 
storm,  with  the  view  of  arranging  a  day  on  which  to  hold 
the  Synod  I  believe  to  be  so  necessary,  in  order  to  bring  all, 
if  it  please  God,  to  one  mind. 

"Remember,  my  dear  brother,  that  no  divided  house 
or  kingdom  can  stand.  The  love  of  God  is  only  found 
with  those  who  live  in,  or  who  desire,  peace.  Our  newly 
born  Churches  are  troubled  and  divided  ;  for  this  reason 
the  anger  of  the  Almighty  is  kindled  against  us,  and  the 
«word  of  the  enemy  has  entered  into  our  camp. 

"  I  have  admired,    and  probably  you  have  also,   the 


64    He  repudiates  all  connection  with  the  Schismatics. 

workings  of  Providence,  which  has  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  our  enemies  precisely  those  who  had  separated 
themselves  from  the  body  of  our  Churches  ;  but  though  we 
have  been  spared,  let  us  not  flatter  ourselves  we  are  innocent 
before  God.  It  is  even  very  possible  that  many  among  us 
are  guilty  of  greater  crimes  than  any  committed  by  those 
who  have  suffered,  or  are  suffering,  in  this  last  persecution. 

u  I  have  never  upheld  the  rebellious  and  arrogant,  or  the 
heretics  and  schismatics.  I  have  protested  equally  against 
Vesson  and  Mazelet.  I  have  opposed,  as  much  as  my 
authority  and  my  information  have  permitted  me,  both  fools 
and  fanatics.  I  detest  impostures  and  superstitions,  but 
I  approve  none  the  more  the  rash  judgments,  or  bitter 
voices  which  under  the  appearance  ofpiety  and  zeal  cry, 
without  knowledge  of  facts  and  without  intelligence  :  Away, 
Away;  Crucify,  Crucify  !  They  confound  without  examination 
the  innocent  with  the  guilty,  they  crucify  Jesus  Christ  in  His 
members  among  thieves  and  imposters.  Provided  the  false 
zealots  can  say:  'Our  religion  is  pure  and  holy,'  they  believe 
that  will  suffice  to  justify  their  harsh  decisions,  and  their 
bad  conduct.  They  do  not  bear  in  mind  that  if  the  Christian 
religion  is  pure  and  holy,  it  should  inspire  in  those  who 
profess  it,  wisdom,  gentleness,  charity  and  moderation  ; 
without  these  virtues,  however  zealous  they  may  appear, 
they  are  scarcely  more  reasonable  than  the  Ephesians,  who 
cried  with  all  their  might  and  without  reflection  ;  '  Great  is 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians  !  ' 

"  I  exhort  you  then,  my  dear  brother,  in  the  name  of  out- 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  to  write,  speak,  and  act,  to  the  extent 
of  your  ability  for  the  purpose  of  assembling  a  Synod  of 
honest,  virtuous  and  learned  persons,  who  will  endeavour 
to  promote  unity,  establish  a  discipline  which  may  be  ob- 
served by  all,  take  efficacious  means  not  alone  to  strengthen 
the  weak,  raise  up  the  fallen,  and  bringback  the  wanderers, 
but  above  all,  by  the  help  of  God,  and  after  the  example  of 
the  Apostles  and  the  Reformers  to  spread  the  truth  among 
our  neighbours  who  are  as  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  I  have 


Il,   extols  union  and  harmony.  65 

faith  in  God  to  believe  that  if  we  pray  to  Him  earnestly 
and  are  firmly  united,  He  will  make  us  triumph  over  all 
our  enemies,  and  give  great  success  to  His  Gospel  through 
our  ministry 

u  But  if  ambition,  or  vain  glory,  if  jealousy,  envy  or  any 
other  wicked  passion  creeps  in  and  reigns  among  us,  discord 
will  enter  also,  we  shall  be  divided,  and  God,  jealous  of  His 
glory,  with  deliver  us  all,  one  after  the  other,  into  the  hands 
of  our  enemies. 

u  God  will  not,  however,  abandon  His  Church  ;  He  will 
choose  other  pastors  after  His  own  heart  who  will  be  more 
humble,  more  faithful,  more  charitable,  and  more  generous 
than  we  are.  These  pastors  will  not  be  imbued  with 
suspicion,  mistrust,  and  jealousy;  they  will  love  God  with 
all  their  heart,  and  their  neighbour  as  themselves. 

u  In  the  name  of  God,  my  dear  brother,  let  us  beware  of 
that  warning  which  God  gives  to  us  as  he  did  to  the  Jews, 
against  letting  His  vineyard  to  other  husbandmen.  In  the 
name  of  God  hearken  to  the  voice  of  one  of  your  brethren 
who  loves  you  with  a  sincere  and  affectionate  heart.  I  desire 
neither  wealth  nor  honors  of  men  ;  I  ask  of  God  only  His 
grace  and  His  love.  I  have  abandoned  all,  and  I  am  ready 
to  sacrifice  all  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the 
Church.  Notwithstanding  what  certain  ignorant  or  malicious 
persons  may  say,  I  do  not  wish  to  form  another  sect  ;  on  the 
contrary  I  would,  if  the  thing  were  possible,  quench  with  my 
blood  all  the  schisms  and  heresies  in  the  world  ;  I  love 
infinitely  more  to  serve  Jesus  Christ  and  His  Church  than  to 
rule  over  a  hundred  peasants,  a  whole  kingdom,  or  even 
the  whole  world,  because  I  know  that  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world  are  as  nothing  compared  with  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven  which  is  to  be  gained  by  faithfully  serving  our  Lord. 
u  Reflect  well,  my  dear  brother,  on  all  these  truths.  Lose 
no  time  in  making  several  copies  ol  this  letter,  if  you  think 
proper,  for  distribution  among  your  colleagues  and  Elders. 
Confer  with  them  if  you  can,  concerning  the  Synod  that 
I  propose  to  you  ;  I  speak  to  all  the  Elders  and  Pastors  of 


66  He  demands  the  convocation  of  a  Synod. 

this  country  in  speaking  to  you.  After  having  prayed  to 
God,  select  well  the  time,  the  place,  and  the  persons  for  this 
business,  a  matter  which  appears  to  me  very  important. 
I  will  present  in  the  meantime  my  prayers  to  God  on  your 
behalf,  as  being  always,  my  dear  brother,  with  a  tender 
affection, 

"  Your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant, 
"  Benjamin." 

"  I  commend  myself  to  the  prayers  of  all  the  faithful  who 
shall  see  my  letter." 

This  letter  of  Du  Plan  betrayed  the  anxieties 
and  troubles  which  racked  his  spirit  and  his  heart. 
He  had  found  that  his  individual  ideas  on  inspiration 
and  his  close  relations  with  the  Inspired  had 
dissatisfied  a  few  pastors  and  a  certain  number  of 
the  faithful;  they  accused  him  in  the  Synods  and 
in  the  Assemblies;  and  reproached  him  with  violating 
discipline  and  encouraging  schism.  These  accusa- 
tions, which  had  certainly  an  appearance  of  truth, 
moved  the  heart  of  Antoine  Court,  who  took  up 
his  pen,  and  finally  decided  to  discuss  thoroughly 
this  question  which  was  on  the  point  of  impairing 
the  influence  of  his  friend: 

"  Monsieur, 
"  I  have  just  received  one  of  your  letters  which  is 
without  doubt  addressed  to  all  the  pastors.  It  has  no  date. 
I  received  another  some  days  ago  on  the  same  subject,  though 
you  say  three  months  have  passed  since  you  wrote  it.  I  did 
not  reply  because  in  the  first  place  it  had  to  be  communicated 
to  everyone,  and  this  has  not  been  possible  in  so  short  a  time, 
and  secondly,  because  I  hoped  to  see  and  converse  with  you 
on  the  subject  in  question  ;  but  this  was  not  possible.    I  was 


Reply  of  Antoine  Court.  G7 

-in  Nisraes,  and  addressed  myself  there  to  the  loaders  of  the 
Church  :  the)7  told  me  they  knew  nothing  concerning  yon, 
that  yon  were  very  mysterious  with  them,  that  you  tried 
to  hide  yourself  from  them,  and  that  it  was  necessary 
to  address  themselves  to  certain  prophetesses  in  order  to  find 
out  where  you  were.  This  I  did,  but  the  younger  sister 
whom  I  addressed  very  mysteriously  concealed  from  me 
your  abode,  and  in  a  grave  and  serious  tone,  becoming  in  a 
person  ot  her  character,  said  to  me  :  'I  do  not  know  his 
abode,  but  if  you  have  anything  to  convey  to  him  we  will 
convey  it.'  This  reserve  appeared  to  me  doubtful,  and  ?.t 
the  same  time  I  was  distressed  to  see  that  our  brave  Barak 
had  sought  counsel  from  masked  Deborahs  while  despi- 
sing the  advice  of  the  Elders  of  the  people.  The  Synods  are 
not  so  easily  assembled  as  you  appear  to  imagine  ;  this  sort 
of  assembly,  and  under  circumstances  so  delicate  as  those 
in  which  we  are  to  meet  together,  may  give  rise  to 
cares,  and  perplexities,  and  many  dangers  and  fears:  these 
public  bodies  cannot  be  convoked  every  day,  and  cannot 
even  be  aroused  without  trouble  ;  difficult  however  as  it  may 
be  to  convoke  them  and  to  put  the  machine  in  motion,  we 
would  have  resolved  to  overcome  all  if  we  could  have  per- 
suaded ourselves  that  the  measures  we  might  there  adopt 
would  be  efficacious  ;  but  alas  !  we  have  the  misfortune  of 
knowing  by  a  fatal  experience  that  we  are  exposing  our- 
selves for  nothing,  that  all  the  care  and  all  the  trouble  we 
give  ourselves  are  useless,  while  they  who  appear  the  firmest 
defenders  of  the  rules  we  establish  are  the  first  to  violate 
them.  Your  conduct,  Monsieur  and  dear  brother,  is  but  too 
just  a  commentary  on  this  mortifying  truth  ;  and  what  is  more 
grievous  still,  your  example  is  of  no  small  influence  with  the 
naturally  capricious  and  independei.t  persons  who  have  so 
long  troubled  the  Church  and  who  wish  nothing  better  than  to 
see  at  their  head  a  person  of  your  rank  and  genius.  Gracious 
God  !  *what  mischief  will  you  not  do  to  those  whom  you  have 
caused  to  be  born  to  Jesus  Christ,  if  you  do  not  rectify  cer- 
tain of  your  sentiments  ;  true  religion,  which  is  an  enemy  of 


68  He  accuses  Dit  Plan  of  breaking  the  rules. 

fictions  and  fanaticism,  will  suffer  harm  if  you  continue  to 
shake  by  your  example  the  solid  foundations  of  order,  in  the 
marvellous    building    which     has     been     raised    amongst 
the  storms  and  tempests  of  persecution  !    I  am  not  surprised 
that  the  Vessons,  the  Mazelets  and  the  Boyers  and  all  of  a 
similar  character,  should  rebel  against  order,  shake  off  the 
yoke  of  discipline,  and  evade  the  wise  rules  which  you  your- 
self have  helped  to  establish  :  they  were  mercenary,  ignorant, 
and    proud,    full   of  themselves,    and    acting    only    from 
shameful  motives  of  self  interest  or  vain  glory  ;  but  what 
surprises  and  afflicts  me  is  that  a  pious,  wise,  enlightened, 
charitable,  humble  and  disinterested  man  should  forget  him- 
self and  thus  err  :  perhaps  I  exaggerate  your  faults,  and  my 
microscope  magnifies  too  much  the  object  of  my  view.   I. 
wish  and  would  to  God  the  thing  were  so  !  But  alas  !  I  greatly 
fear  it  will  be  difficult  to  prove  this  to  me.    My  silence,  you 
say,  joined  to  the  opposition  that  certain  Elders  raised,  when 
against  order  you  wished  to  establish  yourself  as  preacher 
in  a  public  assembly,  has  induced  several  people  to  say  that 
a  spirit  of  ambition  and  jealousy  has  possessed  some  of  our 
body,  and  that  in  place  of  desiring  the  glory  of  God  and  the 
love  of  the  Church  they  desire  their  own  glory  under  a  fine 
appearance  of  piety  and  zeal  which  leads  astray  the  ignorant. 
This  appears  to  me  the  result  of  insufficient  reflection  !   In 
the  first  place,  I  do  not  see  how  it  can  be  concluded  from  my 
silence  that  I  am  ambitious  or  jealous;  it  would  be  more 
reasonable  to  say  that  I  was  neither  one  nor  the  other,  or 
rather  that  I  was  indolent  and  unfeeling  ;  but  it  would  .be 
better  still  to  adopt  the  plan  which  you  desired  for  yourself, 
of  suspending  ajudgment  until  the  arguments  withheld  from 
me  had  been  put  in  evidence  ;  to  act  thus  is  discreet  ;  other- 
wise   we    risk    making    mistakes    and    being    considered 
rash.    Secondly,  I  do  not  see  what  other  conclusion  can  be 
drawn    from    the   conduct   of  the    Elders,    who    oppose 
those  who  violate  our  rule  of  faith,  especially  one  of  its 
articles  and  the  eternal  law  of  good  order  and  wisdom.  In  a 
happier  age  and  quieter  times  it  would  have  been  otherwise, 


//-   answers  1>>i  P/an's  appeal  to  the  Scriptures.     6i> 

And  those  men  would  have  heen  characterised  as  prudent  and 
wise  who  wished  to  prevent  disorder  and  the  sad  results 
which  such  irregularities  would  necessarily  produce.  If  I  am 
not  mistaken  it  is  more  to  the  point  to  say  that  when  a  man 
of  superior  genius,  and  distinguished  rank  sets  himself  up  as 
a  chief  and  against  our  rules  convokes  assemblies  and 
preaches,  the  result  can  only  be  disastrous.  If  such  is  the 
line  of  conduct  M.  Du  Plan  wishes  to  pursue,  he  has  all  the 
requisite  qualifications  and  his  example  will  consequently  be 
very  pernicious.  It  is  only  when  we  oppese  the  evasions  of 
wise  laws  that  we  act  according  to  order  and  wisdom. 

"  You  say  you  do  not  yield  because  you  are  not  persuaded 
by  good  reasons  and  by  passages  drawn  from  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  You  recognise  in  matters  of  faith  and  contro- 
versy only  God  and  His  word,  and  you  do  not  allow  your- 
self to  be  dazzled  by  learning  and  the  eloquence  of  pastors, 
nor  shaken  by  the  multitude  of  persons  who  condemn  things 
in  which  you  have  recognised  the  divine  character;  these 
sentiments  are  noble,  generous,  and  worthy  of  an  ath'etic 
Christian  ,  but  take  care  you  do  not  allow  yourself  to  be  led 
away  by  your  own  judgment;  examine  anew,  with  an 
unprejudiced  spirit,  the  reasons  which  have  been  alleged 
to  you  for  combating  your  sentiment  concerning  the  pro- 
phets of  our  day  ;  perhaps  what  you  thought  were  phantoms 
will  appear  to  you  in  this  light,  real  and  effective.  Do  not 
be  too  much  attached  to  your  own  sentiments,  it  is  danger- 
ous, and  the  danger  is  greater  because  one  naturally 
loves  the  production  of  one's  own  mind,  whether  with  or 
Avithout  foundation,  in  the  same  manner  as  a  mother  loves 
her  children  whether  they  are  pretty  or  ugly.  It  is  not  wise 
to  be  led  by  the  multitude,  but  there  is  imprudence  and  folly 
in  being  unwilling  to  defer  to  its  advice  when  that  advice  is 
wise  and  well  grounded.  We  ought  not  to  give  way  in 
things  we  recognise  as  divine,  though  they  may  be  con- 
demned :  this  would  be  to  applaud  those  who  call  good» 
evil  :  but  we  ought  not  to  fall  into  the  other  extreme  and 
call  evil,   good.      This  is  what  you  do  in  assuming  that 


70     He  answers  Du  Plan's  appeal  to  the  Scriptures. 

they  Avho  call  themselves  inspired  of  the  Holy  Spirit  are 
so  in  truth.  You  support  the  system  on  solid  and  scriptural 
grounds  and  you  are  not  willing  to  surrender  ;  you  appeal 
against  the  condemnation  of  your  sentiments.  Appeals  are 
legitimate  and  necessary  :  the  Donatists  appealed  formerly  to- 
the  Emperor,  and  thereupon  a  Council  was  assembled  at 
Aries  ;  it  was  held  in  the  year  314.  St.  Athanasius,  after 
having  been  condemned  at  the  council  ot  Tyr,  brought  his 
case  before  Pope  Julius  who  discharged  and  absolved  him, 
as  also  the  Westefti  bishops.  Those  who  at  present  appeal 
under  the  Constitution  Ugenitus,  from  the  Pope  to  the 
Council,  act  wisely.  Your  case  has  been  tried  in  a  town 
which  is  at  least  to  the  Protestants  what  Rome  was  to  the 
Papists;  the  judgmeuts  there  pronounced  in  matters  of  faith 
appear  to  possess  more  of  orthodoxy  and  infallibility  than 
those  which  emanate  from  the  Sovereign  Pontiff  and  the 
capital  of  the  Papal  Empire  ;  yet  the  authors  of  the 
judgments  do  not  consider  themselves  to  be  infallible,  any 
more  than  do  you,  though  their  decisions  may  be  of  weight 
and  deserve  careful  consideration.  If  Councils  and  Synods, 
or  the  learned  Academy  of  Geneva ,  to  which  you 
desire  to  appeal,  do  not  judge  your  cause  more  favo- 
rably, where  will  you  go  next?  Will  you  have  recourse 
to  new  Synods  and  to  new  theologians?  Will  you  hold 
to  your  sentiments?  Will  you  persevere  in  your  system? 
You  will  have  a  right  to  do  so  under  the  suppo- 
sition that  it  is  most  in  conformity  with  the  analogy  of  the 
faith  ;  and  like  another  Athanasius  you  alone  may  be 
orthodox,  while  all  other  Protestants  may  err.  If  that 
should  be  the  case  you  will  be  very  fortunate,  but  before 
congratulating  you  on  a  good  fortune  which  we  do  not 
yet  believe  to  be  proved,  permit  us  to  ask  you  for  undoubted 
and  authentic  evidence  of  the  the  truth  of  your  principles. 
As  to  ourselves,  we  continue  to  say  that  so  long  as  we 
do  not  discover  the  character  of  a  true  prophet  in  those 
who  wish  to  pass  in  the  world  as  such,  we  shall  remain  firm 
in  our  belief.       Among  the  characteristics   which  should. 


The  attributes  of  <t  true  prophet.  71 

distinguish  a  prophet  are  holiness  of  life,  generous 
courage,  and  veritable  prophecies.  A  prophet  should 
be  holy,  able  to  foretell  the  future  and  know  the  secret 
thoughts  of  men.  His  conduct  should  be  very  pure  and 
he  should  possess  a  generous  and  magnanimous  courage  that 
he  may  overcome  the  greatest  and  most  formidable  obstacles, 
while  attacking  error  and  vice  wheresoever  they  may  be 
found  ;  such  was  the  courage  of  the  ancient  prophets.  He 
should  always  speak  the  truth,  this  being  his  chief  and 
distinctive  character  ;  if  he  swerves  in  the  least,  he  is  an 
imposter,  a  knave,  and  a  man  worthy  of  public  execration  : 
he  is  ungodly  and  profane,  abusing  the  most  holy  things. 
It  by  this  rule  we  examine  the  prophets  of  to-day  ;  how 
many  liars  and  imposters  shall  we  not  find  ? 

"  Happy  will  it  be  if  among  the  great  number  of  prophets 
is  found  some  Micah  ;  but  alas  !  a  false  spirit  is  dispersed 
among  them  ;  when  the  false  prophets  say  the  Almighty 
has  spoken  by  them  it  is  a  lie,  for  the  Almighty  has  not  done 
so,  but  they  trust  that  their  words  may  be  fulfilled.  Your  own 
personal  experience  should  have  undeceived  you  ;  the 
prophecies  of  the  Valadières,  as  you  think,  had  formerly 
the  semblance  of  divinity  ;  this  was  at  a  time  when  fortune 
favored  them  ;  to-day  when  things  have  changed  and  they 
have  fallen  into  disgrace,  it  is  no  longer  the  same;  their 
prophecies  have  now  no  divine  semblance.  Can  anything  be 
more  pitiable  !  Poor  prophetesses  !  How  unhappy  is  your 
condition,  since  the  divinity  of  your  prophecies  and  your  pros- 
perity depend  on  the  caprice  ot  men  !  I  always  (this  I  say  in 
passing)  treated  with  much  scorn  a  Valadière  prophetess, 
formerly  famous  among  the  party  but  who  is  now  driven 
out,  rejected,  and  railed  at  :  in  truth  it  were  better  to  be 
your  meanest  servant  than  your  prophet,  as  under  Herod  the 
Great  it  was  better  to  be  his  pig  than  his  son. 

u  The  comparison  which  you  draw  between  prophets  and 
doctors  is  not  just  :  the  first  speak  under  the  operation  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  the  second  teach  a  science  they  have  acquired  ; 
the  first  should  be  infallible  in  their  doctrine,  the  second 


72         The  Inspired  do  not  possess  these  attributes. 

may  err;  the  first  if  they  mislead  the  people,  lose  their 
good  name  of  prophets  and  become  imposters  ;  of  doctors 
it  cannot  be  said  that  they  willingly  mislead  the  people. 
You  admit  however  that  there  are  abnses  among  the  pre- 
tended prophets  of  the  day  :  that  alone  is  sufficient  to  make 
us  reject  them.  I  admire  the  word  pretended  which  you  make 
use  of  ;  if  they  are  only  pretended  prophets,  they  ought  not 
give  themselves  out  as  true,  and  we  ought  not  to  receive 
them  as  true. 

"  You  say  you  are  not  alone  in  your  belief  ;  we  know, 
however,  that  the  greater  number  is  not  on  your  side  ;  but 
what  does  that  signify?  You  are  the  little  flock,  alone 
favored  ot  heaven;  Ha!  may  we  not  lose  sight  of  this 
Noah's  ark,  the  only  safe  house  in  the  3torm  ;  you  under- 
stand me  without  further  explanation. 

"  We  do  not  fo-get  that  Vesson  had  several  elders,  but 
it  is  a  new  doctrine  ot  theology  that  those  who  hold  the 
sentiments  of  schismatic  fanatics  are  fit  to  be  Elders  and  can 
be  useful  to  the  Church.  It  is  true  that  He  who  formerly 
opened  the  eyes  of  the  blind  with  clay  could  make  profitable 
use  of  those  who  have  too  long  troubled  the  Church  ;  but  as 
an  event  of  this  nature  is  doubtful  and  without  any 
probability,  ils  consideration  must  not  enter  into  our  minds. 

"It  is  right  for  a  good  pastor  sometimes  to  leave  the 
ninety-nine  sheep  to  seek  the  hundredth  which  has  wandered  ; 
we  have  done  this  more  than  once  ;  but  up  to  the  present  we 
have  not  been  able  to  bring  it  back  to  the  fold  ;  there  are 
sheep  who  only  assume  the  skin  of  that  innocent  animal, 
while  still  retaining  the  attributes  of  its  enemy;  we  do  not 
however  grow  weary  in  caring  for  them,  happy  if  by  the  help 
we  render  we  may  restore  them  to  the  fold." 
31  August  1723. 

Du  Plan  replied  to  him  immediately  : — 

"  Monsieur,  my  very  dear  and  honored  brother, 
"  I  received  your  letter  dated  the  31st  of  August,  on  the 
2nd  ot  September,  about  four  or  five  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 


1)k  Plan  justifies  Ms  pt'udeni  conduct.  73 

by  an  agent  who  quitted  his  business  expressly  to  execute  his 
duty  iu  regard  to  the  interests  of  the  Church.  Though  at 
the  time  I  was  with  a  sick  person  who  had  need  of  my  help 
and  consolation,  though  I  was  late  and  had  four  leagues  to 
go,  and  was  in  danger  of  having  to  sleep  outside  the  tow  n  ; 
though  I  had  sent  my  clothes  to  a  place  where  I  was  expected 
and  whither  had  been  sent  two  horses,  one  for  me  and  the 
other  for  my  invalid  ;  and  lastly  though  a  pain  in  my  knee, 
forbade  me  to  fatigue  myself,  and  to  trot  my  horse  as  I  have 
done,  I  set  out  on  learning  from  your  letter,  that  you  had 
important  business  to  communicate  to  me,  and  have  arrived 
very  tired — with  my  knee  much  inflamed— at  the  place 
where  I  hoped  to  have  seen  you.  While  waiting  the 
pleasure  of  embracing  you,  I  have  thought  that  in  order  to 
fulfil  my  duty  and  your  expectation,  it  would  be  convenient 
to  reply  to  you  on  some  points  in  your  letter. 

u  In  the  first  place,  I  do  not  pretend  to  date  or  sign  my 
letters,  to  put  the  address  of  persons,  or  to  signify  the  places 
whence  they  come  and  whither  they  go,  tor  reasons  which 
appear  to  me  sound.  I  know  what  doing  this  has  cost  me 
and  others. 

"  Secondly,  I  know  it  is  more  than  three  months  since 
you  received  my  first  letter  touching  the  Synod  I  believe  to 
be  necessary  in  order  to  bring  together  the  faithful,  and  this 
time  appears  to  me  to  be  longer  than  is  necessary  tor  giving 
notice  to  our  bethren  of  what  I  wrote  to  them  :  it  would 
not  have  required  more  than  half  the  time  to  inform  the 
whole  of  Europe.  Is  this  negligence  on  your  part  in  accord- 
ance with  good  faith  ?  and  even  if  you  were  unable  to  com- 
municate with  our  brethren — a  thing  difficult  to  understand 
— have  you  done  well  in  attributing  the  delay  to  me 
and  in  giving  me  your  own,  while  waiting  for  the  general 
opinion  ?  Your  excuse  and  that  of  the  Elders  does  not  appear 
to  me  to  be  legitimate,  when  you  affirm  that  knowledge  ot 
my  whereabouts  was  mysteriously  withheld.  It  is  true 
I  have  had  at  certain  times  to  take  great  precautions,  but 
I  have  been  careful  that  my  relations,  and  above  all  the 


74:  He  replies  to  the  sarcasm  of  Court. 

Elders,  should  have  the  means  ot  comniunicatingjWith  me  by 
letter  or  otherwise  if  they  wished  ;  let  them  then  tind  other 
pretexts  to  excuse  themselves  !  my  prisons  and  my  gaolers 
were  well  known  and   quite  acccessible. 

"If  the  subject  in  question  were  not  so  serious  and  of 
such  great  consequence,  I  could  answer  your  sarcasm  ;  it  is 
better  simply  to  reply  that  if  God  had  chosen  me  to  be  a  valiant- 
Barak  I  should  not  have  left  myselt  to  the  direction  ot  false 
Deborahs  ;  if,  however,  God  had  selected  a  true  person  as  His 
messenger,  I  should  not  have  despised  her;  on  the  contrary, 
I  should  have  adored,  with  profound  reverence,  that 
invisible  and  all  powerful  Hand  which  sometimes  makes  use 
of  instruments  that  to  mortal  eyes  seem  vile  and  feeble,  in 
order  to  contound  the  strongest,  and  those  which  to  the 
world  appear  the  most  brilliant.  I  say  further,  if  I  knew 
that  among  the  people  there  was  some  masked  Deborah,  as 
you  term  it,  that  is  to  say,  according  to  the  natural  meaning 
of  your  words,  some  one  inspired  of  God,  who,  by  a 
criminal  tear  like  that  ot  Jonah,  hid  herself,  I  would  find  her 
out  and  force  her  to  discover  and  unmask  herself  in  order  to 
ascertain  the  will  of  the  Almighty,  though  she  might  have 
wished  to  remain  concealed  after  the  example  ot  Jonah  or 
Jeremiah. 

"  You  tell  me  the  Synods  are  not  so  easy  to  convoke  as  I 
imagine.  I  think  I  ought  to  know  the  time  required  to 
form  a  small  assembly  of  Pastors  and  Elders  most  capable  of 
speaking  on  the  matter  in  question  and  of  using  efforts  to 
reunite  the  faithful.  Call  this  assembly,  Synod,  Council,  or 
Conference  as  you  will,  they  are  synonymous  terms,  as  were 
Priest,  Bishop,  and  Pastor  in  the  Primitive  Church.  The  busi- 
ness in  hand  to  day  appears  to  me  of  sufficient  importance 
either  to  hasten  the  Synod,  or  to  form  a  Colloquy,  or  small 
Synod,  similar  to  that  which  was  held  on  the  occasion  ot 
your  marriage,  when  love  had  made  such  lively  impressions 
on  your  heart,  and  so  blinded  your  eyes  that  it  concealed 
the  dangers  to  which  you  exposed  yourself.  You  are  too 
reasonable  not  to  be  convinced  that  the  business  before  us 


He  urges  the  Convocation  of  a  Synod.  75 

concerns  the  Church  more  than  did  your  marriage,  and  that 
it  thus  better  merits  consideration  from  the  Pastors  and  Elders, 
in  order  that  a  remedy  may  be  provided.  I  have  not  the 
time  at  present,  nor  perhaps  the  capacity,  to  reply  with  elo- 
quence to  all  the  flowers  of  rhetoric  that  you  pompously 
display  in  order  to  express  your  sorrow,  great  or  small, 
at  the  false  ideas  of  yourself  and  some  others  touching  my 
supposed  wish  to  form  a  sect  and  my  infringement  of  the 
rules  of  the  Church.  Permit  me  to  say  to  all  those  who  think 
such  things  that  they  are  mistaken.  I  praise  your  zeal  for 
the  glory  of  God,  and  for  the  maintenance  of  discipline,  but 
on  this  occasion  you  have  gone  a  little  astray,  and  in  attack- 
ing and  condemning  me  you  have  mistaken  ihe  sable  for  the 
fox,  you  have  fired  at  the  dog  and  not  at  the  wolf.  Can 
you  conscientiously  ignore  my  services  to  the  Church  and 
the  functions  I  have  exercised  ?  Save  administering  the 
Sacraments,  is  there  any  duty  of  Pastor  or  Elder  I  have  not 
performed  with  the  approbation  and  consent  of  all  those  who 
have  heard  me  ?  I  have  cared  for  the  poor  ;  I  have  consoled 
the  sick  and  the  afflicted  ;  I  have  visited  the  prisoners  ;  I 
have  assisted  at  the  Synods  ;  I  have  made  apologies  for  our 
religion  ;  I  have  presented  petitions  to  the  Powers  ;  and 
further  while  having  been  fully  recognised  by  all  the 
Pastors  and  Students  of  the  Desert  for  eight  or  nine  years 
past,  I  have  endeavoured  to  preach  the  pure  Gospel  and  to 
maintain  (though  not  always  with  success)  unity  among  the 
brethren  whether  they  be  hearers  or  preachers  of  the  Word. 
I  know  not  after  this  what  can  be  the  temper  of  those 
who  set  themselves  in  opposition  to  the  continued  exercise  of 
my  ministry  and  the  duties  of  my  calling.  In  truth  I  know 
not  !  If  it  be  asserted  that  I  have  not  had  the  usual  call  to 
do  that  which  I  have  done,  then  I  ought  to  have  been  oppo- 
sed during  the  last  fourteen  or  fifteen  years.  I  can  prove 
to  my  adversaries  that  when  anyone  has  an  extraordinary 
vocation,  that  is  to  say  talents  and  zeal  necessary  to  edify 
the  Church  in  troublous  times,  a  formal  call  is  not  needed  ; 
but  that  which  should  completely  shut  the  mouth  of  every 


76  He  furnishes  proofs  of  his  vocation. 

objector  is  the  verbal  and  written  approbation  of  the  pastors, 
the  applause  of  the  people  who  hear  me,  and  the  fruits  reap- 
ed by  many  of  the  faithful.  I  ask  whether  further  proof 
of  my  legitimate  calling  was  still  needed,  and  whether 
there  was  any  necessity  to  employ  useless  forms  and  cere- 
monies for  the  conferring  upon  me  of  that  authority  which 
I  possessed  already,  and  which  I  had  exercised  so  long  and 
manifestly  before  both  friends  and  enemies.  I  ask  whether 
it  has  not  been  openly  said  that  I  was  the  minister  of  the 
Protestants  ;  whether  I  have  not  sacrificed  or  placed  at  ha- 
zard everything  I  hold  most  precious  in  this  world  in  order 
that  I  might  merit  the  title  ;  and  whether  I  am  not  ready, 
through  the  grace  of  God,  to  sacrifice  all  that  remains,  if  it 
be  necessary  for  His  glory  and  the  edification  of  the  Church? 
Do  not  then  needlessly  distress  yourself,  or  be  afraid  that  I 
am  following  in  the  steps  of  Vesson,  of  Mazelet  or  of  Boyer. 
I  have  always  desired  order,  peace,  and  discipline  in  the 
Church.  You  know  in  part  what  I  have  done  to  put  down 
strife  ;  how  when  pride  or  some  other  wicked  passion  had 
cut  off  Vesson  and  Mazelet  from  the  Church,  I  separated 
myself  from  them  ;  how,  so  far  from  having  had  relations 
with  these  schismatics,  1  did  my  utmost  to  draw  away  their 
adherents  ;  and  how  I  spoke  and  wrote  against  them  in 
order  to  destroy  the  false  reputation  which  they  had  acqui- 
red in  the  opinion  of  many  honest  people  who  knew  them 
not,  while  1  never  intermitted  my  intercourse  with  you,  or 
failed  to  eulogise  you  to  the  world  in  order  that  our  common 
interests  might  be  maintained.  Can  anything  therefore  be 
more  unjust  than  to  suspect  me  of  being  schismatic  or 
sectarian. 

"  It  is  still  possible  that  some  malicious  or  ignorant  per- 
sons may  accuse  me  of  having  had  a  partiality  for  the  su- 
perstitious sect  of  Montpellier,  but  God  knows  that  so  far 
from  this  having  been  true,  I  did  not  fail  to  censure  and  repri- 
mand them  when  I  was  present  about  three  and  a  half  years 
since.  I  never  had  any  sympathy  with  this  residuum  or 
wished  to  be  classed  among  them  ;  as  a  proof  I  may  state 


'il  disowns  <ill  relationship  with  the  Multipliants.    77 

that  though  they  besought  me  earnestly  with  magnificent 
promises  and  terrible  threats,  and  sent  expressly  to  ask  me- 
to  come  among  them  and  establish  myselt  as  their  chief, 
they  never  succeeded  in  influencing  my  mind.  I  had  com- 
munication with  them  by  letter  in  which  I  tried  to  sap  the 
foundations  of  their  edifice,  but  God  has  not  seen  fit  to  bless 
my  efforts.  It  has  pleased  Him  to  employ  other  means  than 
remonstrances  to  do  away  with  these  things.  I  have  sub- 
mitted to  His  judgments,  and  though  I  sincerely  pity  those 
who  were  involved  in  this  affliction,  I  can  truly  say  that  I 
was  rejoiced  when  I  heard  they  had  been  arrested.  Thus 
there  is  as  little  reason  for  you  to  blame  me  for  the  affair 
of  Montpellier,  as  there  is  for  me  to  blame  you  in  the  matter 
of  Vesson  or  Mazelet.  You  have  done  what  you  could  to 
bring  back  these  two  Schismatics,  and  have  not  succeeded; 
neither  have  I,  but  God  has  delivered  His  Church  from  the 
one  as  well  as  the  other.  He  Avilis  that  their  fall  and  their 
example  should  keep  us  in  humility  and  charity  in  order  that 
we  should  never  seek  our  own  glory  or  self  interests,  but 
the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church. 

u  I  receive  with  pleasure  your  exhortation  to  be  not  unduly 
attached  to  my  own  sentiments  and  will  endeavour  to  profit 
by  it;  do  so  yourself  for  this  exhortation  concerns  every  one. 
You  are  justified  in  condemning  those  who  call  good,  evil, 
and  evil,  good  ;  for  this  reason  we  should  examine  all  things 
aud  retain  only  that  which  is  good.  You  cite  to  me  examples 
which  prove  that  the  truth  has  sometimes  been  upheld,  and 
sometimes  condemned,  by  Emperors  and  Popes  ;  for  this 
reason  it  is  necessary  to  examine  the  sentiments  of  Emperors, 
Popes  and  Councils,  to  see  how  tar  they  agree  with  the  pas- 
sages of  Scripture  which  establish  the  dogmas  of  our  faith, 
after  having  implored  with  fervour  and  humility  the  light  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  to  enable  us  to  understand  the  true  meaning 
of  these  passages;  it  is  needful,  at  the  risk  of  our  goods,  our 
calling,  our  reputation,  and  our  life  itself,  to  unite  with  those 
who  appear  the  most  genuine  and  the  most  firm,  without 
allowing  ourselves  to  be  beguiled  or  intimidated  by  the  mul- 


78  He  asserts  his  belief  in  inspiration. 

titucle,  by  learned  reputations,  by  the  eloquence  and  dignity 
of  the  age,  by  the  pompous  and  magnificent  name  of  the 
Vicar  of  Jesus  Christ,  or  by  such  attractive  appellations  as 
the  Church  of  God,  or  the  Spouse  of  Jesus  Christ,  which  all 
heretics  have  usurped.  I  do  not  boast  of  being  an  Athanasius; 
if  God  had  chosen  me  alone  to  sustain  His  cause  on  the 
subject  in  question,  I  could  say  with  truth  that  God,  who 
does  not  need  the  help  of  man  to  accomplish  His  work,  had 
chosen  one  of  the  vilest  and  most  unworthy  sojourners  upon 
earth,  in  order  that  He  might  set  forih  the  infinite  riches  of 
His  mercy  and  the  power  of  His  almighty  Arm.  But  thank 
God,  I  am  not  alone  in  my  sentiments.  I  do  not  pretend  to 
found  a  sect  :  on  the  contrary,  I  will  do  my  utmost  to  be  at 
unity  and  peace  with  my  brethren  ;  trusting  that  God  will 
give  me  grace  to  succeed  in  spite  of  Satan,  who  constantly 
endeavours  to  sow  discord  in  the  field  ot  the  Lord. 

"  1  have  always  admitted  that  there  have  been  impostures 
and  abuses  among  the  pretended  Inspired  ;  but  I  have  never- 
theless maintained  in  public,  in  private,  and  even  in  full 
Synod,  that  I  believe  there  have  been  and  still  are  those  who 
have  received  extraordinary  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Thus 
you  are  wrong  in  saying  that  my  own  personal  expe- 
rience should  have  opened  my  eyes  on  the  matter,  and 
forced  me  to  condemn  without  distinction  all  those  who 
pretend  to  be  inspired.  There  are  some  who  approve,  and 
others  who  condemn,  without  either  knowledge  or  exami. 
nation.  As  to  myself,  after  having  examined  the  subject  as 
far  as  possible,  I  have  contenanced  that  party  which  appea- 
red to  me  in  unison  with  reason  and  Scripture,  and  renoun- 
ced the  other 

"  It  is  right  that  I  should  state  my  reasons  for  believing 
that  there  yet  live  those  who  are  truly  Inspired.  I  could 
name  to  you  certain  persons  who  have  the  qualities  which 
you  say  in  your  letter  are  essential  to  a  true  prophet.  I  have 
known  some  who  without  forethought  have  described  the 
wondertul  ways  ot  God  in  a  style  more  impressive  and  in  a 
discourse  more  flowing  than  those  who  have  studied  much  ; 


Decree  of  the  Synod  against  the  Inspired.  7K 

their  doctrine  was  orthodox,  their  lives  pure,  their  courage 
generous,  and  their  predictions  true.  These  persons  have 
probed  my  heart,  and  censured  my  vices,  they  have  exhorted 
me  to  virtue,  and  have  foretold  to  me  many  things  which 
I  have  seen  accomplished.  God  made  use  of  them  to  with- 
draw me  trom  my  immersion  in  Popery  ;  they  incited  me  to 
read  the  Scriptures  and  to  unite  myself  with  my  brethren  of 
the  desert  :  and  when  I  saw  that  my  peril  was  imminent, 
because  I  was  marked,  they  fortified  me,  and  promised  on 
the  part  of  God  that  my  enemies  should  not  put  their  hands 
upon  me,  and  that  I  should  be  able  to  pass  through  fire  and 
water  without  harm.  I  have  believed,  and  experienced, 
thanks  to  the  Lord,  the  truth  of  the  promises  of  my  Divine 
Saviour,  whose  help  I  have  always  implored  before  consult- 
ing these  persons.  If  my  views  be  correct,  it  would  be 
wrong  to  wish  that  my  faith  might  be  shaken  by  persuading 
me  that  so  much  good  can  come  from  a  bad  principle.  By 
acquiescing  I  should  render  myself  guilty  of  the  crime  of  the 
Pharisees  who  attributed  to  Beelzebub  the  effects  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  I  assert  that  no  man  is  justified  in  wishing  to 
regulate  my  conduct,  as  I  live  by  faith  and  attack  neither 
the  Doctrines  nor  the  Divinity  of  the  Holy  Scriptures;  on  the 
contrary  I  have  always  exerted  and  will  continue  to  exert, 
if  it  please  God,  every  effort  to  publish  the  Truths  of  the 
Gospel  both  by  my  words  and  actions.  " 

At  the  close  of  this  correspondence  and  at  the 
instance  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  a  Synod  was  assem- 
bled ;  the  party  of  order  not  wishing  to  lose  every- 
thing as  a  result  of  Du  Plan's  triumph,  decreed  that 
all  those  who  had  supported  Vesson  should  be  obli- 
ged in  order  to  re-enter  the  Church,  to  make  before 
the  Pastors,  Elders,  and  Faithful  the  following  de- 
claration : 

"  We  confess  and  declare,  in  the  presence  of  God  and  of 
the  Church,  that  we  supported  Vesson,  only  at  the  time 


80  Bu  Plan  is  followed  by  the  police. 

when  he  preached  the  word  of  God,  and  that  we  are  altoge- 
ther ignorant  of  the  merits  of  the  schism  he  raised  in  the 
Church.  We  ask  pardon  ot  God  for  not  having  given  suffi- 
cient attention  to  the  subject  and  prayed  to  know  our  dutyT 
and  we  promise  henceforth  to  remain  united  with  the  body 
of  Pastors  and  Elders  who  compose  the  Church,  and  to 
oppose  with  all  our  strength  those  who  preach  without  a 
call,  or  who  retuse  to  observe  the  order  and  ecclesiastical 
discipline  which  our  fathers  have  wisely  established  for  the 
edification  of  the  Church."  (September  1723.) 

The  affair  of  the  Multipliants  incited  not  alone 
the  busy-bodies  and  the  enemies  of  Benjamin  Du 
Plan,  it  drew  upon  him  the  most  violent  persecution 
from  the  government.  The  police,  having  found 
some  of  his  letters  among  the  papers  seized  at  the 
house  of  the  widow  Yerchand,  he  was  dangerously 
compromised  and  exposed  to  the  prosecution  of  the 
Intendant.  For  a  long  time  he  had  been  marked, 
and  it  was  without  doubt  solely  attributable  to  the 
high  consideration  enjoyed  by  his  family,  and  espe- 
cially to  the  intimate  friendly  relations  which  sub- 
sisted between  them  and  the  chief  houses  of  Alais, 
that  he  owed  his  escape  from  a  thousand  arrests  and 
from  the  most  rigourous  treatment. 

But  this  patience  and  long-suffering  had  an  end. 
The  position  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan  was  aggravated 
by  the  denunciation  of  the  old  man,  Hue  Mazel,  who 
had  been  arrested  at  St-Paul-la-Coste  and  conducted 
to  Montpellier  the  day  after  the  affair  of  the  Multi- 
pliants. In  Montpellier  the  old  apostate  Camisard 
confirmed  the  suspicions  of  the  police,  and  declared 
that  he  knew  the  Grentleman  of  Alais  personally.  He 


His  flight  from  France.  81 

revealed  the  important  part  Du  Plan  had  played 
among  his  co-religionists  and  the  influence  he  had 
enjoyed  in  the  Synods  and  Assemblies;  he  tailed 
not,  above  all,  to  rank  him  with  the  Inspired,  who 
excited  at  this  time  the  anger  of  the  authorities. 
Immediate  orders  were  issued  for  the  arrest  of  the 
young  nobleman  ;  the  Bishop  d'Avejan  and  the 
Commandant  of  Alais  were  obliged  to  second  the 
designs  of  the  Intendant,  and  if  Du  Plan  evaded 
these  pursuits  it  was  by  a  sort  of  miracle.  Several 
Catholics,  ecclesiastics  even,  Avarned  his  relations  of 
the  imminent  dangers  which  menaced  him.  Benja- 
min Du  Plan  was  at  this  moment  assisting  at  a 
Synod  near  Nismes.  He  immediately  took  to  flight, 
and  wandered,  like  the  preachers,  in  the  country  in 
disguise  and  under  an  assumed  name.  A  price  was 
put  upon  his  head  and  to  facilitate  his  capture  the 
following  description  of  him  was  given  to  numerous 
agents  of  the  authorities  : — 

"  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  height  about  five  feet  five  inches, 
hair  fair  and  long,  (which  he  often  arranges  en  queue),  eyes 
blue,  features  fair  and  handsome." 

For  two  years  he  evaded  the  pursuits  of  the 
police,  and  at  last  when  he  believed  it  was  no  longer 
possible  to  conceal  himself  he  decided  to  cross  the 
frontier.  He  wished  to  bid  a  last  farewell  to  his 
family  when,  alas  !  he  had  intelligence  of  a  cruel 
affliction  by  which  his  heart  was  nearly  broken.  His 
mother,  on  learning  the  perils  which  threatened  her 
son,  had  died  of  grief,  and  he  feared  if  he  ventured 
to  visit  his  home  that  he  might  have  the  additional 


82  The  extent  of  his  sacrifices. 

grief  of  being  reproached  b)r  his  aged  father  for  her 
death  and  of  being  blamed  for  his  conduct.  Never- 
theless the  nobleman  who  had  sacrificed  for  Grod  his 
goods,  his  repose,  and  his  livelihood,  made  with 
Christian  submission  the  sacrifice  of  his  dearest 
affections.  He  has  told  us  himself  of  the  extent  of 
these  sacrifices,  which  up  to  the  period  of  his  quitting 
the  kingdom  at  the  age  of  thirty-seven,  he  had  not 
hesitated  to  make  for  his  faith  : — 

"  With  my  titles  and  a  considerable  fortune,  if  God  had 
not  destined  me  for  the  service  of  His  Church  I  should  have 
been  able  to  ally  myself  with  the  illustrious  house  of  La  Fare, 
"which  abounds  with  Barons,  Marquises,  Counts,  Captains, 
Majors,  Colonels,  Brigadiers,  Generals,  Marshals  of  France, 
Commandants  of  Provinces  and  Bishops  ;  my  friend,  the 
brother-in-law  of  the  Baron  of  Alais,  having  offered  me  his 
eldest  daughter  in  marriage.  A  powerful  protection  and  a 
fair  start  in  the  world  would  thereby  have  been  assured  to 
me  ;  but  like  Moses,  God  has  given  me  grace  to  prefer  the 
.reproaches  of  Jesus  Christ  to  the  riches  and  honors  of  this 
world.  I  have  abandoned  for  the  cause  my  employment  in 
the  army,  and  have  refused  the  illustrious  alliance  of  which 
I  have  just  spoken  ;  I  have  separated  from  my  father  who 
feared  being  involved  in  my  almost  certain  ruin  ;  and 
having  thus  in  a  manner  abandoned  him  I  have  renounced 
my  heritage  :  I  have  given  up  intercourse  with  the  noble  and 
great  with  whom  I  was  on  terms  ot  friendship,  to  unite  with 
a  people  persecuted  for  the  gospel,  with  peasants,  artisans, 
the  poor,  the  despised,  the  hated,  and  the  persecuted  ;  with 
prisoners,  galley-slaves,  and  ministers,  proscribed  and  con- 
demned to  death  :  yes,  I  have  preferred  to  associate  with  all 
these  persons,  though  vile  and  wretched  In  appearance, 
rather  than  with  the  great,  the  rich,  and  the  powerful  of  the 
earth,  because  I  am  persuaded  of  the  truth  of  the  Christian 
religion,  because  I  know  that  the  world    like  a  dream 


His  letter  of  farewell  to  Antoine  Court.  83 

disappears,  and  its  glory  like  a  brilliant  mirage  dissolves 
into  blighted  hopes  ;  and  because  I  am  convinced  that  it  is 
they  alone  who  are  minded  to  serve  God,  to  keep  His  com- 
mandments and  to  imitate  Jesus  Christ,  who  shall  live  tor 
ever." 

The  departure  of  Benjamin  Du  I 'Ian  was  so 
precipitate  as  not  to  leave  him  time  to  bid  adieu  to 
Antoine  Court,  but  he  sent  him  the  following  letter 
which  revealed  the  great  projects  he  had  formed  in 
his  mind  in  favor  of  the  Church  : — 

"  I  much  wished  to  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  before 
my  departure  as  I  had  many  things  of  importance  to  tell 
you,  but  since  I  cannot  speak  them  by  word  of  mouth,  I  will 
put  down  here  the  most  important. 

"  You  cannot  be  ignorant  of  the  power  and  malignity  of 
our  enemies,  and  if  we  outlive  them  it  will  be  by  miracle  and 
by  the  mercy  of  God.  But  now  God  Himself  appears  to  have 
turned  against  us,  and  not  without  reason,  since  the  greater 
number  of  those  who  frequent  the  Assemblies,  and  who 
participate  in  the  most  sacred  rites  of  our  religion,  live  and 
pray  like  heathens  !  I  will  name  no  one,  because  I  should 
have  to  name  too  many  ;  neither  do  I  condemn  any  because, 
though  all  are  great  sinners,  I  am  the  chief  and  the  most 
guilty,  having  received  more  light  than  the  greater  number 
of  those  around  me.  For  this  reason  I  humble  myself  not 
only  before  God,  but  before  men.  I  acknowledge  my 
unworthiness  and  corruption.  I  will  not  despise  or  hate  any- 
one ;  on  the  contrary  I  will  give,  on  every  occasion  which 
presents  itself,  proofs  of  friendship  and  esteem  to  persons, 
who,  though  opposed  to  my  views,  work  for  the  glory  of  God 
and  the  edification  of  the  Church.  This  is  my  duty  and  also 
my  inclination 

u  It  is  necessary,  however,  to  work  together,  and  as  the 
principal  wheel  ot  a  machine  imparts  its  motion  to  the  others 
and  the  whole  is  set  agoing,  so  the  pastors  must  stir  up  the 


84  He  gives  some  practical  advice. 

students,  the  students  the  elders,  and  the  elders  the  people^ 
It  is  necessary  we  should  vie  with  each  other  in  holiness* 
The  struggle  is  commencing  and  we  are  surrounded  by  our 
enemies  ;  if  we  are  not  alive  to  our  security,  and  if  we  do 
not  take  the  whole  armour  of  faith,  we  are  lost.  It  is  neces: 
sary  to  fast,  to  pray,  to  mourn  and  to  be  converted  ;  this  is 
the  only  way  to  obtain  the  victory  over  Satan,  the  world  and 
our  passions.  I  exhort  and  entreat  you,  my  dear  brother,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ  our  common  Master  and  Saviour, 
to  adopt  with  our  brethren,  pastors  and  elders,  the  most 
proper  and  efficacious  means  to  appease  the  anger  of  God  and 
to  draw  forth  His  justification  and  love." 

This  letter  ended  with  some  practical  advice  : — 

"  Our  brother  who  will  deliver  my  letter,  and  who  you 
know  has  long  been  attached  to  the  service  of  the  Church, 
will  inform  you  verbally  ot  several  things  I  have  been  unable 
and  unwilling  to  put  on  paper.  You  know  the  worth,  the 
piety  and  the  ability  of  this  good  servant  ;  admit  him  there- 
fore when  you  discuss  your  plans.  You  have  Maître 
Baldy  and  some  others  who  can  compose  the  secret  council. 
Consult  together  more  frequently  than  you  have  been  accus- 
tomed to  do,  and  vigilantly  reunite  the  chiefs  in  order  to 
encourage  them  in  the  discharge  of  their  duty.  You  will 
acquire  a  glory,  much  more  true  and  lasting  than  that  of  the 
heroes  so  famous  in  history.  Your  name  will  be  celebrated 
in  the  annals  of  the  Church,  and  you  will  one  day  be  seated 
on  a  throne  of  glory  !  Adieu,  my  dear  brother,  I  embrace 
you  in  spirit,  and  am  with  all  my  heart  to  you,  and  to  all 
who  love  Jesus  Christ,  the  very  humble  and  obedient 
servant." 

(July  1724).. 


Statement  of  the   liislioji  of  Altiis.  bf> 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  DECLARATION  OF  1724. 
1723-1725. 

The  flight  of  Du  Plan  coincided  with  a  renewed 
persecution  of  the  Protestants.  Up  to  this  time, 
under  the  government  of  the  Regent,  they  had  en- 
joyed comparative  repose,  and  the  wearied  execu- 
tioners  had  time  to  take  breath.  The  Protestants 
had  profited  by  the  calm  to  combine  afresh  ;  they 
had  ceased  to  send  their  children  to  the  Catholic 
Schools  ;  baptisms  and  marriages  in  the  Desert  had 
become  daily  more  numerous,  and  Protestantism  like 
the  bird  in  the  fable  had  sprung  again  from  its  ashes. 

The  Bishop  of  Alais,  Monseignor  D'Avejan,  in  a 
long  statement  to  the  Court,  described  with  sorrow 
the  progress  of  the  heresy  and  the  failure  of  measures 
taken  to  exterminate  it:  the  assemblies,  formerly  few 
and  secret, had  now  become  numerous  and  public;  the 
churches  were  deserted  and  parents  ceased  to  send 
their  children  to  the  Catholic  Schools,  while  others 
dispensed  with  the  baptism  of  their  children  by  the 
priests.  "  So  many  disorders,"  added  he,  "  after 
more  than  forty  years  of  work  and  pains  on  the 
part  of  the  cleverest  men  of  the  last  reign  and  in  the 
midst  of  a  solid  peace,  justly  engender  fear  of  great 
evils  in  the  future  and  prove  the  necessity  for  adopt- 
ing decided  measures.  "  ' 

1.    Reflections  on  the  present  state  of  religion  in  the  Cevennes 
(l't  August  1783). 


86  The  Edict  of  1724. 

Meanwhile,  in  1723  the  Regent  died  and  the 
government  of  the  State  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Louis  XV.  who  was  yet  a  minor.  The  Bishop  de 
Frejus,  his  tutor,  afterwards  created  Cardinal 
Fleuiy,  prevailed  on  the  young  king  to  nominate 
as  his  first  Minister  the  Duke  de  Bourbon,  a  prince 
of  limited  intellect  and  timid  disposition.  De 
Frejus,  who  was  a  willing  tool  in  the  hands  of  the 
Jesuits  hoped  in  this  way  to  rule  the  Kingdom. 

The  cry  of  alarm  aroused  in  Alais  on  the  re- 
commencement of  the  troubles,  resounded  in  Paris 
and  attracted  the  greater  attention  in  the  Council  of 
the  King  inasmuch  as  the  ambitious  projects  of  the 
Councillors  were  subserved  by  the  persecution  of 
the  Protestants.  By  sacrificing  them  to  the  Papacy, 
Fleury  hoped  to  gain  his  cardinal's  hat.  He  con- 
spired with  another  man  ambitious  like  himself, 
Lavergne  de  Tressant,  formerly  almoner  of  the 
Regent  and  afterwards  Bishop  of  Nantes  and 
Secretary  of  the  Council  of  Conscience.  1 

These  two  men  won  over  the  Duke  de  Bourbon, 
and  in  concert  with  the  old  Intendant  Baville,  then 
in  retirement  at  Paris,  induced  him  to  sign  the  too 
celebrated  edict  of  1724.  This  edict,  which  consisted 
of  eighteen  articles,  imposed  the  following  pains  and 
penalties  : — 

Men  who  took  part  in  any  worship  other  than 
that  of  the  Catholic  Church  were  to  be  sent  to  the 

l.  A  private  council,  composed  of  the  King,  his  Confessor  and  a  few 
others,  where  divers  matters  concerning  the  Clergy  or  the  Ecclesiastical 
State  were  decided. 


The  Edict  of  1724.  87 

galleys  for  life  and  have  their  goods  confiscated  ; 
women  were  to  be  condemned  to  perpetual  impri- 
sonment. 

Preachers  were  to  be  punished  by  death. 

All  who  granted  them  aid  or  asylum,  or  failed  to 
denounce  them,  were  to  be  sent  to  the  galleys  for 
life  and  their  goods  to  be  confiscated. 

Parents  were  ordered  to  have  their  children  bap- 
tised by  the  parish  priest  within  twenty-four  hours 
of  their  birth,  to  send  them  to  school  and  have  them 
taught  the  Catholic  Catechism  up  to  the  age  of 
fourteen,  and  to  divine  service  on  Sundays  and 
holidays  up  to  the  age  of  twenty. 

Midwives,  physicians,  surgeons  and  apotheca- 
ries were  ordered  to  announce  all  births  and  cases 
of  serious  illness  amongst  the  "new  converts''  to 
the  priests,  and  the  latter  were  authorised  to  visit 
and  exhort  the  sick  without  the  presence  of  wit- 
nesses. Should  any  refuse  the  Catholic  sacraments 
or  cause  others  to  refuse  them  they  were  to  incur 
the  penalties  declared  against  "the  relapsed.'' 

No  marriages  were  to  be  legitimate  except  those 
which  were  celebrated  according  to  the  Canons  of 
the  Church. 

Parents  were  not  to  be  permitted  to  educate  their 
children  or  allow  them  to  marry  out  of  the  kingdom. 
Minors,  on  the  contrary,  whose  parents  were  outside 
the  kingdom,  could  marry  without  their  consent. 

Certificates  of  Catholicism  were  declared  com- 
pulsory for  all  offices,  and  academical  grades,  and 
all  admissions  into  trades  or  professions. 


#8  The  Protestants  are  terror-stricken. 

Lastly,  fines  and  goods  confiscated  were  to  be 
devoted  to  the  support  of  the  reunited  subjects  who 
had  need  of  them. 

The  faithful  were  cast  down  on  reading  this  De- 
claration, which  resumed  and  aggravated  the  most 
cruel  edicts  of  Louis  XIV.  Some  Protestants  felt 
the  old  Camisard  blood  boiling  in  their  veins,  and 
thought  of  taking  up  arms,  but  Antoine  Court  suc- 
ceeded, though  not  without  trouble,  in  calming  their 
anger.  What  was  to  be  done  under  such  circum- 
stances ?  Address  petitions  and  apologies  to  the 
Duke  de  Bourbon,  to  Fleury  and  to  Louis  XV.  ? 
Useless  trouble  !  It  was  decided  to  write  to  the 
Foreign  Powers,  not  to  demand  the  aid  of  their 
arms,  but  to  ask  them  to  interest  themselves  in  the 
misfortunes  of  the  Protestants  and  to  implore 
their  good  offices  with  the  King  of  France.  A 
Synod  was  immediately  convoked,  in  October  1724, 
to  decide  on  the  course  it  was  best  to  pursue  in  pre- 
sence of  such  a  Declaration.  The  Synod  examined 
the  grave  question  whether  the  Protestants  ought 
to  emigrate  or  remain  in  France  in  spite  of  the 
persecution.  Basnage,  Saurin,  and  all  the  refugees 
advised  emigration,  but  Antoine  Court  withstood 
them  ;  they  deliberated  long  Avithout  arriving  at  a 
decision,  leaving  each  one  at  liberty  to  fly  or  to 
stay,  as  he  pleased.  The  preachers  nevertheless 
encouraged  the  faithful  to  bear  patiently  the  evils 
that  threatened  them,  and  the  Synod  separated 
after  having  ordained  a  general  fast  for  the  purpose 


Rigorous  measures  against  tl"1  preachers.  89 

of  appeasing-  the  anger  of  God  and  re-animating  the 

zeal  and  piety  <>t' the  Church. 

This  Declaration  of  1 724  was  chiefly  directed 
against  the  preachers.  The  Intendant  published 
their  names  and  gave  their  description,  and  a 
thousand  livres  were  offered  for  the  apprehension 
of  each. 

The  head  of  Cortiez,  "the  most  dangerous  of  all," 
was  valued  at  two  thousand  livres,  that  of  Court  for 
some  time  previously  had  been  raised  in  value:  for- 
merly not  more  than  one  thousand  francs  had  been 
offered,  but  the  sum  appeared  so  small  that  it  had 
been  raised  to  a  thousand  crowns. ' 

In  spite  of  all  these  rigours  and  persecutions, 
calm  was  maintained  among  the  Protestants,  and 
some  months  after  the  Declaration  of  1  724  Cortiez 
wrote  : —  "All  the  places  I  pass  through  are  quiet  ; 
the  zeal  is  considerable  and  the  assemblies  are 
numerous." 

These  new  troubles  made  a  profound  impression 
abroad.  Certain  pastors  of  Berlin  advised  the 
suspension  of  the  Assemblies  so  as  not  to  irritate 
the  authorities,  while  Switzerland  displayed  marks 
of  sympathy  by  praying  for,  and  weeping  with,  the 
persecuted. 

But  he  who  was  most  moved  and  most  afflicted 
by  this  sad  news  was  Benjamin  Du  Plan.  He 
immediately  took  his  pen  and  addressed  pressing 
requests  to  the  principal  Protestant  Courts  of  Europe, 

i.  Edward  Hughes,  already  quoted,  Vol.  I,  pas*'  245. 


90         Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  King  of  England. 

to  the  King  of  England,  to  the  King  of  Prussia  and 
to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury. 

The  following  is  the  letter  to  the  King  of 
England  : — 

u  Sire, 

"  Your  Majesty  is  without  doubt  aware  that  recently 
there  has  been  published  in  France  a  Declaration  which 
renews  and  aggravates  all  the  evils  that  Louis XIV.  formerly 
inflicted  on  the  Protestants  of  his  kingdom. 

"  Though  for  certain  reasons  it  has  not  yet  been  put 
rigorously  into  execution,  we  cannot  flatter  ourselves  that 
we  shall  long  be  preserved  from  the  furious  storms  which 
threaten  us.  This  is  why,  Sire,  we  have  recourse  to  your 
Majesty  very  humbly  to  supplicate  the  employment  of  your 
good  offices  on  behalf  of  a  great  number  of  the  faithful 
whose  only  crime  on  this  occasion  consists  in  wishing  to 
serve  God  according  to  His  word.  If  the  throne  of  our  King 
had  not  become  inaccessible  to  us  by  the  misrepresentations 
of  our  enemies  as  to  our  religion  and  loyalty  :  if  France  and 
England  had  not  been  allied  ;  if  the  glorious  title  of  De- 
fender of  the  Faith  could  have  weakened  the  friendship 
entertained  for  each  other  by  the  august  personages  who 
bear  it,  we  should  not  have  taken  the  liberty  of  supplicating 
your  Majesty  to  intercede  tor  us,  fearing  your  refusal  and 
the  displeasure  of  the  King,  our  ruler. 

"  But  since,  thank  Heaven,  everything  concurs  to  render 
your  Majesty's  favour  probable  and  your  Majesty's  inter- 
cession salutory,  we  flatter  ourselves,  Sire,  that  you  will  be 
touched  by  our  sad  state  and  that  you  will  employ  all  the 
means  which  your  charity  and  wisdom  may  suggest  to  you 
on  behalf  of  a  great  number  of  Christian  Huguenots  whom 
the  blind  and  cruel  zeal  of  Popery  is  ready  to  immolate  as 
its  victims. 

u  We  hope.  Sire,  that  the  Lord  will  bless  your  righteous 
designs,  and  that  he  will  render  efficacious  your  charitable 
solicitude  ;   while   on   our   side,    penetrated   with   a   lively 


Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  King  of  Prussia.         91 

knowledge  ot  your  goodness,  we  will  never  ceaso  to  offer 
our  prayers  on  behalf  of  your  Majesty  and  all  the  Royal 
family. 

■*  All  the  Protestants  of  Europe  have  good  reason  to 
praise  God  that  He  has  raised  up  on  behalf  of  His  Church 
a  wise  and  powerful  protector  in  the  person  of  George,  a 
ruler  who  may  be  classed  with  David,  Solomon,  Constantine, 
William,  and  other  great  princes  who  have  made  themselves 
illustrious  by  their  wisdom,  piety,  and  valour.  God  grant, 
Sire,  that  the  unjust  projects  of  your  enemies  may  be  turned 
to  their  confusion  and  shame.  God  grant  that  the  throne  of 
Great  Britain  may  be  established  in  your  august  family  by 
justice  and  mercy  until  the  end  of  time. 

"  These  wishes,  Sire,  which  I  echo,  are  those  of  all  the  Pro- 
testants of  the  world,  and  are  especially  those  of  the  churches 
of  Languedoc,  which  I  have  the  happiness  to  serve  and  in 
whose  name  I  take  the  liberty  of  presenting,  by  the  hands 
of  the  illustrious  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  this  very  humble 
petition.  These  are,  above  all,  the  very  ardent  desires  of 
him  who  is  with  a  very  profound  respect,  Sire,  your  Ma- 
jesty's &c.  "     (,1724). 

The  following  is  the  request  which  Du    Plan 

addressed  t<»  the  King  of  Prussia  : — 

u  Sire, 

"  Your  Majesty  is  without  doubt  aware  that  recently 
there  has  been  published  in  France  a  Declaration  which 
renews  and  aggravates  all  the  evils  that  Louis  XIV.  formerly 
inflicted  on  the  Protestants  of  his  kingdom. 

''The  important  position  which  your  Majesty  occupies,  the 
heroic  virtues  which  display  themselves  in  your  person,  the 
profession  which  you  make  of  true  Christianity,  the  strong 
proofs  of  sympathy  that  you  have  evinced,  and  still  evince, 
in  the  Huguenot  cause,  and  the  example  of  your  ancestors  of 
glorious  memory  afford  bright  hopes,  Sire,  that  you  will 
listen  favourably  to  the  complaints  and  groans  ot  a  great 
number  of  good  men,  who  have  not  only  been  deprived   for 


92  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  King  of  Prussia. 

a  long  time  of  public  worship,  and  of  the  true  religion,  but 
have  been  compelled  by  the  most  unlawful  and  severe 
measures  to  practise  an  idolatrous  and  superstitious 
worship. 

u  Though  we  have  not  sufficient  influence  to  elicit  the 
compassion  of  our  King,  His  Majesty  cannot  complain  of  our 
loyalty.  We  know  that  his  youth,  his  piety,  and  his  justice 
have  been  imposed  upon,  but  we  no  longer  complain  against 
nobles,  magistrates  and  officers  of  the  army  ;  on  the  con- 
trary we  trust  to  their  justice  and  compassion  ;  it  is  only 
against  the  Papacy  and  certain  persons  sold  to  the  Court 
of  Rome  that  we  implore,  Sire,  your  royal  and  powerful 
protection. 

"  You  know,  Great  King,  what  you  owe  to  God  and  what 
you  are  able  to  do  on  behalf  ot  the  Churches  which  are  under 
the  Cross.  We  therefore  content  ourselves  with  showing 
you  our  miseries.  All  the  Protestant  Powers  will  consider 
it  a  duty  and  a  pleasure  to  co-operate  with  Your  Majesty  in 
this  good  work. 

*  God  is  not  pleased  that  so  many  powerful  and  illustrious 
Christian  princes  should  display  so  little  zeal  to  sustain  the 
truth,  while  a  small  number  of  ambitious,  avaricious  and 
passionate  prelates,  priests  and  monks,  shew  so  much  ardour 
for  the  triumph  of  superstition. 

u  We  are  persuaded,  Sire,  that  Your  Majesty,  penetrated 
with  love  for  God  and  charity  for  the  Church,  and  aspiring 
to  an  immortal  glory  on  earth  and  an  infinite  happiness  in 
heaven  ;  we  are  persuaded,  I  say,  that  you  will  cast  your 
eyes  on  our  sad  state,  and  that  you  will  employ  the  most 
efficacious  and  at  the  same  time  the  most  just  and  peaceable 
means  possible  to  arrest  the  fatal  effects  of  the  persecution. 
Meanwhile,  Sire,  we  will  not  cease  to  offer  up  the  most 
ardent  prayers  on  behalf  of  your  Majesty  and  the  Royal 
family.  May  God  bless  all  your  righteous  designs,  Great 
Prince,  and  spread  the  terror  of  your  arras  among  all  your 
enemies  ;  may  God  preserve  you  to  be  long  the  joy  of  your 
people  and  the  protector  of  the  Church,  and,  finally  may  He 


Letter  of  Saurin  to  Du  Plan.  93 

after  you  have  completed  your  days  of  glory  upon  earth, 
crown  you  with  an  immortal  happiness  in  heaven  !  " 

At  the  same  time  that  Benjamin  Du  Plan  sent 
his  letter  to  the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  he  also 
wrote  to  Saurin,  a  pastor  in  London,  asking  him  to 
refresh  the  worthy  Prelate's  memory,  and  for  this 
purpose  to  obtain  an  interview  with  him. 

Saurin  replied  : — 

-  Monsieur, — It  is  full  time  that  I  should  reply  to  the 
letter  you  have  done  me  the  honour  to  write,  and  that 
I  should  render  you  an  account  of  the  commission  you  have 
given  me.  Nothing  is  more  worthy  of  you  than  the 
sympathy  you  have  displayed  for  the  sufferings  of  the 
Church,  and  it  is  not  possible  sufficiently  to  praise  your 
zeal.  I  only  ask  you  to  believe  that  our  refugees  in  Holland 
and  England  have  equally  at  heart  all  the  interests  of  their 
persecuted  brethren.  As  they  are  on  the  spot,  they  have 
contrived  on  every  occasion  which  presented  itself  to  solicit 
in  favour  of  the  Churches  the  interest  of  the  Powers  under 
whose  control  they  live,  and  they  will  not  cease  to  work 
with  activity  and  zeal  so  long  as  they  see  the  least  hope  of 
success.  Unfortunately  the  present  state  of  affairs  does  not 
seem  very  favourable,  and  to  judge  from  incidental  circum- 
stances we  have  little  reason  to  hope  that  God  has  yet  heard 
their  petitions. 

tt  Your  letter,  Monsieur,  as  you  wished,  has  been  com- 
municated to  my  Lord  Archbishop,  and  he  has  himself 
desired  that  you  should  be  informed  of  what  he  has  done. 
As  soon  as  he  received  the  petition  you  sent  to  him  for 
presentation  to  the  King,  he  had  the  goodness  to  deliver 
it  into  the  hands  of  my  Lord  Townsend,  one  of  our 
Secretaries  of  State,  and  to  solicit  his  good  offices.  This  is 
all  he  could  do  at  the  time,  but  since  the  commencement  of 
the  year  he  has  taken  a  more  decided  course.  Supported  by 
several  Bishops,  he  has  represented  to  the  King  the  state  of 


9i  The  anxiety  of  Du  Plan. 

the  Protestant  Churches  beyond  the  sea,  and  fervently 
implored  the  King's  protection.  The  King  listened  with  much 
attention  and  replied  to  him  with  his  usual  benevolence.  In 
regard  to  the  affairs  of  France,  he  said  he  could  not  assume, 
to  act  openly,  but  he  would  do  all  in  his  power  for  the 
Protestants  as  opportunity  might  serve.  May  God  grant  that 
opportunities  soon  present  themselves  ;  meanwhile  may 
He  inspire  our  brethren  under  the  Cross  with  courage  to  quit 
the  places  where  their  taith  is  so  much  tried,  and  instill  into 
the  minds  of  all,  the  piety  and  fervour  that  are  necessary  to 
avert  His  anger  and  to  hasten  the  return  ot  His  compassion 
— thus  may  everyone  follow  your  example. 

UI  have  the  honor  to  be  with  every  possible  consideration, 
Monsieur,  &c,  &c." 

It  would  be  impossible  to  describe  the  anxiety  of 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  after  the  publication  of  this 
Declaration.  He  was  without  news  from  his 
friends,  intercourse  having  become  much  more  diffi- 
cult and  correspondence  all  but  impossible.  In 
writing,  it  was  necessary  to  practise  a  ruse  to 
deceive  the  enemy  always  vigilantly  on  the  watch. 
A  merchant  who  traded  between  Switzerland  and 
France  consented  at  his  risk  and  peril  to  conceal 
a  few  books  amongst  his  merchandize  or  to  deliver 
a  letter  secretly.  In  order  to  avoid  seizure  the 
letters  had  to  be  written  with  excessive  prudence, 
without  date  and  without  signature,  or  at  most 
with  the  initials  of  the  writer.  As  nothing  in  the 
letter  must  betray  him  who  received  it,  the  names 
of  places  and  persons  were  either  suppressed  or 
abridged.  As  to  the  address  of  the  letter  or  packet 
it  was  generally  so  contrived  as  not  to  arouse  suspi- 
cions.    Antoine  Court  was  often  designated  by  the 


Providential  deliverance  of  Antoine  Court.  95 

name  of  his  mother,  or  by  an  assumed  name  with 
the  quantitation  of  merchant.  Somtimes  months 
elapsed  before  the  letters  were  delivered  ;  it  was 
thus  that  Du  Plan  learned  for  the  first  time  in  the 
month  of  April  the  imminent  danger  which  had 
befallen  his  friend  in  the  first  days  of  the  year 
1725.  Antoine  Court  had  assembled  twenty  per- 
sons in  the  house  of  a  man  named  Jalabert  of  Alais, 
when  the  mounted  police  invested  the  house  and 
made  his  hearers  prisoners  ;  by  a  special  Provi- 
dence the  preacher  alone  escaped,  he  being  more 
active  and  more  accustomed  to  surprises  and 
concealment  than  the  others.  Four  of  the  captives, 
Carrière,  Dussein,  (iervais  and  Ponge,  were  con- 
demned to  the  galleys. 1 

At  the  news  of  this  marvellous  deliverance, 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  wrote  to  his  friend  to  congratulate 
him  : — 

u  Praised  be  the  Eternal  our  God  !  Praised  be  His  Holy 
Name  from  age  tu  age  ;  His  mercy  extends  from  generation 
to  generation.  He  watches  over  His  Church,  He  cares  for 
His  children.  He  permits  the  wicked  to  execute  their  evil 
designs  to  a  certain  point  only,  in  order  to  try  His  servants. 

tt  My  dear  brother,  and  friend, 

"We  ought  never  to  forget  the  providential  miracle  which 
has  been  wrought  on  your  behalf.  I  have  blessed  and  will 
bless  the  Lord  with  all  my  soul,  during  the  remainder  of  my 
life.  The  more  I  reflect  upon  this  event,  the  more  1 
recognise  in  it  the  Hand  of  God  which  has  preserved  you  in 
the  midst  ot  the  tempest,  sword,  fire,  and  wild  beasts.     I 

1.  They  afterwards  appealed  to  the  parliament  of  Toulouse  and 
were  acquitted. 


î»6  Letter  of  congratulation  from  Du  Plan. 

realise,  my  dear  friend,  all  your  troubles  and  conflicts.  I  see 
you  surprised  by  your  enemies  in  a  house,  not  knowing  the 
country,  and  escaping  in  the  darkness  of  the  night  upon 
roofs  slippery  with  snow  and  rain  ;  I  see  you  repulsed  from 
the  first  refuge  which  yon  seek  in  your  extremity  ;  I  see  you 
all  alone,  narrowly  escaping  from  two  soldiers,  who  are 
well  pleased  at  driving  you  back  into  your  hiding-place 
as  into  a  cage  of  which  they  have  only  to  shut  the  door  : 
I  see  you,  with  failing  strength,  climbing  high  walls  ;  I  see 
you  hemmed  in  by  enemies  on  all  sides,  and  betrayed  by  the 
glare  of  the  flambeaux  which  surround  the  island.1  I  see  you, 
finally,  collecting  the  wood  for  your  coffin,  digging  your 
tomb  in  a  dunghill,  and  God  Himself  concealing  you  in  order 
that  the  wicked  may  not  touch  His  anointed.  Who  will  not 
admire,  after  all  this,  the  Providence  of  God  who  despises 
His  adversaries,  who  exposes  their  evil  designs,  and  who 
turns  to  naught  their  night  watchings,  their  works,  their 
cunning  and  their  strength  ?  Let  us  complete,  my  dear 
friend,  the  history  of  this  marvellous  deliverance.  I  see  you 
fasting  and  lying  in  an  uneasy  position  in  your  tomb, 
covered  with  planks,  dung  and  snow,  and  attacked  by 
insects;  then  I  hear  you,  like  Jonah,  crying  from  the 
profound  depths  to  the  high  heavens  during  twenty  or 
twenty-one  hours.  God  hears  you.  God  answers  you.  He 
pours  into  your  soul  the  patience  and  confidence  necessary 
for  your  support  under  these  rude  trials,  and  when  the- 
time  fixed  lor  your  stay  in  the  tomb  has  expired,  I  hear  a 
still,  small  voice  which  says  to  you  :  Lazarus,  come  forth  ! 
Peter,  arise  !  Throw  off  thy  grave  clothes ,  strengthen 
thyself,  march  and  fear  nothing  !  I  will  close  the  eyes  of 
thine  enemies  and  conduct  thee  safely  among  thy  brethren  ! 
Can  I  doubt  that  God  has  spoken  to  you,  my  dear  friend, 
though  he  has  not  pronounced  the  words  audibly  ?  No  ; 
your  supplications  and  inward  cries  reached  Him  through 
the  planks,  the  dung,  the  snow,  the  air,  and  the  heavens, 

1.    Island  here  signifies  an  isolated  block  of  buildings. 


Letter  of  congratulation  from  Du  Plan.  97 

where,  penetrating  in  to  His  presence,  they  moved  the 
bowels  of  His  mercy  in  your  favour  ;  in  favour  of  your 
Rachel  ami  her  child  ;  in  favour  of  all  those  who  love  you  ; 
in  favour  of  the  Church  which  rejoices  and  will  yet  rejoice 
until  the  end  of  time  at  your  marvellous  deliverance.  God 
then,  my  dear  friend,  answers  you  secret  cries,  by  giving 
you  strength,  courage,  and  prudence  to  pass  without  danger 
through  the  midst  of  your  enemies,  and  by  sending  you 
afterwards  a  guide  to  conduct  you  in  safety  to  the  house  of 
your  friends,  there  quietly  to  recruit  your  strength  exhausted 
by  long  fastings,  by  night  Avatchings,  by  fatigues,  and  by 
terrible  struggles  under  which  nature  must  infallibly  have 
succumbed,  had  it  not  been  for  the  special  favour  of  God. 
Who  will  not  admire  the  wonders  of  Providence  as  displayed 
in  this  extraordinary  event?  I  cannot  cease  to  praise  the 
Lord  for  your  deliverance.  I  am  penetrated  with  lively 
gratitude  tor  His  great  mercy  :  my  soul  blesses  the  Eternal 
and  forgets  not  His  benefits.  It  is  not  by  human  nature 
alone,  by  some  slight  friendship,  by  some  worldly  interest, 
or  by  some  human  relationship,  that  I  find  myself  united 
with  you,  my  dear  friend  ;  it  is  by  the  grace  and  by  the 
love  of  God,  an  indissoluble  tie,  much  closer  and  more 
intimate  than  those  I  have  enumerated.  God.  in  preserving 
you,  preserves  to  me,  not  a  brother  or  a  friend  simply,  but 
a  tender  brother  and  a  faithful  friend  who  has  devoted  his 
life  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church. 
What  cause  for  thankfulness  and  praise  to  my  God  !  Yea, 
0  God,  I  will  bless  Thee  throughout  my  whole  life,  for 
Thou  hast  had  compassion  on  my  friend,  on  his  wife,  on  his 
child,  on  me  and  on  all  Thy  Church.  0  God,  never  permit 
us  to  render  ourselves  unworthy  of  Thy  favour  and  protec- 
tion, come  to  our  help  and  give  us  grace  that  we  may  be 
diligent  in  the  discharge  of  all  our  duties.  By  fulfilling  our 
duties,  my  dear  friend,  as  far  as  human  infirmity  will 
permit,  we  may  reasonably  hope  to  have  God  for  our 
protector,  and  if  God  is  our  protector  we  ought  to  be  assured 
that  we  shall  sooner  or  later  obtain  the  victory  over  all  our 
enemies,  visible  and  invisible. 

7 


98  Letter  of  congratulation  from  Du  Plan. 

"  I  am  desired  by  several  ministers  and  persons  of  dis- 
tinction and  merit  to  congratulate  you  on  your  deliverance, 
and  to  assure  our  Churches  ot  the  interest  they  take  in  all 
that  concerns  our  welfare. 

"I  am  delighted  that  IsabeauMn  her  death  has  borne 
witness  as  a  good  Christian.  God  will  strengthen  the  other 
prisoners  ;  do  not  forget  them.  God  will  sit  in  judgment 
with  the  Council  that  shall  try  our  brethren,  and  give  them 
wisdom  and  firmness  meet  for  the  occasion.  My  special 
remembrances  to  the  brave  Baldy.  Mlle  Cortiez 2  and  her 
daughter  thank  you  for  your  kind  regards.  They  are  at 
present  well,  thank  God,  and  salute  you;  they  praise  God 
for  your  preservation.  M.  Ginoux  à  Genè.  ;  Mms  de  Sal.; 
Mms  de  G  ...  ;  M.  T  ...  ;  M.  L  ...  ;  M.  Vi ...  ;  M.  Lavalette 
were  all  much  rejoiced  when  they  heard  of  your  escape,  and 
specially  salute  you.  M.  de  Marley  and  his  family  are 
delighted.  Finally,  all  the  worthy  people  who  know  you  by 
sight  and  reputation  send  good  wishes.  God  will  fulfill 
all  these  desires  if  we  set  ourselves  to  please  Him.  0  God 
render  us  worthy  of  Thy  love  and  that  will  suffice  us!  Read 
my  letter  again  in  order  that  you  may  better  attend  to  what 
I  have  said.  I  often  read  your  letters.  It  is  necessary  to 
reflect  on  everything  and  to  take  wise  measures  in  order 
to  arrive  at  wise  results.  Your  last  letter  is  in  good  style. 
Embrace  my  brethren  on  my  behalf  and  assure  them  of  my 
affection.  Your  prose  is  very  good,  but  your  poetry  is  worth 
nothing.  Therefore  abandon  poetry,  although  you  may 
have  a  lively  imagination  and  a  fertile  mind.  The  verdict  of 
all  connoisseurs  is,  that  there  is  more  pleasure  derived  from 
the  perusal  of  a  subject  if  its  sense  and  spirit  be  good." 
(April  1725.) 


1.  A  prisoner  for  the  cause  of  religion. 

2.  This  was  Madame  Cortiez.  The  title  of  Mademoiselle  was  given 
to  married  women  who  were  not  noble,  or  being  noble  were  not  titled. 


The  Synod  of  1726.  99 


CHAPTER  XI. 

BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN  is  NOMINATED  AS  DEPUTY 

GENERAL  OF  THE  SYNODS  TO  THE 

PEOTESTANT  POWERS. 

The  1st  of  May  1725. 

Notwithstanding  the  violence  of  the  perse- 
cution, Antoine  Court  did  not  forget  the  important 
statement  sent  to  him  by  his  friend  before  taking-flight 
for  Geneva.  No  moment  could  be  more  opportune 
for  pleading  the  cause  of  the  Churches  under  the 
Cross.  He  convoked,  on  the  1st  of  Ma}-  1725,  a 
Synod  at  which  he  expounded  Du  Plan's  proposition. 
This  proposition  was  greeted  with  the  applause  of 
the  Assembly.  Some  scruples  were  raised,  it  is 
true,  as  to  Du  Plan  himself.  His  merits  and 
capacity  could  not  be  misunderstood,  but  it  was 
regretted  that  he  had  compromised  his  authority  by 
his  relations  with  the  Inspired.  Antoine  Court 
having  re-assured  the  doubting,  and  answered  for 
his  friend,  the  Gentleman  of  Alais  was  elected 
unanimously.  The  following  letter  from  Antoine 
Court  to  Du  Plan  gives  us  a  description  of  this 
important  sitting  ;  — 

u  Monsieur,  and  %'ery  dear  friend, 

u  I  am  glad  my  last  letter  has  given  you  so  much  pleasure; 
you  say  that  M.  Cortiez  and  I  ought  to  confer  together  as 
to  the  appointment  of  the  Synods  and  the  subjects  which 
should  be  there  discussed  ;  this  is  what  we  did  a  few  days 
After  I  sent  you  my  letter.;  a  Synod  was  held  on  the  first  of 


100  Letter  of  Antoine  Court  to  Du  Plan. 

the  present  month.  Three  deputies  from  Churches  of  the 
Cevennes  and  two  from  each  Church  of  Lower  Languedoc 
were  present.  After  having  observed  the  usual  formalities, 
and  invoked  the  name  of  God,  I  opened  the  meeting  by 
describing  the  sad  state  of  our  Churches,  what  God  had 
already  accomplished  in  their  favour,  and  the  means  He 
would  adopt  to  preserve  them  and  render  their  condition 
more  endurable.  I  then  gave  a  syllabus  of  the  subjects  on 
which  the  Assembly  should  deliberate. 

"  One  of  these  subjects  was  the  proposed  deputation  of 
certain  of  our  number  to  the  Protestant  Powers,  as  much 
to  implore  their  powerful  protection  as  to  solicit  them  to  use 
their  influence  and  authority,  on  behalf  ot  our  Churches, 
with  the  Monarch  in  whose  Empire  and  under  whose  sway 
we  live;  and  not  only  to  represent  to  him  that  his  own  judg- 
ment as  well  as  that  ot  his  great-grandfather  had  been 
imposed  upon  in  all  the  edicts,  declarations  and  decree» 
which  have  been  promulgated  against  our  beloved  Churches, 
and  our  Holy  Reformation,  but  to  obtain  from  his  goodness 
the  revocation  of  these  same  edicts,  decrees,  and  declarations, 
all  of  which  are  opposed  to  our  ancient  privileges,  and  to 
the  sweet  and  precious  liberty  of  serving  God  in  his  Majesty's 
realm,  according  to  the  dictates  of  our  consciences.  I  pressed 
the  necessity  of  the  deputation,  and  it  was  acknowledged 
and  accorded.  The  only  question  to  be  considered  was 
whether  one  person  or  several  should  be  selected  for  this 
important  commission,  and  on  whom  the  choice  should  fall. 
The  deputies  from  the  Cevennes  advised  sending  three,  or 
at  least  two,  according  to  the  instructions  given  to  them  at 
certain  colloquies  held  to  discuss  the  subject.  I  represented 
that  one  ought  to  suffice,  especially  as  the  present  state  of 
the  Churches  would  not  permit  of  the  absence  of  two  pastors  ; 
and  when  it  was  agreed  to  send  one  only,  I  proposed  to  the 
Assembly  that  it  could  not  do  better  than  address  itself  to 
M.  Du  Plan  who  had  already  discharged  many  important 
commissions  and  evinced  on  all  occasions  an  ardent  and 
sincere  zeal  for  the  welfare  of  our  Churches.    As  evidence, 


He  informs  him  of  his  nomination  as  Deputy.      101 

I  referred  to  the  petitions  he  had  been  good  enough  to  write 
in  the  name  ot  the  Churches,  since  his  sojourn  at  Geneva,  to 
the  King  of  Great  Britain,  the  King  of  Prussia,  and  my  Lord 
Archbishop  ot  Canterbury,  and  in  case  they  were  ignorant 
of  these  facts  I  stated,  that  I  had  the  permission  of  M.  Du  Plan 
himself  to  read  aloud  the  petitions  and  a  letter  he  had  written 
to  the  Assembly  to  prove  to  them  his  affection  and  zeal. 
During  the  reading,  there  reigned  a  profound  silence.  It  was 
a  certain  augury  of  approval  and  was  only  at  last  broken 
by  one  common  exclamation,  'We  give  him  our  suffrage.' 
The  act  of  attestation  with  full  powers  and  recommendations 
was  then  prepared.  This  important  document  which  I  enclose 
herewith  is  not  sent  without  fervent  wishes  for  the  happy 
issue  of  your  mission  and  for  the  preservation  of  your  beloved 
self.  "  (May  1725.) 

After  having  selected  a  deputy,  the  Synod 
occupied  itself  with  his  duties.  Court  declared  that 
these  should  be  to  supplicate  the  protection  of  the 
Powers  on  behalf  of  the  Churches,  and  to  solicit 
them  to  intercede  with  Louis  XV.  in  order  to  obtain 
a  revocation  of  the  Edicts. 

The  Synod  finally  fixed  the  remuneration  of  the 
deputy  at  fifty  pistoles.1  This  sum  had  to  suffice 
for  his  correspondence,  his  journeys  and  all  the 
expenses  he  would  have  to  incur.  By  any  other 
man  this  pittance  had  been  scorned,  but  Du  Plan, 
being  rich  and  his  relations  providing  for  his 
ordinary  expenditure,  he  demanded  no  remune- 
ration, or  if  he  accepted  any  it  was  that  he  might 
not  be  reduced  to  extremity  and  thereby  hampered 
in  his  duties. 

1.    Twenty  pounds  sterling. 


102  Official  attestation  of  the  Synod. 

Cortiez,who  was  secretary  of  the  Synod,  hastened 
to  send  to  Du  Plan  his  officially  attested  credentials 
to  the  foreign  courts  as  Deputy  General  of  the 
Synods  of  the  Reformed  Churches  of  France.  This 
document  was  thus  worded  : — 

"  We  Pastors,  Students  and  Elders  of  the  Reformed 
Churches  of  Lower  Languedoc,  of  the  Cevennes,  and  of 
Vivarais,  assembled  in  Synod  in  the  Desert,  after  having 
implored  the  Divine  compassion  in  our  sufferings,  have 
judged  it  fitting  to  depute  one  of  our  number  to  the  Pro- 
testant States  to  recommend  our  cause  to  their  powerful  and 
gracious  intercession,  as  we  consider  that  we  should  neglect 
no  legitimate  means  to  secure  ourselves  from  the  fury  of  our 
enemies  and  the  persecution  under  which  we  have  so  long 
groaned. 

"We  have  had  less  difficulty  in  deciding  on  this  measure 
in  that  we  know  that  God  often  makes  use  of  the  great  of 
the  earth  to  accomplish  great  things  on  behalf  of  His  Church, 
and  because  we  learn  with  singular  satisfaction  that  the 
august  princes  of  our  communion,  while  taking  deeply  to 
heart  the  cause  of  God,  interest  themselves  keenly  in  the 
misfortunes  of  those  who  suffer  for  the  truth  ;  we  are  thus 
led  to  hope  that,  they  will  accord  a  favorable  audience  to 
him  whom  we  have  nominated  and  whom  we  charge  with 
our  interests. 

u  Stimulated  by  the  aforesaid  considerations,  we  have,, 
by  unanimous  consent,  chosen  and  admitted,  and  do  choose, 
and  admit,  for  our  Deputy  to  the  Protestant  Powers,  le 
Sieur  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  a  man  who,  to  his  own  honor  and 
our  edification,  has  given  evidences  of  his  zeal  for  God,  and 
his  love  for  our  Churches,  on  several  very  important  and 
delicate  occasions. 

"  We  supplicate  very  humbly  all  Kings,  Princes,  Magis- 
trates, Consistories,  Pastors  and  Churches  of  our  religion,  to 
recognise  as  our  Deputy  the  said  Sieur  Benjamin  Du  Plan, 
bearer  of  these  presents,  and  to  place  reliance  on  all  that  he 


Disinterested  conduct  of  Du  Plan.  103 

may  testify  on  our  behalf  and  by  our  orders,  he  being  well 
informed  and  well  advised  ot  our  condition  and  our  neces- 
sities. 

"We  recommend  both  him  and  ourselves  to  their  gracious 
benevolence  and  compassionate  sympathy,  while  we  will 
never  cease  to  present  to  heaven  our  earnest  prayers  on 
their  behalf,  asking  God  with  all  our  heart  to  animate  them 
with  His  good  spirit,  crown  with  success  their  just  projects, 
and  shower  on  their  august,  venerable,  and  pious  persons 
His  most  excellent  and  abundant  blessings. 

u  Given  in  the  Desert,  in  France,  in  Lower  Languedoc, 
and  at  our  Synodal  Assembly,  the  1st  of  May.  1725.  In 
confirmation  of  which  some  of  us,  as  representing  all  our 
body  have  hereunto  set  our  names. 

u  Signed  :    A.  Court,  Pastor  Moderator  ; 

Cortiez,  Pastor  ; 

J.  Chapel,  Student  ; 

Bonbonnoux,  Pastor; 

Betrine,  Student; 

Boyer,  Student  ; 

Combes,  Student  ; 

Jaubert,  Student.  ' ,T 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  cordially  thanked  Antoine 
Court  and  the  Synod  for  this  proof  of  confidence. 
Not,  however,  without  sorrow  did  he  learn  that 
his  name  had  provoked  some  opposition.  As  to  the 
question  of  the  expenses  of  the  Delegation,  he 
repeated  to  his  friend  what  he  had  written  to  him 
several  times. 

u  To  meet  the  expenses,  so  much  dreaded,  a  small  fund 
might  be  raised.  I  would  sacrifice  all  that  I  possess  in  the 
world,  sooner  than  be  chargeable  to  the  Church.  It  is  from 
God  alone  and  not  from  men  that  I  look  tor  my  reward." 
(7th  of  February  1725.) 


1.    Extract  from  .171  original  document. 


104  His  letter  to  the  Synod. 

A  month  later  he  wrote  : — 

"lam  determined  not  to  accept  anything  of  the  Churches 
except  in  the  last  extremity,  and  in  the  event  of  Providence 
failing  to  furnish  me  with  other  means  wherewith  to 
prosecute  my  journey.  I  know  the  poverty  of  the  faithful  as 
well  as  the  avarice  of  those  who  could,  if  they  wished, 
benefit  us  without  inconvenience  to  themselves." 

(2nd  of  March  1725.) 

The  following  is  the  letter  which  the  new 
Deputy  wrote  to  the  Synod  : — 

"  Messieurs,  my  very  dear  and  honoured  brethren  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  The  grace  and  peace  of  God  be  with  you. 

"  I  have  learned  with  much  joy  that  God  continues  to 
give  you  evidences  of  His  protection  and  love,  and  you  must 
have  learned  with  like  joy  how  He  has  blessed  the  means 
I  have  employed  on  your  behalf  ;  but  as  we  should  not  rest 
on  the  peaceful  road,  and  as  we  are  surrounded  by  numerous 
enemies,  both  within  and  without,  it  is  prudent  that  we 
should  adopt  new  measures  to  evade  the  snares  of  our 
enemies  and  to  glorify  God  in  a  manner  more  perfect  than 
we  have  hitherto  done.  I  am  as  conscious  as  anyone  of  our 
weaknesses  and  that  our  ruin  would  be  consummated  if  God 
were  only  to  abandon  us  to  ourselves  or  give  the  bridle  to 
our  enemies.  But  I  am  also  conscious  that  if  God  is  for  us 
and  if  He  takes  our  cause  in  hand,  we  shall  be  victorious 
over  flesh  and  hell.  All  then  that  we  have  to  do  is  to  renew 
our  alliance  with  God  ;  this  is  easy  of  accomplishment  if  we 
humble  ourselves  before  Him  with  reverence,  redouble  the  ar- 
dour of  oui  prayers  for  His  succour,  obey  what  He  commands, 
and  avoid  what  He  forbids.  These  things  we  must  do  if  we 
be  true  to  our  calling  and  wish  to  be  happy.  We  have 
experienced  the  divine  protection  during  several  years,  and  it 
is  in  the  power  of  God  to  give  us  still  stronger  proofs  of  His 
love.  He  can  change  the  hearts  ot  our  adversaries  and  turn 


flw  letter  to  the  Synod.  105 

towards  us  the  favor  of  our  King  as  He  turned  the  favor 
of  King  Cyrus  toward  the  people  of  Israel  when  captive  in 
Babylon. 

u  If  we  are  true  to  ourselves  we  shall  not  fail  to  perceive 
that  our  unfaithfulness,  thoughtlessness  and  love  of  the 
world  are  so  great,  that  it  is  alone  through  the  infinite 
mercy  of  God  we  have  our  being.  It  is  ot  the  utmost 
importance  we  should  overcome  the  jealousy  and  divisions 
that  too  much  abound  amongst  us.  I  shall  neglect  nothing 
which  can  contribute  to  the  removal  of  all  pretexts  for  com- 
plaint against  me  personally.  I  am  well  aware  that  the 
spirit  of  the  Gospel  is  a  spirit  of  charity,  mutual  help  and 
humility.  St.  Paul^  to  gain  disciples  for  his  Divine  Master, 
became  all  things  to  all  men  ;  Jesus  Christ  Himselt  associated 
with  the  Publicans  and  Pharisees,  desiring  to  do  good  unto  all 
men,  and  not  wishing  that  any  should  perish.  It  appertains 
only  to  Anti-Christ  and  his  agents  to  US3  violence,  but  we, 
my  very  xlear  and  well  beloved  brethren,  ought  to  be 
animated  with  the  same  Spirit  as  our  Divine  Saviour.  It  is 
by  these  means  that  we  shall  overcome  all  our  enemies, 
visible  and  invisible.  Let  us  distrust  the  bitterness  which 
hides  itself  under  a  pretext  of  zeal  for  the  glory  of  God.  It 
costs  nothing  to  a  corrupt  nature  to  denounce  or  blacken  the 
reputation  of  a  neighbour  or  persecutor  ;  but  it  costs  much 
to  mortify  one's  passions  and  correct  one's  vices.  For  this 
reason  we  ought  to  work  together,  for  it  is  certain  that  our 
good  examples  will  produce  more  fruit  both  among  our  friends 
and  foes,  than  the  most  beautiful  and  touching  preachings 
in  the  world. 

u  I  have  said  enough  at  present  both  for  you  and  for 
myself,  and  I  will  refer  you  once  more  to  God  and  to  His 
Holy  Word  which  should  be  the  constant  rule  of  our  faith 
and  our  morals  ;  it  should  also  be  our  daily  bread  and  the 
delight  ot  our  souls  ;  the  more  we  meditate  upon  it  and 
practise  it,  the  more  will  God  give  us  the  witness  ot  His 
love;  we  shall  feel  that  God  is  truly  our  Father,  Jesus  Christ 
our  Saviour  and  Elder  Brother,  and  heaven  our  heritage. 


106  Geneva,  the  resort  of  Refugees. 

These  blessings  I  wish  for  you  all  with  my  whole  heart,  while 
recommending  myselt  to  your  friendship  and  your  prayers 
I  renew  my  assurance  of  love,  and  devotion  to  your 
service." 


CHAPTER  XII. 

ONE  YEAR'S  RESIDENCE  OP  DU  PLAN  AT  GENEVA. 

1724—1725. 

Since  the  Revocation  of  the  »Edict  of  Nantes, 
Greneva  had  become  the  refuge  of  fugitive  Pro- 
testants, and  especially  of  the  Protestants  of  the 
South  \  its  proximity  to  Prance,  the  remembrance 
of  Calvin,  and  a  community  of  religion,  had  all 
tended  to  promote  brotherly  love  between  the 
Protestants  of  the  two  countries,  before  even  the 
Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes.  It  was  France 
that  had  given  to  Greneva  her  great  political  and 
religious  Reformer,  and  in  the  day  of  trouble 
(!eneva  did  not  forget  to  acknowledge  the  gift  ;  she 
opened  her  doors  to  the  exiles  and  fugitives  with 
the  most  generous  hospital^. 

She  did  so  nevertheless  with  prudence.  Louis 
XIV.,  and  subsequently  the  Duke  of  Orleans,  saw 
with  displeasure  crowds  of  refugees  hurrying  abroad, 
and  experience  having  proved  that  the  Revocation 
of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  had  driven  from  France 
her  most  industrious  subjects  and  carried  away  the 
fruitful  germs  of  a  material  and  moral  prosperity, 
not  alone  did  the  Court  forbid  the  passage  of  the 
frontiers,  it  imposed  upon  its  neighbours  a  greater 


Personal  preferences  of  Du  Plan  for  Geneva.      107 

caution  in  the  reception  of  the  runaways.  Louis  XIV. 
had  uttered  special  menaces  against  the  Swiss,  and  in 
1723  they  were  repeated  by  the  Regent,  who  also 
directed  the  French  Chargé  d'Affaires  to  remonstrate 
with  the  Protestant  Church  of  Geneva.  Professor 
Pictet  was  accused  of  corresponding  with  the 
Huguenots,  of  giving  them  instruction  and  counsel, 
and,  among  other  things,  of  leading  them  to  believe 
that  they  were  free  to  choose  their  own  pastors, 
to  preach,  and  to  administer  the  sacraments  ;  these 
things  being  contrary  to  the  orders  of  the  King,  Pictet 
was  called  before  the  Syndic  where  he  succeeded  in 
justifying  his  conduct. 

Prudence  therefore  was  necessary,  but  this 
prudence  did  not  stifle  the  generous  sentiments  of 
the  heart.  From  Geneva  had  been  sent  the  packets 
of  Bibles  and  religious  books  to  replace  those  which 
had  been  torn  and  burnt  by  the  persecutors,  and 
from  Geneva  above  all  had  proceeded  the  money 
which  was  mysteriously  distributed  to  the  prisoners 
and  galley  slaves  for  the  alleviation  of  their  tortures. 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  had  personal  motives  for 
preferring  Geneva  to  any  other  place  of  exile. 
Antoine  Court  had  frequently  told  him  about  the 
eminent  men  who  composed  the  pastoral  body  of 
that  Church,  such  as  Pictet,  Vial  and  ICaurice 
Turretin;  and  it  was  with  no  little  pleasure  that 
Du  Plan  now  made  their  acquaintance.  He  was 
not  an  entire  stranger  to  them,  Court,  during  his 
stay  in  Geneva  in  1720,  having  often  referred  to 
the  Gentleman  of  Alais,  his  friend  and  indefatigable 


108  His  favorable  reception  at  Geneva. 

companion,  and  it  was  this  gentleman  who  now 
came  to  partake  of  their  hospitalit}*  and  to  seek 
among  them  a  little  calm  and  repose  after  fourteen 
years  of  incessant  struggles.  Du  Plan's  reception 
was  warm  and  hearty  ;  he  happily  found  himself  in 
the  midst  of  a  polished,  learned,  and  distinguished 
society,  in  keeping  with  his  rank,  family  and 
education.  He  had  been  long  severed  from  such 
society,  preferring,  to  social  enjoyment,  an  agitated 
and  troubled  life  in  woods  and  caverns,  with 
peasants  and  rude  mountaineers  for  his  companions  ; 
but  God  had  reserved  sweet  solace  at  Geneva  for 
the  Nobleman  who  had  so  readity  sacrificed  his 
ease  for  the  love  of  Christ  and  the  good  of  the 
Church. 

He  had  scarcely  arrived  in  the  city  when  he 
was  surrounded  and  interrogated  as  to  the  state  of 
his  persecuted  bethren.  Particulars  were  demanded 
of  him  respecting  the  Assemblies  in  the  Desert, 
Assemblies  which  were  considered  rash  and 
imprudent  in  view  of  tjie  severity  of  the  Edicts. 
Du  Plan  pleaded  their  necessity  as  Antoine  Court 
had  done  before.  The  excellent  and  learned  Pictet 
questioned  the  Nobleman  concerning  the  Inspired 
who  had  so  greatly  endangered  the  unity  of  the 
Church  and  whose  late  chiefs  had  been  hanged  at 
Montpellier  ;  perhaps  he  was  not  ignorant  that  the 
young  fugitive  was  suspected  of  sympathising  with 
them.  But  when  he  heard  Benjamin  Du  Plan 
vehementl}r  denounce  the  conduct  of  Vesson,  Hue 
and  Yerschand,  and  pronounce  as  an  absolute  duty 


Letter  of  Antoine  Court  to  Du  Flan.  10î> 

obedience  and  respect  to  the  constituted  body  of  the 
Church,  his  prejudices  gave  way,  his  heart  expanded, 
and  he  offered  Du  Plan  the  hand  of  brotherly  love 
and  friendship. 

A  few  days  after  his  arrival  in  Geneva,-  Du  Flan 
received  from  Antoine  Court  an  affectionate  letter, 
in  which  his  old  friend  expressed  his  sorrow  at 
their  disagreement  ;  he  gave  him  at  the  same  time 
certain  practical  counsels  concerning  the  Inspired 
refugees  at  Geneva,  hoping  thereby  to  save  him 
from  annoyance  and  distress  such  as  he  had  endured 
in  France.  The  Gentleman  of  Alais  did  not  fail  to 
ponder  over  the  wise  counsels  of  his  friend. 

"Monsieur  and  dear  friend, 
"It  was  with  true  joy  I  learned  (hat  you  had  arrived  safely 
at  your  destination,  but  I  was  really  sorry  not  to  have  seen 
you  before  you  took  to  flight.  I  missed  you  only  by  two 
days,  and  if  I  had  received  the  letter  which  was  a  reply  to 
the  one  I  had  the  honour  to  write  to  you  after  my  return  from 
the  Vivarais,  I  should  have  been  in  time.  It  was,  however, 
otherwise  ordered  ;  thus  then  we  are  far  removed  from  each 
other;  we  no  longer  make  journeys  together  and  battle 
shoulder  to  shoulder  under  the  standard  of  our  common 
Master.  This  afflicts  me  !  Still  if  we  are  separated  in  body 
let  us  be  more  intimately  united  than  ever  in  the  spirit  to 
fight,  and  let  us  work  with  renewed  zeal  in  the  vineyard 
of  our  Lord.  If  you  can  no  longer  do  so  by  exhortation 
address  those  who  have  the  power  of  doing  good  by  your 
pen,  your  fervent  prayers  and  your  petitions  ;  having  received 
talents  of  a  superior  order,  you  must  not  let  them  rust  ;  it  is 
more  essential  than  ever  to  write  well  and  forcibly  :  you  are 
able  to  do  both— fail  not  in  the  task,  your  own  glory  will  be 
great.  Endeavour  to  observe  as  far  as  possible  a  certain 
order  in  the  arrangement  of  your  sentiments  and  ideas.     I 


110  The  state  of  the  Church  in  France. 

approved  of  the  petitions  you  addressed  to  the  Powers. 
There  are  some  good  points  in  them,  but  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  there  is  a  certain  confusion.  I  hope  they  may  be 
efficacious. 

"  Allow  me  to  exhort  you  to  conceal  the  sentiments  you 
hold  on  revelation  as  far  as  your  conscience  will  permit  ;  a 
too  open  intercourse  with  persons  who  hold  your  views  can 
but  produce  bad  effects.  Have  the  goodness  to  watch  and 
be  careful. 

"Rome  is  quietly  and  cautiously  operating  against  those 
-whom  she  regards  as  heretics,  but  as  this  attitude  is  an  un- 
natural and  constrained  one,  she  will  soon  abandon  it  and 
persecute  with  fire  and  blood.  After  the  registration  in  the 
Supreme  Courts  of  the  Province,  of  the  Declaration  which  so 
much  roused  your  resentment  on  the  one  hand,  and  your  pity 
on  the  other,  she  appeared  to  be  quieted  ;  but  on  the  first  of 
this  month,  when  we  were  least  expecting  it,  a  crier  pro- 
claimed the  Declaration  with  the  sound  of  a  trumpet  in  the 
public  places  of  the  town  of  Nismes. 

"I  am  leaving  to  assist  at  an  assembly  of  our  companions 
of  the  mountains  and  will  acquaint  you  with  the  result  as 
far  as  it  may  merit  your  attention. 

"  I  long  to  hear  your  good  news;  do  not  delay  sending 
them.  Describe  to  me  exactly  your  present  state  as  a  good 
iriend  can  and  should  ;  the  manner  in  which  you  have  been 
received,  and  those  with  whom  you  are  in  relationship  ; 
whether  you  intend  to  make  a  long  stay  at  your  first  stopping- 
place,  and  what  is  said  of  our  affairs.  It  is  asking  a  great 
deal  of  you,  but  not  too  much,  since  I  entertain  sincere  and 
ardent  wishes  for  your  prosperity,  and  since  I  have  the 
honour  to  be,  with  the  most  tender  and  affectionate  senti- 
ments, &c." 

We  have  already  said  that  on  quitting  Nisines 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  had  placed  in  the  hands  of 
Antoine  Court  a  statement  regarding  a  grave 
question  which  occupied  his  mind.     In  that  state- 


Activity  of  Du  Plan  prior  to  Ms  nomination.      Ill 

ment  he  had  besought  his  friend  to  convoke  an  early 
Synod  and  to  demand  from  it  the  appointment  of  a 
deputy  to  the  great  Protestant  Powers  to  plead  the 
cause  of  the  Churches,  a  duty  which  he  himself 
offered  to  fulfil.  The  idea  was  excellent.  The  Powers 
had  effectually  intervened  on  several  occasions  and 
what  would  they  not  do  when  a  man  delegated  by 
the  Churches  should  come  to  solicit  them  ?  Was 
any  man  apparently  better  qualified  than  the 
Nobleman  of  Alais  to  undertake  this  mission?  His 
name,  his  rank,  his  education  and  his  general  in- 
formation were  all  of  a  character  to  facilitate  his 
access  to  great  personages  and  to  Courts.  In 
spontaneously  offering  his  services  to  his  brethren, 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  did  himself  no  more  than  justice. 

"It  requires  a  certain  boldness,  he  wrote  later,  not 
possessed  by  everyone,  to  speak  and  to  write  to  Nobles, 
Princes  and  Kings.  Temperament,  education,  a  little  inter- 
course with  the  nobility,  some  years  service  in  the  army,  a 
degree  of  faith  in  certain  persons  whom  I  believed  to  be 
inspired  and  who  assured  me  of  the  protection  ot  God,  but 
above  all  the  grace  of  our  Lord,  which  I  implored  before 
undertaking  anything,  have  produced  in  me  an  extraordinary 
boldness  almost  resembling  rashness." 

While  waiting  for  the  decision  of  the  Synod, 
which  he  took  for  granted  would  not  be  unfavour- 
able, Du  Plan  set  himself  to  work.  He  wrote  to  the 
King  of  Prussia  through  the  mediation  of  a  pious 
and  distinguished  lady,  and  addressed  to  M.  Lenfant, 
a  celebrated  minister  and  chaplain  to  the  King,  a 
statement  of  the  condition  of  the  Reformed  Church 
of  France  ;  he  wrote  to  M.  Saurin  in  Holland  and 


112  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  Antoine  Court. 

presented  through  a  confidential  agent  a  petition  to 
their  Exalted  Majesties  of  the  Hague  ;  he  had 
already  written  to  the  King  of  England  and  the 
Archbishop  of  Canterbury  and  had  found  them  easy 
of  access  through  persons  of  distinction  and  piety 
who  volunteered  to  support  his  solicitations;  finally 
he  proposed  to  establish  relations  with  Switzerland 
for  the  benefit  of  the  Churches  or  of  the  faithful, 
obliged  like  himself  to  seek  refuge  there.  These 
journeys  and  this  correspondence  necessarily  in- 
volved great  outlay,  but  that  was  no  hindrance  to 
the  zeal  of  the  pious  gentleman;  he  defrayed  all  his 
own  expenses  and  decided  to  sacrifice  his  whole 
fortune  if  it  were  necessary.  In  the  event  of  his 
means  becoming  exhausted,  he  hoped  that  the 
Churches  out  of  gratitude  would  supplement  them 
by  a  just  recompense. 

The  letter  in  Avhich  he  communicated  all  these 
projects  to  Antoine  Court  concluded  with  the 
following  beautiful  words  : — 

"  I  offer  many  prayers  on  behalf  of  your  companions  in 
service.  May  God  by  His  grace  preserve  and  bless  them 
in  all  their  labours.  Can  you  suppose,  my  dear  friend,  that 
my  prayers  are  less  fervent  and  sincere  for  you  than  for 
your  companions?  On  the  contrary  you  ought  to  feel 
persuaded  that,  since  Providence  has  drawn  us  together  like 
it  did  David  and  Jonathan,  I  interest  myself  specially  in  all 
that  concerns  you.  I  will  be  straightforward  then;  I  will  tell 
you  what  I  think  of  your  conduct,  and  will  ask  you  to  do  the 
same  by  me.  I  believe  that  Providence  has  endowed  us  in 
a  greater  measure  than  others  with  those  talents  which  attract 
men's  attention  ;  never  let  us  turn  them  to  our  own  glory,  but 


Imparting  earnest  advice.  113 

only  to  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church! 
If  we  surpass  our  companions  in  eloquence,  brilliancy, 
intelligence  or  any  other  capacity,  let  us  aim  at  surpassing 
them  also  in  humility,  modesty,  integrity,  moderation 
gentleness,  temperance,  patience,  zeal  and  charity.  If  the 
part  we  play  is  inexpressibly  glorious,  it  is  not  less  dangerous 
and  delicate.  Not  only  are  the  Churches  of  Languedoc  eye- 
witnesses of  our  conduct,  but  the  Academy  of  Geneva  also, 
as  well  as  numerous  pious  and  distinguished  persons  in 
many  towns  and  provinces.  We  may  perhaps  be  on  the  point 
of  having  the  eyes  of  all  Europe  upon  us.  But  even  if  the 
eye  of  God  alone  was  watching  us,  that  in  itself  should  be 
sufficient  to  make  us  both  godly  and  true.  Therefore,  my  dear 
brother  and  friend,  let  us  do  our  utmost  to  please  God;  always 
walking  as  if  under  His  eye  and  in  His  presence,  and  we 
shall  thus  assuredly  overcome  all  our  earthly  adversaries 
and  one  day  triumph  in  heaven.  0  God,  abandon  us  not  to 
our  frailty  !  Arm  of  the  Eternal,  sustain  and  finish  in  us  by 
Thy  grace  the  work  Thou  hast  commenced  for  Thy  glory  and 
the  edification  of  Thy  Church  ! 

"  I  pray  you  to  salute  affectionately  your  dear  Rachel. 
May  God  preserve  her  as  well  as  her  dear  husband  from  the 
hand  of  every  Esau.  I  have  received  in  this  town  infinitely 
more  respect  than  I  deserve.  Most  of  the  pastors,  besides  a 
a  great  number  of  persons  of  merit  of  all  classes,  take  a  deep 
interest  in  all  that  concerns  us.  I  am,  with  sincere  esteem, 
Monsieur  and  dear  friend,  your  very  humble  and  obedient 
servant." 

(22nd  of  October,  1724  . 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  had  scarcely  been  a  year  in 
Geneva  when  he  received  his  nomination  as  deputy. 
He  had  profitably  employed  this  time  in  resting 
from  his  severe  fatigues  and  repairing  his  shattered 
health.  Nevertheless  the  repose  was  not  without 
benefit  to  the  Church  whose  vicissitudes  he  followed 


114        Du  Plan  criticises  Court's  style  of  writing. 

with  interest  from  afar.  A  regular  and  detailed 
correspondence  with  Antoine  Court  kept  him 
informed  of  the  principal  events  and  enabled  him  in 
imagination  to  live  in  the  sphere  of  his  former 
labours.  He  took  every  opportunity  of  communicating 
the  letters  of  his  friend  to  the  learned  brethren  of 
Geneva  in  order  to  gather  their  impressions,  which 
with  a  fraternal  liberty  he  imparted  to  his  ancient 
colleague. 

"  I  have  shown  your  letter  to  several  persons  of  piety, 
merit  and  capacity,  who  have  found  it  very  good.  They 
consider  that  you  describe  things  well.  Endeavour,  my  dear 
friend,  to  perfect  yourself  more  and  more  in  your  style,  as 
well  as  in  your  sentiments.  With  regard  to  your  figurative 
and  high-flown  language,  you  will  do  well  to  abstain  from  it 
altogether,  because  it  is  not  customary  in  this  country  and 
still  less  in  the  North  where  the  people  are  phlegmatic.  We 
must  content  ourselves  by  expressing  our  thoughts  solidly, 
clearly,  and  in  order." 

(October  1724). 

"  When  you  write  do  not  use  grand  words  or  figures 
without  an  absolute  necessity,  but  write  as  simply  and  as 
naturally  as  possible  ;  make  a  diary  of  your  journeys  and 
progress,  as  M.  Cortiez  does  ;  this  affords  great  pleasure." 

(March  1726). 

"  I  have  communicated  your  letter  to  several  persons  of 
distinction,  piety  and  merit,  who  have  found  in  it  much 
thought  and  good  sense.  It  is  certain  that  if  you  be  on  your 
guard  against  bombast,  that  is  to  say  against  a  pompous 
and  magnificent  phraseology  which  is  not  at  all  customary, 
you  will  acquire  the  art  of  pleasing  and  convincing,  and  that 
is  all  we  ought  to  aim  at  in  speaking  or  writing.  An  orator 
ought  to  arrange  his  words  and  ideas  as  a  painter  arranges 
his  colours.  It  is  not  the  brightest  colours  only  that  are 
always   most  suitable.    It  is  necessary  to  know  how  to 


Du  Plain  deplores  the  scarcity  of  Pastors.         116 

temper,  soften,  aud  manage  even  the  shades,  to  represent 
naturally  the  things  which  we  paint.  Betorc  speaking  or 
writing,  a  plan  must  be  formed  of  what  we  wish  to  represent, 
We  must  acquire  a  just  idea  of  each  thing,  and  place  each 
thing  in"  position.  We  must  know  the  whole  force  and 
precise  signification  of  each  term  and  each  figure.  A  man  in 
speaking  and  writing  paints  the  character  of  his  mind  and 
heart  unconsciously,  therefore  we  should  make  every  effort 
to  render  our  mind  true  and  our  heart  right.  We  shall  never 
succeed  in  so  doing  if  we  do  not  frequently  examine 
ourselves,  and  implore  without  ceasing  the  help  of  God  to 
dissipate  the  darkness  ot  our  ignorance  and  destruy  the 
corruptness  of  our  heart." 

(June  1726). 

These  remarks,  which  were  dictated  by  the  most 
unreserved  friendship,  gave  no  offence  to  Antoine 
Court.  He  knew  the  high  esteem  Du  Plan  enter- 
tained for  his  character  ;  and  therefore  accepted  his 
criticisms  with  thankfulness  and  profit  to  himself. 

The  letters  of  Du  Plan  at  this  period  are  more 
numerous,  longer  and  more  instructive  than  at  any- 
other  ;  it  is  evident  he  had  the  time  for  and  took 
pleasure  in  writing  them.  It  is  in  this  rich  corres- 
pondence that  he  reveals  to  us  his  fine  soul  animated 
by  a  single  passion,  the  glory  of  God,  and  a  single 
desire,  the  good  of  the  Church.  He  continued, 
though  absent,  his  work  of  counselling  and  directing 
his  friend,  and  of  interesting  himself  in  the  sufferings 
of  his  brethren.  Often  did  he  deplore  having  been 
obliged  to  leave  them,  for  he  was  not  ignorant  of 
the  immensity  of  the  work  and  the  scarcity  of 
workers,  but  by  bringing  to  bear  all  the  living  forces 


116    The  disadvantages  of  appealing  to  foreign  Pastors. 

of  the  Church  he  endeavoured  to  rectify  the  mis- 
fortune. 

"  It  is  necessary  to  increase  the  number  of  elders  to  make 
up  for  the  deficiency  of  pastors  and  to  exhort  parents  to 
supply  the  place  of  ministers  to  their  children." 

(April  1725). 

This  scarcity  of  pastors  was  troubling  Court 
also  ;  he  was  virtually  alone  with  Cortiez  and  a  few 
preachers  bearing  the  burden  of  the  Churches.  He 
frequently  implored  his  friend  to  appeal  to  the  zeal 
and  devotion  of  foreign  ministers,  but  though 
Du  Plan  exerted  himself  to  the  utmost  he  could,  not 
prevail  on  the  refugee  pastors  or  foreigners  to  go 
into  France. 

"  It  is  to  heaven,"  he  wrote  to  his  friend,  "you  must  look, 
for  preachers  ;  they  will  not  listen  to  that  voice,  which 
while  it  calls  them  to  the  instruction  and  consolation  of 
those  who  groan  under  the  Cross,  also  calls  them  to  martyr- 
dom. Flesh  and  blood  is  too  weak  to  obey  ;  it  needs 
nothing  less  than  the  efficacy  of  prevailing  grace  displayed 
by  God  to  those  only  whom  He  pleases,  and  who  are 
generally  very  weak  instruments,  to  the  end  that  unto  the 
Lord  may  be  all  the  glory." 

(April  1725). 

Du  Plan,  at  the  same  time,  had  good  reasons  for 
thinking  that  the  idea  of  calling  pastors  from  abroad 
was  not  altogether  a  happy  one.  Would  not  their 
presence  in  France,  in  consequence  of  the  peculiar 
situation  of  the  Protestants,  be  more  inconvenient 
than  advantageous  ? 

"  If  foreign  ministers  came  to  our  succour,  the  fact  would 
at  once  be  discovered,   and  as  the   ministers  themselves 


Du  l'Util  sends  religious  books  into  France.       117 

would  be  much  more  readily  recognised  than  the  pastors  of 
the  country,   they  would  stand  in  greater  danger  of  being 
arrested  ;  the  Court  would  suspect  a  revolt,  and  this  above 
all  things  it  is  necessary  to  avoid." 
(November  1725). 

In  order  to  compensate  for  the  absence  of 
pastors,  Antoine  Court  urgently  asked  for  religious 
bu,,ks.  The  Bible  and  the  books  of  Psalms  had  been 
burnt,  and  it  was  one  of  the  greatest  hardships 
inflicted  on  the  Huguenots  by  their  persecutors  that 
they  were  deprived  of  the  Divine  book.  Was  not 
the  Bible  the  inseparable  companion  of  their  lives, 
the  friend  whom  they  consulted  every  day,  the  end- 
less source  of  their  consolations  and  hopes,  and  the 
sole  foundation  of  their  faith?  This  loss  carried 
with  it  other  grave  inconveniences.  "  Deprived  of 
the  book  which  they  believed  to  be  divinely  inspired 
and  to  which  they  appealed  as  to  an  infallible 
guide,  the  Protestants  were  liable,  in  abandoning 
themselves  to  the  flights  of  their  imagination,  to  fall 
into  a  dangerous  mysticism.  No  longer  holding 
converse  with  the  Bible,  there  was  reason  to  fear 
they  would  soon  cease  to  hold  converse  with  Clod 
Himself,  a  fear  not  altogether  groundless,  as  already 
some  whimsical  theories  on  Inspiration  had  been 
expounded."  1 

The  country  being  too  poor  to  purchase  books, 
Du  Plan  set  himself  to  work  among  his  friends  at 
Geneva  to  collect  mono)',  which  he  often  supple- 
mented from  his  own  private  resources  when  the  sum 

i.    Edmond  Hugnes,  already  quotedj  VoL,  L,  p.  50. 


118  Dangers  encountered  by  the  Colporteurs. 

was  insufficient.  The  books  bought  were  Testaments 
and  the  Psalms — but  mostly  Testaments — also  works 
on  morality,  treatises  on  the  Communion,  the 
Catechisms  of  Drelincourt,  Osterwald,Saperville  and 
Saurin  ;  The  Preservative  against  corruption,  or 
Treatise  on  the  sources  of  corruption,  by  Osterwald  ; 
Indifference  to  religion,  by  Pictet  ;  as  well  as 
The  Mystical  Manna  of  the  Desert,  by  the  same 
author  ;  Morality,  by  Pictet,  and  his  Theology  ;  the 
Sermons  of  Claude,  the  Exposition  of  the  Forty 
Articles  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  &c. 

The  great  difficulty  was  to  import  the  works 
into  France,  the  frontier  being  rigorously  watched 
for  suspected  books  ;  but  the  zeal  and  discretion  of 
Du  Plan  surmounted  all  difficulties.  Through  his 
management  brave  colporteurs  undertook,  at  a 
thousand  perils,  to  introduce  the  works.  With  their 
packs  they  crossed  the  border,  and  having  hastily 
deposited  their  precious  burdens  in  a  safe  place,, 
passed  on.  The  books,  once  received,  were 
distributed  after  the  sermons,  when  everyone  eagerly 
ran  to  obtain  them.  Some  were  sold  to  those  who 
could  afford  to  pay,  while  others  were  given  to  the 
poor  or  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  preachers.  The 
following  letter  of  Du  Plan  shows  the  interest  he 
took  in  this  work,  and  above  all  in  the  brave 
colporteurs  who  risked  their  liberty  on  behalf  of  the 
Church. 

"  You  have  asked  me,  my  dear  friend,  in  some  of  your 
letters  to  send  you  some  books,  and  you  tell  me  that  zealous 
persons  here  ought  to  defray  the  expense.    I  reply,  in  the 


l)a  Plu n  interests  himself  in  their  mission.        119 

first  place,  that  the  inhabitants  of  this  country  very 
honourably  support  their  ministers  as  well  as  their  poor  ; 
the  latter  increase  daily,  either  owing-  to  want  of  employment 
or  to  the  vanity  and  avarice  which  prevails  in  the  dwellings 
of  the  rich.  After  having  sought  tor  more  than  eight  months 
in  vain,  I  have  found  a  favourable  opportunity  of  sending 
you  some  packets  of  books,  though  the  difficulties  at  one 
time  seemed  almost  insurmountable.  Charity  having  furnished 
only  some  old  books  and  about  twenty  crowns,  I  have 
made  myself  responsible  at  the  bookseller's  for  goods  to  the 
amount  of  one  hundred  crowns,  as  I  would  rather  spend  all 
I  possess  than  allow  a  favourable  opportunity  to  slip  of 
affording  to  my  country  the  means  of  instruction  and  salva- 
tion for  pastors  and  people.  May  God  by  His  grace  safely 
conduct  the  escort,  and  bestow  His  blessing  on  all  the 
preachers  of  Lower  Languedoc,  the  Cevennes,  and  Vivarais. 
M.  Cortiez  and  you  will  select  what  you  wish  and  distribute 
the  remainder  according  to  your  discretion.  I  hope  everyone 
will  be  satisfied,  and  that  you  will  with  pleasure  lend  to  one 
another  what  each  may  specially  receive. 

u  Should  the  man  who  risks  his  goods,  his  liberty  and 
even  his  life,  to  procure  means  for  the  salvation  of  his 
conntry  get  into  difficulty,  I  hope  the  Churches  will  not 
abandon  him.  I  beseech  you  all,  for  the  love  of  Christ,  to 
interest  yourselves  on  his  behalf.  The  man  is  poor  and  has 
suffered  many  misfortunes,  and  he  would  not  have  been 
able  to  undertake  the  enterprise  at  all  had  I  not  encouraged 
him  and  supplied  him  with  means.  If  I  have  done  anything 
for  the  good  of  my  country,  to  God  be  all  the  glory  ! 
I  commend  myself  to  the  prayers  of  the  faithful,  that  I  may 
still  be  useful  to  the  Church.  My  Saviour  has  loved  it  and 
shed  His  blood  for  it,  and  I  would,  through  the  help  of  the 
Lord,  make,  or  wish  to  make,  the  same  sacrifice.  If  I  forget 
thee,  0  Jerusalem,  let  my  right  hand  forget  her  cunning." 

(10th  of  September  1725.) 

The  smallest  detail  furnished  to   Du  Plan  an 
occasion  for  the  display  of  his  fine  spirit,  the  noblest 


120  His  noble  minded  sentiments. 

sentiments  even  at  these  times  would  flow  from  his 
Christian  pen. 

"  I  belong  no  more  to  myself,"  continued  he,  "but  to 
God  who  has  redeemed  me  with  His  blood,  and  who 
animates  me  by  His  spirit  in  order  that  I  may  be  wholly 
devoted  to  the  service  of  His  dear  and  well-beloved  Spouse. 
Courage,  my  dear  brother  !  never  let  us  lose  courage , 
whatever  we  see,  or  whatever  we  hear  ;  let  not  the  most 
fearful  tempests  and  storms  have  power  to  move  us  ;  we  have 
a  Pilot  who  commands  the  winds  and  the  waves,  let  us  not 
permit  Him  to  slumber  through  our  negligence  or  indifference  ! 
Let  us  cry  to  Him  without  ceasing  in  the  words  of  the 
superscription  on  the  seal  which  I  send  to  you  by  our 
brother  Deleuze  ;  '■Save,  Lord;  we  perish  !'  If  we  pray  to  our 
kind  and  omnipotent  Saviour  with  all  the  humility,  ardour 
and  confidence  of  which  we  are  capable,  we  shall  undoubtedly 
soon  witness  an  end  of  the  storm  everywhere  and  a 
succession  of  mild  and  genial  weather  by  which  the  earth 
will  be  made  to  bring  forth  fruit  and  barrenest  trees  to 
bloom.  Toil  without  ceasing  to  sow,  weed  and  cultivate  the 
soil  which  Providence  has  committed  to  your  care,  and  may 
the  blessing  of  God,  my  dear  friend,  be  upon  you  and  upon 
your  work  ;  may  it  also  descend  upon  your  fellow  labourers 
and  upon  all  who  invoke  the  name  of  our  Lord.  Never  fear 
your  foes,  however  numerous  they  may  be  ;  you  fight  for 
the  Lord  of  Hosts,  and  if  you  are  faithful  to  Him  the  victory 
will  surely  be  yours:  yet  a  little  while,  our  enemies  shall  be 
confounded  and  the  truth  shall  appear  with  such  brilliancy 
that  the  shadows  of  superstition  shall  everywhere  be 
dispersed  ;  the  idols  of  the  nations  shall  be  destroyed,  and 
all  shall  adore  the  one  and  only  God,  from  the  rising  of  the 
sun  to  the  going  down  of  the  same  ;  all  shall  cry,  Hosannah  ! 
Blessed  be  He  who  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  ! 
Alleluia,  Alleluia  !  Praise  the  Lord  !  To  Him  alone  be  all  the 
glory,  majesty,  dominion  and  power  ! 

"  All  that  I  say  is  true  ;  it  is  no  chimera  or  effect  of  an 


Hw  solicitude  on  behalf  of  the  Churches.  121 

excited  imagination.  I  have  for  my  authority  the  Holy 
Scriptures,  and  the  marvels  which  God  has  done,  and  is  still 
doing,  by  His  grace  in  my  dear  country.  I  have  for  my 
authority  the  love  of.God  which  is  shed  abroad  in  my  heart  ; 
this  love  never  deceives  us  if  we  pray  for  it  and  consult  it 
with  humility  and  faith  ;  it  is  an  infallible  oracle  which 
gives  us  glimpses  and  foretastes  of  the  triumph  of  the 
Church  on  earth  and  in  heaven.  Love  is  God  Himself, 
according  to  the  explanation  of  the  beloved  disciple.  All 
who  are  really  animated  by  love  are  inspired  of  God.  God 
makes  Himself  known  unto  them  and  reveals  unto  them  His 
secret  thoughts.  Let  us  not  deceive  ourselves  as  to  the 
nature  of  this  love.  Saint  Paul  has  given  us  an  admirable 
description  of  the  virtue  in  his  Epistle  to  the  Corinthians. 
It  is  for  us  to  examine  whether  we  practice  it  in  like  manner. 
"I  will  at  present  urge  my  arguments  no  further,  because 
I  wish,  if  it  please  God.  to  write  to  you  again  soon.  I  there- 
fore conclude,  my  dear  friend,  by  assuring  you  of  im- 
perfect goodwill,  and  by  expressing  sincere  and  ardent 
wishes  for  your  welfare,  for  the  welfare  of  your  beloved 
colleagues  and  of  all  our  Churches.  Assure  our  dear 
brethren,  by  whom  I  have  the  honour  to  be  known  and 
loved,  that  I  am,  and  shall  be  all  my  life,  their  good  friend 
and  faithful  servant.  I  specially  salute  your  wife.  I  trust 
you  will  write  to  me  soon.  Your  two  illustrious  friends  and 
a  great  number  of  noble  and  pious  persons  of  both  sexes 
and  all  ages,  salute  you,  and  offer  many  supplications  on 
behalf  of  yourself  and  your  companions.  The  Eternal,  who 
has  preserved  you  and  delivered  you  from  the  hands  of  your 
enemies  by  a  striking  miracle,  will  keep  you  until  the  day 
of  lull  fruition.  May  the  cloud  of  divine  protection  encircle 
you  in  all  places  and  at  all  times  ;  may  the  angels  of  heaven 
attend  you  like  Jacob,  and  may  no  cruel  Esau  ever  have 
power  over  you  or  your  brethren.  God  soften  the  heart  of 
your  enemies  !  God  enlighten  their  understandings  and 
give  them  grace  to  serve  Him — the  Judge  of  the  Universe — 
as  He  wills,   and  as  He  is  worthy  to  be  served.    Adieu, 


122  His  solicitude  for  the  galley  slaves. 

my  very  dear  friend,  Adieu.  I  embrace  you  and  am,  much 
more  than  I  can  express  it,  your  very  humble  and  affec- 
tionate brother  and  servant. 

Benjamin." 
10th  of  September  1725. 

There  was  no  physical  or  moral  suffering  to 
which  Du  Plan  was  a  stranger  ;  he  was  as  solicitous 
for  the  pastors  as  for  all  the  members  of  the  flock, 
and  especially  for  those  of  them  who  were  victims 
to  the  rigour  of  the  times.  His  thoughts  constantly 
recurred  to  the  most  unfortunate  of  his  co-religionists 
aud  went  forth  to  the  dungeons  and  the  galleys  ;  he 
felt  himself  constrained  to  stir  up  sympathy  on 
their  behalf.  He  willingly  forgot  himself  in  caring 
for  others,  and  his  charity  extended  to  every  one 
who  suffered  for  righteousness'  sake. 

"I  learn  with  regret,  "  he  wrote,  "that  those  who  serve 
the  Churche  are  scarcely  ever  fully  paid,  though  they  are 
so  few  in  number  and  their  wages  so  very  moderate. 
Moreover  sufficient  attention  has  not  been  given  to  the  galley 
slaves  and  prisoners.  Is  not  this,  however,  an  inalienable 
duty  of  the  Churches,  and  is  it  not  rather  from  want  of  love 
and  intelligence,  of  care  and  management,  than  of  money, 
that  sufferers  for  the  Gospel  and  servants  of  the  Churches 
are  deprived  of  necessary  support  ?  As  tor  myself,  I  ask 
for  nothing.  God  will  be  my  support  and  my  recompense. 
I  will,  through  His  grace,  sacrifice  not  only  my  goods  and 
my  worldly  prospects,  but  my  life,  if  this  sacrifice  be  required 
by  my  country  and  the  Church.  Let  your  colleagues  and 
elders  rest  assured  of  my  true  sentiments  on  this  subject, 
for  I  express  them  as  they  occur  to  me.  I  will  spare  no  efforts 
for  the  consolation  and  deliverance  of  my  brethren,  and 
will  with  my  whole  heart  solicit  heaven  and  earth  in  their 
favour. 


The  motives  for  his  chct/rity.  123 

"It  is  necessary  to  give  all  possible  help  toDauphiny,  for 
the  more  widely  we  extend  our  charity  and  good  works  the 
more  will  God  be  glorified,  and  the  more  shall  we  be  glorified 
in  Him  ;  the  less  foreign  help  we  receive  towards  the 
triumph  of  the  truth  in  our  country  the  more  credit  we  shall 
receive  from  our  fellow  countrymen  and  from  strangers. 
Nevertheless  we  ought  not  to  act  from  this  motive  alone  ; 
it  would  be  vanity  and  we  should  risk  paying  dearly  for  a 
little  show  ;  let  us  cleave  unto  God  wholly  and  with  a  single 
heart,  without  regard  to  the  opinions  of  men.  Alexander 
and  Csesar  were  in  some  measure  justified  in  seeking  the 
world's  praises,  for  they  did  not  know,  as  we  know,  the 
things  of  God  ;  but  we  should  be  very  blind  and  very  guilty 
to  abandon  the  Creator  for  the  creature,  to  prefer  time  to 
eternity,  and  to  chase  the  shadow  while  we  lose  the  substance. 
Let  us  occupy  our  minds  about  God,  heaven  and  a  blessed 
eternity,  we  shall  not  then  be  disappointed  in  our  hopes;  we 
shall  possess  here  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing, and  in  Paradise  we  shall  behold  His  face  which  is 
a  fullness  of  joy  for  ever.     God  grant  it,  by  His  grace  !  " 

(April  1725.) 

Du  Plan  heard  with  joy  of  the  revival  of  the 
Church  notwithstanding  the  fire  of  persecution,  and 
was  deeply  affected  on  reading  such  details  as  the 
following,  given  by  Antoine  Court  on  the  occasion 
of  his  marvellous  deliverance  :  — 

"  I  have  had  abundant  and  touching  proof  of  the  attach- 
ment and  tender  affection  entertained  by  our  people  for  their 
pastor.  Their  tear  of  having  lost  me  for  ever  after  my  sad 
adventure  at  Alais  and  their  pleasure  at  my  reappearance 
impressed  them  so  vividly,  that  words  fail  them  in  which  to 
testify  their  attachment,  their  grief,  and  their  joy.  I  know 
not  how  to  prove  to  you  the  respect  in  which  I  am  held. 

,  u  I    can    recall    but    few  occasions  when  our  largest 
assemblies    reached    two  or   three  hundred   persons,   and 


124  Court  describes  the  progress  of  his  work. 

when  one  of  them  surpassed  that  number  it  was  con- 
sidered little  short  of  a  miracle.  Now  the  Assemblies  are 
considered  but  indifferent  if  they  do  not  exceed  two  or  three 
hundred.  In  the  course  of  my  rounds  I  have  held  several 
meetings  at  which  the  numbers  approached  a  thousand 
persons,  and  at  one  there  were  more  than  twice  as  many  ; 
the  communicants  were  so  numerous  that  during  the  admi- 
nistration of  the  Lord's  Supper,  nine  or  ten  chapters  of 
Holy  Scripture  were  read  and  the  Commandments  chanted, 
besides  the  whole  of  the  XI.  Canticle  and  two  or  three 
selections  from  the  Psalms.  A  remarkable  circumstance 
was  that  this  Assembly  was  convoked  at  the  break  of  day, 
lasted  till  noon  and  separated  as  quietly  as  if  it  had  been 
held  in  St.  Peter's.1  0  Divine  and  adorable  Providence  thou 
art  profound  and  matchless  in  all  thy  doings  !  God  render 
us  sensible  of  such  striking  and  distinguished  proofs  of  Thy 
love  !  Though  the  event  terminated  happily,  my  dear 
friend,  the  step  did  not  appear  to  every  one  here  altogether 
wise  and  prudent.  Should  you  find  it  the  same  I  leave  it  to 
your  judgment  to  make  an  apology  for  us;  the  scarcity  of 
preachers,  the  great  number  of  the  faithful,  the  famine  which 
pinches  them,  the  pressing  need  they  have  of  consolation, 
and  their  zeal,  added  to  the  precautions  which  are  the 
inseparable  companions  of  our  doings,  will  furnish  y  ou  with 
abundant  means  for  our  defence.  " 
(9th  of  July  1725). 

In  this  same  letter  Antoine  Court  conferred 
with  Du  Plan  on  a  very  important  and  interesting 
question — the  confederation  of  the  Churches  of 
Dauphiny  and  Vivarais  with  those  of  Languedoc. 
It  was  considered  essential  to  combine  their  scattered 
forces  in  order  to  make  a  better  stand  against 
persecution.     To  this  end,  Roger,  who  had  accom- 

1.    The  Cathedral  at  Geneva  where  Protestant  worship  is  celebrated. 


The  Confederation  of  the  Churches.  125 

plished  in  Dauphiny  the  same  work  of  restoration 
that  Antoine  Court  had  accomplished  in  Languedoc, 
had  assembled  a  Synod  in  June,  1725.  It  was 
there  decided,  as  a  proof  of  complete  and  lasting 
anion,  that  all  the  Churches  should  adopt  the  same 
rules  as  the  Churches  of  Languedoc.  Nevertheless 
it  was  thoroughly  understood  that  this  deference 
did  not  imply  any  avowal  of  inferiority,  and  that 
Languedoc,  in  taking  the  initiative  in  this  measure, 
did  not  in  any  manner  aspire  to  any  sort  of 
domination  whatsoever.  It  was  in  this  sense  that 
the  arrangement  was  understood  by  the  brethren  at 
Geneva. 

u  It  is  essential,  "  continued  Court,  u  to  explain  to  the 
Churches  of  the  Vivarais  and  Dauphiny  those  terms  either 
in  our  rules  or  in  the  Synodal  letter  which,  though  they  may 
in  appearance  be  stern  and  even  despotic,  are  not  so  in 
reality.  We  are  not  friendly  enough  with  the  proud  and 
blind  Vatican  to  adopt  its  maxims  or  to  imitate  its  conduct. 
Thanks  to  Thy  mercies,  0  my  God,  we  are  taught  in  a  school 
where  we  have  learned  that  he  who  is  esteemed  the  greatest 
ought  to  be  the  servant  of  him  who  is  the  least.  God  is  not 
well  pleased  that  we  should  attempt  to  establish  in  our 
midst  an  authority  which  Jesus  Christ,  our  Divine  Master,. 
took  so  much  pains  to  banish  from  among  his  beloved 
disciples.  We  would  disapprove  and  denounce  all  that  has 
the  slightest  appearance  of  it,  and  agree  with  pleasure  to 
correct  the  smallest  expression  which  might  seem  to  favour 
a  principle  so  worthy  of  condemnation.'' 

(9th  of  July  1725.) 

Antoine  Court  was  sufficiently  interested  in  the 
financial  position  of  his  friend  to  speak  his  mind 
freely  on  this  subject. 


126  Financial  situation  of  Du  Plan. 

"Ifear,"  he  wrote  to  him,  "that  you  conceal  from  me 
things  which  you  ought  frankly  to  disclose.  If  I  hold  in 
your  mind  and  heart  the  place  apparently  assigned  to  me 
by  your  letters,  why  hide  anything?  Have  the  goodness  to 
speak  on  all  subjects  with  an  open  heart,  and  as  a  bosom  friend 
ought  to  speak.  I  need  not  explain  myself  more  fully,  but 
if  further  comment  is  necessary,  you  have  only  to  remember 
that  since  you  went  to  sojourn  at  Geneva,  I  have  known  as 
little  of  the  state  of  your  affairs  as  of  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Southern  Hemisphere.  It  you  do  me  the  favour  to  refer  at 
all  to  the  subject,  I  know  you  will  not  do  it  by  halves.'' 
(9th  of  July  1725.) 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  replied  to  him  immediately  : — 

"  You  wish  me  to  acquaint  you  with  my  affairs,  If  con- 
cerning the  temporal  I  will  inform  you  that  they  are  in  such 
a  condition  that  God  alone  can  help  me.  The  person  who 
is  willing  to  aid  me  1  has  his  bands  tied,  he  can  sell  nothing 
at  present,  and  what  with  losses  and  expenses  his  income  is 
greatly  reduced.  Fifty  louis  were  sent  me,  but  they  were 
not  nearly  sufficient,  and  I  have  borrowed  considerably. 
If  Providence  does  not  intervene,  it  will  be  necessary  to 
reduce  my  expenditure.  Though  I  desire  to  maintain  a 
certain  position,  I  do  not  wish  to  be  chargeable  to  any  one, 
and  it  is  with  regret  that  I  consent  to  the  Churches 
co-operating  in  the  collection  of  a  small  sum  to  defray 
my  unavoidable  expenses  for  future  journeys.  I  will  not 
however  accept  even  this  help,  until  after  all  the  pastors 
of  the  country  have  received  their  salaries  ;  and  Providence 
has  failed  to  furnish  me  with  other  means.  I  wish  to  receive 
nothing  from  the  Churches,  being  sufficiently  rewarded  by 
the  glory  and  happiness  of  serving  them." 

(27th  of  July  1725). 


1.  This  was  a  Monsieur  Treillis  of  Alais,a  great  friend  of  the  family 
of  Du  Plan  and  who  had  taken  in  hand  the  pecuniary  interests  of  the 
young  refugee. 


His  want  of  money.  127 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  tried  sometimes  by  curious 
methods  to  Improve  his  position  ;  he  subscribed  to  a 
lottery.  Unfortunately  this  plan  did  not  succeed, 
and  though  the  attempts  were  repeated  he  was  never 
successful. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

FIRST  JOURNEY  OF  DU  PLAN  IN  SWITZERLAND. 

October  and  November,  1725. 

As  soon  as  Du  Plan  had  received  his  credentials 
he  occupied  himself  in  the  fulfilment  of  his  delicate 
mission.  But  he  was  soon  impeded  by  want  of 
money.  He  had  not  yet  received  the  fifty  pistoles 
which  the  Synod  had  voted  him,  and  the  help  from 
his  father  was  insufficient  to  meet  the  cost  of  his 
journey. 

He  wrote  in  the  month  of  September  to  his 
friend  : — 

"  I  have  not  yet  been  able  to  set  thoroughly  to  work, 
owing  to  want  of  money.  The  outlay  already  incurred  has 
greatly  exceeded  the  help  I  have  received  from  my  relations. 
I  almost  lose  hope,  the  obstacles  which  interfere  with  this, 
as  with  all  good  designs,  being  so  numerous. 

"  Affairs  in  the  North  and  in  Germany  are  in  a  critical 
state.  It  is  not  yet  known  whether  war  will  break  out  or 
whether  an  arrangement  will  be  possible.  Reasonable  and 
pious  men  counsel  me  not  to  engage  in  my  undertaking 
without  the  means  necessary  for  success;  I  therefore  patiently 
await  the  manna,  and  by  whatever  way  it  may  come  I  shall 
look  upon  it  as  from  heaven.    Meanwhile  perhaps  my  pre- 


128  He  urges  Court  to  procure  it  for  him. 

sence  in  this  country  may  be  of  some  service  to  our  Churches. 
Please  inform  me  what  effect  your  letters  have  produced 
touching  the  collections  for  the  support  of  the  ministry,  and 
for  the  expenses  of  the  Deputation  to  the  Powers.  As  you 
have  not  referred  to  this  subject  for  some  time,  I  haye 
reason  to  fear  that  your  exhortations  have  been  like  seed 
cast  into  sterile  and  badly  cultivated  ground.  There  is 
always  a  great  difference  between  promise  and  performance. 
It  is  much  easier  to  draw  out  a  good  plan  than  to  put  it  into 
execution.  May  God  grant  me  grace  to  serve  our  Churches 
in  much  humility  and  without  reward.  Those  who  would 
give,  cannot  ;  and  those  who  could  give,  will  not.  It  is 
grievous,  but  we  must  nevertheless  have  patience.  A  time 
will  come,  it  it  please  the  Lord,  when  the  husks  will  burst 
and  the  chestnuts  will  fall  in  abundance.  God  will  implant 
His  charity  in  the  hearts  of  the  covetous,  and  the  poor  shall 
suffer  no  more.  0  happy  age,  when  wilt  thou  arrive  ?  Let 
us  hasten  it,  my  dear  friend,  by  our  zeal  for  God,  by  our 
love  towards  our  brethren,  and  by  our  diligence  to  fulfil  all 
the  duties  of  modesty,  virtue  and  temperance.  It  the  effectual 
fervent  prayer  of  the  righteous  man  availeth  much,  let  us 
be  righteous  and  God  will  hear  our  prayers." 
(September  1725). 

Antoine  Court  replied  to  him  immediately  : — 

"  The  Synod  has  been  held.  The  preparations  for  it 
were  successful,  and  the  resolutions  good,  but  the  means  of 
executing  them  failed.  We  need  preachers,  and  need  money 
for  their  support.  Those  who  serve  are  not  paid.  Thirty 
per  cent,  has  been  deducted  from  their  salaries  and  for  the 
remainder  they  have  received  only  paper.  Instead  of  eleven 
hundred  livres,1  which  we  require,  but  two  hundred  and 
eighty  and  some  odd  livres  have  been  raised.  Do  therefore 
what  you  can  for  the  Churches  that  suffer  under  the  Cross 
and  whose  advocate  you  are.     The  word  Cross  may  inspire 

1.  "  Livre  "  is  occasionally  used  by  French  writers  as  a  convertible 
term  for  u  franc  ". 


«.  Poverty  of  the  Churches.  129 

you  at  such  a  moment,  and  perhaps  I  am  not  wrong  in 
bringing  it  to  your  remembrance. 

u  It  was  proposed  that  you  should  go  into  Germany,  and 
to  the  North,  but  the  great  difficulty,  want  of  means,  marred 
our  intentions.  Fitty  pistoles  have  been  voted  to  maintain 
you  for  the  present,  while  waiting  for  further  help  ;  it  will 
supply  your  most  pressing  needs.  I  have  not  yet  received 
the  sum,  but  will  work  incessantly  to  obtain  it.  0  God, 
will  there  never  arise  another  Christopher  Columbus,  the 
discoverer  of  America,  who  without  being  under  the  neces- 
sity of  going  from  Potentate  to  Potentate  or  appealing  to 
any  Philip  of  Spain,  shall  appeal  direct  to  Philip  the  Evan- 
gelist?; or  shall  there  never  again  be  seen  any  Cyrus, 
Artaxerses  or  Nehemiah,  who  touched  by  our  misery  shall 
bring  us  more  speedy  and  effectual  relief  than  money  can 
supply  ?  Then  not  alone  Ethiopia  but  countries  more  distant 
shall  resound  with  our  praises!  Patience!  God  who  is  in 
Heaven  is  good,  He  is  omnipotent,  He  will  provide  all  things, 
and  while  hoping  and  waiting  for  His  help,  I  will  not  allow 
any  difficulties  or  oppositions  to  weaken  my  courage  or  relax 
my  zeal.  Our  preachers  have  asked  for  their  discharge,  less 
perhaps  with  a  view  to  obtain  it  than  to  arouse  from  their 
lethargy  our  elders,  the  majority  of  whom  are  discouraged 
with  the  first  bad  collection  or  with  the  meanness  and 
unworthiness  of  the  offerings.  But  I  appealed  to  them, 
exhorting  patience,  and  they  have  submitted,  each  one 
having  again  with  renewed  zeal  taken  possession  of  his  own 
department  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord.  " 

(September  1725). 

Du  Plan,  however,  did  not  wait  to  receive  the 
money  that  had  been  promised  him  and  which  there 
was  so  much  difficulty  in  collecting  :  in  company 
with  a  preacher  named  Chapel,  he  commenced  a 
short  journey  of  two  months  duration.  They  visited 
the  principal  towns  of  Switzerland,  including  Berne, 


130  Success  of  Du  Plan  in  Switzerland. 

Zurich,  Neuchâtel,  and  Lausanne.  For  the  sake  of 
economy  they  travelled  on  foot.  "They  were 
received  everywhere  with  a  respectful  sympathy, 
and  great  astonishment  was  evinced  when  Du  Plan 
related  in  the  towns  still  attached  to  the  old 
Calvinistic  traditions  the  sufferings,  incessant 
persecutions  and  martyrdoms  which  had  been 
endured  during  a  ten  years  straggle  and  the  success 
with  which  that  struggle  had  heen  attended.  The 
man  who  had  been  delegated  to  the  Churches  of 
Switzerland  by  his  brethren  of  France  and  who 
had  himself  been  a  witness  of  so  many  extra- 
ordinary events,  became  a  man  of  eminence — little 
short  of  a  hero."  l 

At  Zurich,  Du  Plan  obtained  from  their 
Excellencies  the  Magistrates  sixty  louis  d'or  ;  while 
the  German  clergy  and  the  French  Church  promised 
to  contribute  their  share  to  the  relief  of  their 
persecuted  brethren. 

At  Neuchâtel,  the  deputy  collected  thirty  crowns, 
and  the  excellent  M.  Osterwald,  pastor  of  the 
Church,  personally  furnished  a  large  case  of  books, 
the  greater  number  consisting  of  his  own  works. 

It  was  at  Lausanne,  however,  that  Du  Plan 
left  the  most  salutory  traces  of  his  progress.  He 
was  received  there  with  the  warmest  affection  by 
the  chief  families  of  the  country,  and  with  their 
co-operation  he  realised  one  of  the  great  ideas  of 
Antoine  Court,  in  founding  a  Protestant  seminary. 

1.    Edmond  Hugues,  already  quoted  Vol.  I.  p.  281. 


\bli$hment  of  the  College  at  Lausanne.         131 

As  foreign  pastors  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to 
court  martyrdom  in  France,  it  became  necessary, 
as  soon  as  possible,  to  supply  their  place  by 
procuring  for  some  young  students  the  means  for 
prosecuting  their  regular  studies.  Du  Plan  assembled 
in  secret  certain  pastors  and  friends  of  Lausanne, 
such  as  Polier  and  De  Montrond,  &c.,  in  order  to 
deliberate  on  this  grave  question.  The  delicate 
point  was  to  know  to  what  College  it  would  be 
most  expedient  to  send  the  young  students.  Geneva, 
constantly  threatened  by  France,  was  out  of  the 
question  ;  Berne  was  not  much  less  so  and  for  the 
same  reason,  while  Zurich  was  German  and  too  far 
out  of  the  way.  Lausanne,  then  a  dependency  of 
Berne,  was  finally  selected.  Their  Excellencies  the 
Magistrates  of  Berne,  at  the  request,  probably,  of 
certain  eminent  and  influential  friends,  such  as 
Dachs,  D'Hacbrett  and  others,  courteously  consented 
to  the  opening  of  a  private  college,  but  on  the 
express  condition  that  it  should  remain  in  obscurity 
and  make  no  stir.     This  condition  was  accepted. 

The  Churches  were  able  to  provide  for  the 
expenses  of  a  single  student  only  ;  but  later  on, 
thanks  to  the  exertions  of  Du  Plan,  the  number 
gradually  inceased  in  a  few  years  to  six.  The 
fu'st  student  was  Bétrine,  a  pious  and  zealous 
young  man  whom  Court  had  formerly  encountered 
on  his  rounds,  and  had  consecrated  to  the  holy 
ministry.  Bétrine  set  out  for  Lausanne  in  1725. 
He  was  intelligent,  though  like  all  the  preachers 
vary  ignorant,   and  having  no  notion  of  Greek  or 


132  Bétrine,  the  first  student  at  the  College. 

Latin  was  unable  to  follow  an  academical  course- 
Time  pressed,  the  number  of  preachers  diminished, 
daily  under  the  fire  of  persecution,  and  it  was 
necessary  to  replace  them.  A  few  willing  and 
talented  men  thereupon  undertook  to  give  the 
young  student  private  lessons,  the  more  rapidly  to 
complete  his  education,  and  in  the  space  of  a  few 
months  he  acquired  all  his  theological  instruction. 
On  his  return  to  Geneva,  Du  Plan  found  awaiting 
him  the  letter  from  his  friend  describing  the  want 
of  generosity  among  the  faithful.  He  hastened  to 
reply,  and  to  acquaint  him  with  the  results  of  his 
first  journey. 

"  Monsieur,  ray  dear  friend, 

"I  have  just  returned  from  my  journey  into  Switzerland 
in  company  with  M.  Chapel.  I  have  been  absent  more  than 
two  months,  which  will  account  for  my  not  having  replied 
to  the  several  letters  that  awaited  me  at  Geneva.  Scarcely 
had  I  received  yours,  when  I  resolved  to  give  you  evidences 
of  my  sincere  and  tender  friendship.  I  commence  then  by 
praising  the  Lord,  who  in  spite  of  the  misery  and  peril  to 
which  the  preachers  are  exposed  in  our  unfortunate  country, 
raises  up  persons  to  overcome  these  troubles.  I  praise  God 
further  for  the  good  will  of  many  worthy  Elders  who 
warmly  interest  themselves  for  the  good  of  our  Churches, 
though  I  am  a  little  disappointed  that  they  cannot  carry 
out  their  good  designs.  God  permits  many  obstacles  to  try 
the  faith,  patience  and  charity  of  His  servants.  If  from  the 
discharge  of  our  duties  we  derived  honour,  pleasure  and 
worldly  prosperity,  our  diligence  might  be  ascribed  to 
ambition,  avarice  or  voluptuousness.  We  must  be  poor,  we 
must  be  despised,  we  must  suffer,  in  order  that  God  may  be 
glorified,   the  Church  edified,   and  our  enemies  forced  to 


Bu  Plan's  letter  respecting  tht  collections  in  Femur,    133 

Acknowledge  our  single  heartedness  as  well  as  the  genuine- 
ness of  our  faith. 

u  I  am  much  obliged,  my  dear  friend,  for  the  particulars 
you  have  given  me  of  what  has  transpired  in  your  locality. 
I  beg  you  to  thank,  in  proper  time  and  place,  all  those 
persons  who  have  chosen  me  for  their  deputy.  I  feel  myself 
more  honoured  by  this  office  than  if  I  were  the  ambassador 
of  the  greatest  King  on  earth,  because  an  ambassador 
generally  occupies  himself  with  temporal  and  political  affairs 
alone,  while  I  shall  entirely  occupy  myselt,  if  it  please  God, 
with  those  things  which  concern  eternity  and  the  welfare  of 
our  beloved  Churches.  You  will  oblige  me  further,  my  dear 
friend,  by  thanking  the  Synod  on  my  behalf  for  the  fifty 
pistoles  it  has  voted  me  ;  when  the  money  shall  have  been 
collected,  you  will  have  the  kindness  to  inform  me,  though 
I  do  not  wish  to  touch  it,  except  in  the  last  extremity,  and 
until  the  preachers  have  been  paid.  I  placed  more  than 
twenty  pistoles  in  the  lottery  of  Geneva  to  try  if  Providence 
by  that  means  would  permit  me  to  serve  the  Churches 
gratuitously  and  even  to  send  them  money  ;  but  the  event 
has  shown  that  God  wished  to  prove  me,  since  I  have  had 
the  worst  possible  luck.  I  received  the  news  with  great 
tranquillity,  and  seemed  to  hear  a  voice  within  me  saying  : 
— 'My  grace  is  sufficient  for  thee;  seek  first  the  kingdom  of 
heaven,  and  all  things  requisite  tor  thy  present  state  shall 
be  given  thee  from  above/  There  might  have  been  more  or 
less  of  vanity  had  I  been  able  to  say  that  I  laboured  gratu- 
itously and  gave  without  receiving.  If  my  intentions  are 
good,  they  will  be  as  acceptable  to  God  who  knows  the  heart 
as  the  acts  themselves,  and  I  shall  not  be  in  danger  of 
becoming  vain  or  arrogant. 

u  It  is  now  time  I  should  give  you  a  short  account  of  my 
journey  in  Switzerland  ;  I  need  hardly  assure  you  that  my 
aim  has  been  to  gain  for  my  brethren  under  the  Cross  all  the 
help  they  can  fairly  hope  for.  I  was  favourably  received  in 
all  the  towns  through  which  I  passed,  and  recognised  and 
honoured  as  the  deputy  of  our  Churches.    Everywhere  has 


134  Particulars  of  his  journey i 

the  Lord  been  praised  for  the  blessings  His  mercy  has  accorded 
to  us  in  the  midst  of  our  greatest  troubles.  Much  surprise 
was  created  and  interest  felt  at  my  description  of  our  state 
and  our  doings  ;  a  thousand  good  wishes  were  expressed 
on  our  behalf,  and  some  presents  which  will  afford  you 

pleasure  were  added To  supply  the  place  of  pastors 

you  will  receive  a  number  of  books,  not  alone  for  the 
preachers,  but  for  many  among  the  flock  who  have  not  the 
means  wherewith  to  buy. 

"  I  can  at  present  give  you  but  a  short  account  of  my 
journey.  I  have  many  things  to  tellyou,but  I  will  reserve  them 
for  my  next  letter.  If  M.  Chapel  could  see  you  at  Nismes  or  at 
any  other  place,  he  would  tell  you  many  things  which  cannot 
be  committed  to  paper. 

"  We  must  perfect,  as  soon  as  possible,  the  state  of  our 
Churches,  in  order  that  I  may  be  able  to  challenge  enquirers. 
We  have  more  need  than  ever  to  pray  earnestly  to  God  to 
make  us  upright,  prudent  and  active;  things  are  at  a  crisis. 

"  M.  Bétrine  has  received  your  letter,  and  will  send  a 
reply;  he  salutes  you,  and  prays  you  to  send  his  little 
allowance  in  advance,  if  possible.  His  sister  also  salutes 
you,  as  well  as  all  the  persons  who  are  dear  to  you.  We 
pray  that  God  may  bless  and  preserve  you  all  by  His  wise 
Providence.  Le  Sieur  Chapel  will  be  at  Nismes  about  the 
7th  or  8th  ot  next  month;  endeavour  to  see  him." 

(November  1725.) 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE  SYNOD  OF  1726  AND  BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN. 

While  the  deputy  of  the  Synods  was  travelling 
through  Switzerland  awakening  evidences  of  sym- 
pathy, and  sparing  neither  care  nor  trouble  to  acquit 
himself  faithfully  of  his  mission,  his  enemies  were 


Demon  infiaix  against  Du  Plan.  135 

endeavouring  to  injure  his  influence  with  the 
Churches  and  even  to  withdraw  from  him  his 
certificate  of  deputy.  Great  was  his  grief  when  on 
the  return  from  one  of  these  fatiguing  journeys  he 
received  from  his  friend  the  following  letter  : — 

u  Monsieur,  and  dear  friend, 

u  It  is  possible  that  the  subject  of  ray  letter  may  surprise 
you,  but  I  cannot  be  silent  on  this  occasion  without  betraying 
your  interests,  the  interests  of  the  Church,  and  my  pledged 
friendship  for  yourself.  Some  persons  whom  I  believe  to  be 
concerned  in  your  welfare  are  not  altogether  satisfied  with 
your  conduct  on  the  subject  of  the  so-called  Inspired,  and 
public  rumour,  which  is  often  neither  trustworthy  nor 
discreet,  having  already  aroused  commotion  in  our  provinces, 
many  are  complaining.  I  have  made  ineffectual  efforts  to 
stem  the  torrent,  and  if  you  do  not  second  me  you  will  not 
easily  re-establish  yourself  in  the  minds  of  some  persons 
who  deserve  consideration,  whatever  estimate  we  may  form 
of  them  or  what  position  soever  they  themselves  may  hold, 
either  in  the  world  or  in  the  Church. 

u  My  object  is  not  to  ascertain  whether  there  are  or  are 
not  veritable  Inspired  :  this  has  always  been  a  subject  of 
discussion  between  us.  Though  otherwise  very  much  alike, 
on  this  matter  we  have  always  been  the  antipodes  of  each 
other,  your  experience  persuading  you  that  there  are 
Inspired  and  mine  that  there  are  not.  Incredulous  as  I  am 
on  this  point,  I  will  agree  with  you  for  a  moment  that  there 
are  true  Inspired  ;  what  then  is  the  inference  ?  Is  it  a 
fundamental  article  in  our  religion  without  which  we  cannot 
be  saved,  that  we  should  believe  in  the  doctrine  of  Inspira- 
tion and  associate  with  those  who  pretend  to  be  Inspired  ;  or 
is  the  subject  one  of  indifference  ?  You  are  too  sensible  to 
persist  in  the  one,  and  I  do  not  see  how  you  can  reasonably 
deny  the  other.  All  you  can  say  is  that,  Inspiration  being 
a  gift  from  heaven,  it  demands  the  praises  of  those  who  have 


136         His  relations  with  the  Inspired  of  Geneva. 

either  received  it  themselves  or  who  have  discovered  it  in 
others.  Is  it  not  however  possible,  I  would  ask,  to  fulfil  the 
obligations  involved  by  a  belief  in  Inspiration,  without 
failing  in  the  great  precept  of  charity  which  forbids  us  to 
offend  the  weakest  of  our  brethren?  Do  we  risk  being 
lost  by  not  making  an  open  profession  of  a  doctrine  which 
we  affirm  to  be  of  no  absolute  necessity  either  in  religion  or 
for  salvation  ?  and  in  matters  of  religion  is  it  not  wise  to 
act  on  the  principle  of  having  regard  to  appearances  in 
small  things  ?  We  hear  St.  Paul  saying  to  us  :  'Abstain 
from  all  appearance  of  evil,'  and  should  we  not  do  more 
than  follow  the  apostolic  injunction  and  abstain  from  things 
which,  though  innocent  in  themselves,  might  occasion  evil 
to  others  ?    It  is  well  not   to  do   anything  by  which  thy 

brother  stumbles  or  is  offended 

u  You  have  motives  of  another  kind  which  merit  no  less 
your  attention  than  your  own  interests.  It  is  only  rendering 
you  justice  to  avow  that  you  have  a  strong  ambition  to 
serve  the  Church,  and  that  you  are  willing  to  sacrifice  your 
goods,  your  repose,  and  even  your  life  on  its  behalf  ;  the 
experience  we  have  had  of  your  exertions  and  professions 
unmistakeably  assure  us  of  the  fact.  But  if  you  are  not 
careful  to  keep  a  stricter  watch  over  your  conduct  on  the 
subject  in  question,  or  neglect  to  act  on  the  principles  I  have 
just  set  forth,  you  will  incapacitate  yourself  for  the  fulfilment 
of  your  engagements  and  promises,  and  even  your  zeal  will 
become  unfruitful  and  useless.  What  a  result  !  It  is  as 
natural  as  it  is  certain  that  the  Church  will  lose  its  confidence 
in  you,  that  you  will  in  a  manner  force  it  to  withdraw  the 
august  mission  it  has  conferred  upon  you,  and  that  you  will 
lose  the  credit  you  have  acquired  abroad,  a  credit  so 
necessary  and  so  important  in  the  execution  of  the  under- 
taking with  which  you  are  charged.  Pray  take  care,  my 
dear  friend,  to  refuse  nothing  to  a  Church  for  which  you 
surrender  so  much,  and  take  care  also  to  abstain  from  a  too 
frequent  and  open  communication  with  those  persons  whose 
sentiments  she  does  not  absolutely  approve.    This  sacrifice 


Court  urges  him  to  abêtwn  from  their  company.    137 

ought  not  to  be  very  great,  but  if  it  were  a  sacritice  much 
more  considerable,  a  man  in  your  position  ought  at  once  to 
make  it.  It  is  true  I  do  not  demand  this  in  the  name  of  the 
Church,  for  as  yet  I  am  but  the  echo  of  the  rumours  and 
complaints  which  are  circulating  amongst  us,  and  I  have  no 
special  instruction  to  write  to  you  on  the  subject,  but  I  have 
thought  that  my  ministerial  duty,  added  to  the  friendship 
which  exists  between  us,  rendered  the  act  indispensable. 
All  I  ask  for  in  reply  to  my  straightforward  statement  is  a 
prompt  change  if  you  are  in  fault,  and  for  my  sound  advice, 
a  careful  study  to  render  yourself  approved  in  all  things  by 
the  persons  who  interest  themselves  in  our  affairs,  and  by 
the  Churches  you  have  the  honour  of  serving.  If  you  do  this, 
as  I  trust  you  will,  you  cannot  doubt  that  it  will  give  me 
great  satisfaction,  and  that  it  will  not  tend  to  diminish  the 
esteem  and  the  perfect  devotion  I  entertain  for  you  and  with 
which  I  am,  your  faithful  servant, 

Court." 
3rd  of  November  17i?5. 

Du  Plan  hastened  to  reply  : — 

u  Monsieur,  my  very  dear  friend, 

"I  take  up  the  pen  with  the  intention  of  satisfying  all  you 
can  desire  of  me,  if  I  am  happy  enough  to  succeed  in  my 
project. 

"I  do  not  exactly  know  what  has  been  written  from  this 
plaça  to  the  Province  to  occasion  complaints  concerning  my 
views  ,  provided  no  untruth  has  been  uttered  it  matters 
little  to  me  what  may  have  been  said  as  to  my  belief  and  my 
conduct  in  regard  to  religion.  I  have  not  shaken  off  the 
yoke  of  Popery,  that  ferocious  and  formidable  beast,  for 
the  purpose  of  becoming  a  slave  to  certain  private  opinions. 
I  consider  as  such  all  opinions  which  cannot  be  tested  by 
evidence  from  Holy  Scripture.  In  fact  I  recognise  in  religion 
no  other  authority  than  that  of  God.  If  my  faith  or  my 
morals  are  contrary  to  the  dogmas,  I  am  ready  to  yield  as 


138  Du  Plan  asserts  his  independence. 

soon  as  I  am  convinced  of  my  errors,  but  let  no  one  flatter 
himself  that  either  promises  or  menaces,  rewards  or  chastise- 
ments, shall  be  able  to  make  me  renounce  that  which 
I  believe  to  be  true  and  right.  I  believe  that  God  has  in 
these  latter  days  poured  out  on  several  persons  the  gifts'  of 
His  Spirit  ;  there  are  but  lew  who  have  been  faithful  ;  for 
this  reason  God  has  withdrawn  his  favour  and  delivered 
them  over  to  a  spirit  of  error  and  iniquity.  Such  judgments 
as  these  should  make  all  the  instruments  God  employs  for  His 
glory  to  tremble,  but  not  to  despise  His  gifts  which  are 
always  excellent  in  themselves  and  very  clear  to  those  who 
have  received  them.  God  grants  and  withholds  his  favours 
as  He  pleases.  In  ascribing  to  Him  the  glory  it  is  for  each 
one  to  make  a  good  use  of  the  gifts  by  devoting  them  to 
the  edification  of  the  Church  and  to  his  own  sanctification. 
Though  I  despise  with  my  whole  heart  all  false  doctors, 
pastors  and  prophets,  I  do  not  believe  that  any  doctor  or 
pastor  has  the  right  to  ask  me  to  despise  anyone  in  whom 
I  discover  the  gifts  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  or  any  prophet  the 
right  to  call  upon  me  to  despise  a  doctor  or  a  pastor  in 
whom  I  discover  a  language  consistent  with  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  It  is  by  the  Scriptures  that  I  examine  the 
pastor,  the  doctor,  and  the  prophet.  When  certain  pretended 
Inspired  have  cried  against  the  ministry  in  general,  under 
the  pretext  that  some  ministers  preached  error  or  lived 
inconsistently,  I  have  vigorously  battled  with  such 
pretended  Inspired;  and  even  when  certain  ministers,  whose 
character  and  merit  I  respect,  have  unreservedly  and  without 
distinction  rejected  and  condemned  all  those  who  in  these 
latter  days  call  themselves  Inspired,  I  have  not  yielded  to 
them  without  a  shock  to  the  integrity  and  sensitiveness  of 
my  conscience.  I  do  not  blame  those  who  have  no  belief  in 
sudden  inspiration  :  for  this  evidences  are  required  which 
God  does  not  accord  to  everyone  ;  but  if  I  had,  or  believed 
I  had,  these  evidences,  why  should  that  faith  which  is  neither 
contrary  to  the  truths  of  the  Gospel,  to  strict  morals,  or  to 
ecclesiastical  and  social  discipline,  be  despotically  denied  to 


//(  has  always  withstood  the  false  Inspired.       139 

me  ?  Let  us  rather  cherish  the  desire  to  do  more  and  more 
good,  and  not  pretend  to  rule  the  faith  of  other  people  by 
our  own,  in  regard  to  things  which  affect  neither  State  nor 
Church. 

u  Though  I  believe  that  God  has  accorded  in  these  last 
days  the  gifts  of  His  Spirit,  I  am  persuaded  that  among  those 
who  battle  with  sudden  inspiration  I  have  done  more  than 
anyone  to  eradicate  fanaticism, — the  shadow  or  corruption 
of  inspiration — as  Popery  is  the  shadow  or  corruption  of 
Christianity.  It  is  very  certain  that  the  priests  or  ministers 
of  Roman  Catholicism  are  much  more  numerous  than  the 
Protestant  ministers  (would  to  God  the  good  Protestant 
ministers  were  in  greater  number  amongst  us  than  the  bad  !)  ; 
but  be  that  as  it  may,  this  great  number  of  false  priests  and 
bad  ministers,  who  all  call  themselves  servants  of  Jesus 
Christ,  ought  not  to  hinder  us  from  recognising  as  true  and 
faithful  ministers  of  God  the  small  number  who  acquit  them- 
selves of  their  duty,  as  the  great  number  of  imposters, 
visionaries,  fanatics,  and  profligates,  who  call  themselves 
Inspired  ought  not  to  hinder  me  from  recognising  that  God 
has  honoured  with  His  gifts  a  few  persons  whom  I  have 
heard,  but  whom  I  seldom  hear  now.  I  am  careful  not  to 
offend  anyone,  but  if  any  who  keep  a  stricter  eye  on  my 
conduct  than  their  own  advise  me  to  discard  that  which  has 
been  very  useful  to  me,  and  which  has  brought  me  into  close 
contact  with  the  preachers  of  the  Desert,  I  shall  regard  them 
as  very  indiscreet,  and  if  there  be  any  offence  at  all,  it  will 
be  an  offence  received  and  not  given.  Jesus  Christ  has  been 
a  stumbling-block  to  many;  so  much  the  worse  for  the 
stumblers.  The  magistrates  and  clergy  ot  this  town  not 
only  tolerate  but  protect  certain  persons  who  believe  them- 
selves to  be  inspired,  provided  they  do  not  disturb  the 
established  civil  and  ecclesiastical  order.  It  is  only  a  few  of 
the  inconsiderate  who  raise  the  hue  and  cry  without  knowing 
what  is  in  question.  As  for  myself,  I  love  everyone,  and 
I  am  happy  to  live  with  all  pious  persons,  whatever  may 
be  their  views,  provided  they  are  not  contrary  to  the  articles 


140  He  demands  toleration  for  his  sentiments. 

of  our  Synod  or  of  our  faith.  I  have  friends  of  all  sorts  and 
conditions  who  honour  me  with  their  esteem,  which  is  in  no 
way  diminished,  though  they  know  my  sentiments.  I  never 
concealed  them;  I  have  confessed  them  in  public  and  in 
private  ;  they  neither  hindered  me  from  serving  the  Churches 
usefully  nor  from  being  chosen  as  deputy.  I  have,  thank 
God,  successfully  fulfilled  my  duty  as  deputy,  wherever 
I  have  gone  ;  the  magistrates  and  the  clergy  have  received 
me  with  respect  and  kindness,  and  I  have  awakened,  above 
all,  love  for  our  Churches.  I  regard  the  result  of  my  efforts 
for  the  Churches  only  as  the  first  fruits  of  my  mission  and 
as  an  earnest  of  the  abundant  harvest  which  will  follow, 
when  Providence  shall  have  opened  up  to  me  the  whole 
Protestant  country. 

"I  am  preparing  myself  for  my  travels  ;  endeavour  to 
collect  the  fifty  pistoles  which  have  been  assigned  to  me, 
I  trust  that  my  Swiss  journey  will  produce  for  our  Church 
more  than  two  hundred  pistoles.  Thus  I  shall  not  be  a 
burden,  and  a  part  of  the  money  can  be  employed  in  paying 
the  arrears  due  to  the  preachers,  or  in  binding  books.  I  will 
do  my  utmost  to  forward  you  some  other  packets  ot  books, 

"  I  have  received  two  letters  from  M.  Eoger  which  inform 
me  that  Dauphiny  has  also  chosen  me  as  deputy  ;  he 
acquaints  me  with  the  state  of  the  Churches  which  he  serves  ; 
he  is  a  man  who  is  spoken  very  highly  of  at  Lausanne  and 
who  appears  by  his  letters  to  be  prudent  as  well  as  pious. 

"  M.  Cortiez  has  also  written  to  me.  He  is  evidently  very 
much  annoyed  that  you  have  treated  him  as  an  inferior. 
I  think  there  must  be  some  misunderstanding,  or  else  the 
Devil  is  trying  to  sow  discord  among  you.  There  is 
no  occasion  to  enfeeble  ourselves  by  envies  and  strifes; 
we  are  too  weak  already  ;  let  us  prefer  one  another  in  honour, 
and  strengthen  ourselves  in  the  Lord  to  fight  vigorously 
against  the  multitude  of  enemies  who  surround  us.  As  to 
myself,  though  I  have  received  great  provocation,  I  am 
willing  to  make  to  the  Lord  a  sacrifice  of  my  just  resent- 
ments.    It  there  are  any  in  the  Province  who  murmur  at  my 


Second  letter  to  Court  on  the  same  subject.         141 

sentiments  on  the  subject  of  inspiration,  tell  them  that  the 
Magistrates  and  Clergy  here  (who  are  much  more  powerful 
and  enlightened  than  they),  tolerate  and  uphold  them,  tell 
them  also  that  their  duty  and  their  interest  should  induce 
them  to  keep  silence  and  strive  to  be  good  Christians  in 
order  to  obtain  the  blessing  of  God.  If  I  could  identify  my 
calumniator  in  this  place  I  would  compel  him  to  change  his 
language  by  the  most  ample  proof  of  my  orthodoxy  and 
good  faith  and  thereby  bring  my  enemies  to  shame  and 
confusion  !  Tell  me  everything  and  do  not  fear  that 
I  shall  make  a  bad  use  of  the  information  ;  I  fear  God,  and 
love  my  neighbour,  though  he  may  be  mean  or  malignant 
enough  to  injure  me.  Do  not  speak  of  these  things  to  many." 

(14th  of  December  1725.) 

This  letter  had  scarcely  been  despatched  when 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  discovered  the  necessity  of  again 
writing  to  plead  for  union. 

"  Monsieur,  my  very  dear  friend. 

"  My  mind  has  been  so  impressed  by  the  reproofs  and 
threats  contained  in  your  last  letter  that  I  wish  to  reply  to 
it  a  second  time,  and  thus  endeavour  to  make  amends  for 
having  so  long  delayed  writing.  Some  of  our  friends,  to 
whom  I  have  shown  your  letter,  seem  to  think  it  very 
fruitful  in  ideas  and  expressions.  You  study  your  words 
carefully  and  express  your  feelings  well.  The  chief  thing  is 
to  fix  your  thoughts  and  affections  as  much  as  possible 
upon  objects  worthy  of  your  mind  and  heart  ;  your  soul  is 
more  or  less  noble,  according  as  it  concentrates  its  love  and 
care  on  things  more  or  less  excellent.  I  speak  with  all  the 
sincerity  and  frankness  of  a  true  friend,  when  I  say  that 
though  your  genius  is  admired  it  would  be  more  worthy  of 
esteem  if  you  would  simplify  your  style  and  not  present  such 
a  variety  of  ideas  in  the  same  discourse.  Your  first  letter 


142  Solemnity  of  the  times. 

is  good  and  full  of  spirit, 1  though  I  object  to  the  associa- 
tion of  sacred  things  with  things  or  expressions  which 
savour  of  jest  ;  when  it  is  remembered  that  you  are 
under  the  Cross  and  are  treating  on  the  most  interesting 
subjects,  it  is  to  be  feared  that  this  mingling  of  the  sacred 
and  the  profane  will  offend  God  and  expose  you  to  His 
anger.  What  a  calamity  for  yourself,  for  your  Rachel, 
for  me,  and  for  our  beloved  Churches  !  There  is  a  time  for 
everything — a  time  to  laugh  and  a  time  to  be  serious,  a  time 
for  joy  and  a  time  for  sorrow.    But  what  times  are  these 

0  God  !  Are  not  our  temples  destroyed,  our  pulpits  broken 
down,  and  our  flocks  dispersed,  deprived  of  pastors,  and 
surrounded  by  ravenous  wolves  ;  are  we  not  so  to  speak 
perpetually  on  the  eve  of  extermination  !  Can  we  not  and 
ought  we  not  to  cry  with  the  disciples  who  were  in  the 
little  boat  on  the  point  of  shipwreck,  '  Save  Lord,  we 
perish  '  ?  I  confess  that  I  have  failed  in  my  duty  to  our 
afflicted  churches  from  tne  very  first,  a  failure  for  which  my 
conscience  sharply  rebukes  me.  The  world  and  the  flesh 
have  occupied  a  great  part  of  the  precious  time  which  ought 
to  have  been  devoted  to  the  service  of  God  and  of  His 
Church.  Do  not  fall  into  the  same  error,  my  dear  friend, 
but  make  better  use  than  I  have  done  of  days  which  might 
at  any  moment  be  cut  short  by  a  thousand  unforeseen 
accidents.  I  have  always  loved  pleasure  and  merriment  and 
all  that  delights  both  body  and  mind,  but  when  I  think  of 
my  end  and  of  the  exact  account  I  must  render  to  God, 

1  am  dismayed  and  dread  the  fate  of  the  unfaithful  servant 
who  buried  his  talent,  of  the  foolish  virgins  who  had  not 
taken  care  to  trim  their  lamps,  or  of  the  prodigal  son  who 
squandered  his  inheritance;  then  I  cry  to  my  Divine  Saviour 
from  the  depths  of  my  soul,  for  deliverance  from  the  fatal 
allurements  which  surround  us,  Alas,  miserable  man  that 
I  am,  who  shall  deliver  me  from  the  body  of  this  death  ! 


l.    Du  Plan  probably  refers  to  Court's  letter  of  September  1725,  see 
page  ia9.    The  praises  of  the  pious  delegate  appear  to  us  undeserved. 


Du  Plan  eulogises  charity.  143 

But  after  I  have  implored  help  from  my  God,  I  feel  conscious 
of  a  new  enlightenment  of  my  understanding  and  a  new- 
fervour  in  my  heart  to  form  resolutions  afresh  in  accordance 
with  His  will.  A  thousand  times  blessed  shall  I  be  if  I  am 
firm  and  faithful  in  these  resolutions.  We  are  easily  beguiled 
by  the  fascinations  of  this  world;  our  flesh,  like  the  traitress 
Delilah,  often  lulling  us  to  sleep  only  to  deliver  us  into  the 
hands  of  our  enemies.  0  how  excellent,  how  useful,  how 
necessary  for  the  salvation  ot  our  souls,  is  the  precept  of  our 
Lord,  'Watch  and  pray'  !  Let  us,  my  dear  friend,  watch  all 
the  emotions  of  the  heart;  it  is  deceitful  and  desperately 
wicked  ;  if  we  do  not  resist  its  solicitations,  we  shall 
undoubtedly  be  led  astray  ;  let  us  not  be  satisfied  with 
simply  examining  and  trying  ourselves,  but  let  us  implore 
the  help  of  God  in  our  examinations  and  researches  ;  let  us 
never  undertake  anything  without  ascertaining  our  views, 
our  objects,  and  our  ends,  and  let  us  make  sure  that  we  are 
not  seeking  to  gratify  our  own  ambition,  avarice,  voluptu- 
ousness or  other  vain  and  criminal  passion.  Let  us  not 
think  that  it  is  a  sufficient  justification  to  do  good  deeds  or 
to  say  good  words  before  men;  the  Pharisees  and  Hypocrites 
attracted  the  people  by  their  doings,  but  the  things  which 
are  great  before  men  are  often  an  abomination  in  the  eyes 
of  the  Lord.  You  are  aware,  my  dear  friend,  what  St.  Paul 
3ay8  in  his  epistle  to  the  Corinthians  :  Though  I  speak 
with  the  tongues  of  angels,  though  I  have  taith  to  remove 
mountains,  though  I  bestow  all  my  goods  on  the  poor, 
though  I  give  my  body  to  be  burned,  if  I  have  not  charity 
I  am  nothing  and  am  become  as  a  tinkling  cymbal. 
St.  Paul  after  this  gives  us  a  beautiful  description  of  Charity. 
0  lovely  charity  incarnate  in  Jesus  Christ  !  will  not  Jesus 
Christ  implant  it  in  our  hearts  if  we  pray  to  Him  with 
humility,  faith,  earnestness  and  perseverance  ?  My  only 
resource,  my  dear  friend,  is  in  prayer.  Though  incapable  of 
redeeming  time  lost,  and  unworthy  of  appearing  before  my 
Creator,  I  never  lose  hope,  for  the  blood  of  the  Man-God  has 
been  shed  to  cleanse  me  from  my  sins,  and  the  Spirit  that 


144  His  appreciation  of  Court's  observations. 

gives  life  can  quicken  my  barren  soul  to  bring  forth  fruits 
of  righteousness  and  holiness  to  the  glory  of  His  Holy  Name. 
Like  Abraham  and  Sarah  I  have  faith,  though  there  seems 
little  hope  of  my  serving  the  Church  usefully  or  of  seeing 
its  deliverance  accomplished.  Hitherto  my  conduct  has  been 
a  mixture  of  good  and  evil,  of  light  and  darkness,  but  the 
Sun  of  righteousness  will  at  length  arise  to  dispel  error  and 
vice,  not  from  my  mind  and  heart  alone,  but  from  the  mind 
and  heart  of  all  the  elect  upon  earth.  This,  dear  friend,  is  the 
object  of  mj'  prayers  and  desires,  treated  though  I  may  be 
as  visionary  or  fanatic.  I  am  well  aware  that  there  are 
abuses,  false  visions,  false  revelations  and  false  prophecies, 
nevertheless  I  believe  that  some  of  them  have  been,  and  yet 
are,  good  and  true,  and  that  God  will  permit  me  to  see  their 
accomplishment.  I  have  no  objection  to  your  imitating 
St.  Thomas,  so  far  as  to  believe  only  that  which  you  can  see 
and  touch  ;  but  take  care  not  to  despise,  still  less  to  condemn 
things  that  you  have  neither  seen  nor  heard  and  which  are 
beyond  human  ken.  Aspire  only  to  preach  the  pure  Gospel 
as  well  by  precept  as  example.  I  will  endeavour  on  my 
part  to  become  more  worthy  of  the  love  of  God,  the  esteem 
of  good  men  and  the  tender  and  sincere  affection  of  my  dear 
and  faithful  friend  Court,  whom  I  embrace  in  spirit. 

"  Your  letter  to  me  concerning  my  conduct  is  well  written 
clear,  precise,  spirited,  natural,  and  fluent.  For  one  who 
denies  inspiration  altogether  I  consider  your  arguments  as 
sound  and  able  ;  to  them  and  to  you  I  will  accord  all  the 
respect  and  consideration  my  conscience  will  allow — a  friend 
can  scarcely  demand  more.  I  am  certain  that  the  persons 
who  write  to  our  country  spreading  evil  reports  concerning 
me  would  refrain  it  they  could  know  the  love,  esteem,  and 
respect  entertained  for  me  (unworthy  as  I  am)  by  numerous 
persons,  illustrious  for  their  piety,  character  and  birth,  and 
with  whom  I  am  on  terms  of  intimacy.  If  you  will  name  the 
author  of  the  reports  I  will  ask  him  to  repair  the  mischief  he 
has  done,  and  if  he  be  unable  or  unwilling  to  do  this,  I  will 


Accusations  against  Du  Plan.  145 

employ  such   other  means   as   will  satisfy  all  reasonable 
people  ;  but  if  nothing  more  is  said  let  the  matter  drop." 
(19th  of  December  1725.) 

The  opposition  against  Du  Plan  broke  out  on 
the  occasion  of  a  collection  being  made  in  the 
Churches — at  the  instance  of  Court — to  defray  the 
Deputy's  expenses.  Everybody  refused  to  contribute 
towards  the  remuneration  of  a  man  who  upheld  the 
Inspired  and  who  was  said  to  have  profited  by  his 
tour  in  Switzerland  to  propagate  his  peculiar  ideas. 
Court  formally  denied  these  accusations,  whereupon 
his  opponents  produced  certain  letters  written  from 
Geneva  by  the  refugees  Jourdan,  Rey  and  Delor. 

a  All  my  representations  were  in  vain,"  wrote  Court  to 
his  friend,  "  I  could  obtain  nothing,  the  event  has  thrown 
me  into  despair.  I  have  more  than  once  been  on  the  point 
of  adopting  violent  means,  and  I  am  so  heart-broken  and 
overcome  with  grief  that  my  tardy  resolution  to  write  is 
scarcely  surprising.  In  the  name  of  God  furnish  me  with  the 
means  of  rebuking  this  Jourdan  and  obliging  him  solemnly 
both  by  word  of  mouth  and  by  writing  to  withdraw  his 
accusations  !  I  know  of  no  means  so  likely  to  rebut  objec- 
tions and  restore  tranquillity  as  an  attestation,  signed  by 
those  most  qualified  to  judge  of  the  matter,  that  your 
conduct  is  perfectly  satisfactory.  The  attestation  should  be 
accompanied  by  a  letter  addressed  in  the  form  of  an  apology 
to  the  next  Synod.  Perhaps  this  remedy  may  be  successful, 
but  no  doubt  the  evil  is  very  serious.  Your  knowledge  of 
the  dispositions  of  those  with  whom  I  have  to  deal  should 
be  sufficient  to  make  you  realize  my  position.  I  should  not 
mind  it  the  discontent  of  the  preachers  did  not  make  them  the 
first  to  declare  that  as  your  sentiments  are  unworthy  of  the 
Churches'  deputy  they  dishonor  the  Churches  themselves, 
and  that    the    withdrawal    of   your  credentials  becomes, 

10 


146  The  suffering  he  endured  in  his  mind. 

consequently,  imperative.  This  is  the  way  in  which  even 
the  most  moderate  speak.  Consider  then  my  position  and 
judge  of  my  ability  to  oppose  prejudices  so  passionate  and 
determined  !  Once  more,  I  beseech  you,  furnish  me  with 
arms  for  your  defence  and  spare  no  pains  to  ascertain  the 
most  effective  means  of  remedying  the  evil  ;  we  are  acting 
for  God,  for  the  honor  of  religion  and  for  the  welfare  of  the 
Churches.  Let  nothing  divide  us  in  this  noble  cause  ;  let 
not  opposition,  malignity  and  ignorance  divert  us  from  the 
object  of  our  zealous  aspiration,  and,  at  the  same  time,  let  us 
endeavour  to  adapt  ourselves  to  the  capacity  of  those  with 
whom  we  have  to  deal.  God  commands  and  charity  dictates  !  " 
(12th  of  February  1725.) 

This  letter,  doubtless,  overwhelmed  the  heart  of 
the  zealous  deputy  with  sadness.  Calumny,  ingra- 
titude, and  repudiation  of  honorable  engagements, 
such  was  the  recompense  of  his  incessant  toil  on 
behalf  of  the  Churches  !  What  must  the  noble 
hearted  gentleman  have  suffered  in  his  dignity  and 
self  respect  !  He  knew,  however,  how  to  repress 
every  feeling  of  bitterness,  and  while  condescending 
to  justify  himself  prepared  all  the  attestations 
demanded  by  his  friend.  In  the  meantime  he  felt 
himself  constrained  to  address  that  friend  in  the 
following  truly  Christian  letter. 

"  Monsieur,  my  dear  friend, 
u  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  18th  of  February  and 
though  I  appreciate  your  great  exertions  on  my  behalf,  I  am 
not  at  all  satisfied  with  your  excuses  for  so  great  delay  in 
writing.  Your  letters,  though  moneyless,  would  have  been 
welcome  and  would  have  elicited  for  you  my  deepest 
sympathy  ;  therefore,  my  dear  friend,  if  you  wish  our  friend- 
ship to  endure  in  undiminished  strength,  endeavour  to 
cultivate  it  more  carefully. 


He  writes  to  Court -to  justify  himself.  117 

"I  have  seriously  reflected  as  to  the  rumours  that  have 
been  spread  abroad  concerning  me,  and  as  to  the  measures 
proposed  for  punishing  me  for  my  presumed  bad  conduct.  I 
think  it  would  have  been  wiser  if  the  persons  who  have 
written  or  spoken  against  me  had  either  used  different 
language  or  kept  silence  altogether  ;  at  least  they  should  have 
acquainted  themselves  with  the  facts.  I  think  also  that  there 
has  been  a  little  too  much  readiness  to  credit  the  accusations 
against  me,  and  even  had  these  been  true  there  was  no  reason 
for  not  collecting  the  money  which  had  been  voted  me  by 
the  Synod  after  prudent  and  just  deliberation.  It  is  not  the 
business  of  a  few  individuals  to  set  aside  the  statutes  of  a 
corporate  body,  which  should  be  regarded  with  veneration  it 
its  deliberations  have  been  guided  by  considerations  of 
prudence  and  charity.  The  scarcity  of  money  is  no  legitimate 
pretext  for  a  neglect  of  duty  ;  the  country  served  by  the 
preachers  is  so  extensive  and  populous  that  if  each  person 
gave  only  one  sol — a  sum  so  small  that  it  would  not  occasion 
inconvenience — a  large  amount  might  be  raised.  There  is 
consequently  either  negligence  or  incapacity  among  the  elders, 
or  ingratitude  among  the  people.  I  pray  God  from  my 
heart  that  every  one  may  know  and  fulfil  his  duty,  but  if 
we  do  not  discharge  it  better  than  we  have  hitherto  done  I 
fear  we  shall  be  more  severely  tried  and  chastened  than  in 
the  past.  Our  daily  renewed  life  and  means  of  support  are 
wonders  of  the  infinite  mercy  and  Providence  of  God,  and  if 
by  reason  of  pride,  idleness,  ingratitude  or  other  wicked 
passions  we  are  rendered  unworthy  of  His  protection  and 
favour,  we  are  lost.  What  are  we  that  we  can  live  in  the 
midst  of  powerful  and  enraged  enemies  almost  innumerable  ! 
I  only  tremble  when  I  reflect  thus,  and  it  is  but  reasonable 
that  I  should  thus  reflect.  We  should  if  we  were  wise  not 
only  endeavour  to  please  God  by  keeping  His  Divine  Com- 
mandments, but  frequently  humble  ourselves  before  Him, 
praying  with  earnestness  that  He  will  complete  the  work 
of  rekindling  the  Lamp  of  His  Word  in  our  country,  which 
by  His  infinite  mercy  He  has  commenced  since  our  downfall 


148  Du  Plan  as  contrasted  with  his  accusers.- 

and  ruin.  Oh  how  happy  should  we  be  if  there  could  be  seen 
conspicuous  amongst  us,  the  piety,  zeal,  wisdom,  virtue  and 
charity  of  the  first  Christians  and  of  our  fathers  in  the  time 
of  the  Reformation  !  God  would  then  in  His  grace,  and  by 
our  good  example,  appease  the  fury  of  our  enemies,  convert 
them  and  deliver  us  from  their  yoke,  and  we  should  see  the 
reign  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  established  throughout  the 
earth. 

"I  have  somewhat  enlarged,  my  dear  friend,  on  a  theme 
which  is  precious  to  my  heart.  Would  to  God  our  thoughts, 
desires,  words  and  actions  might  dwell  more  frequently  on 
the  subject  ot  the  reign  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  that 
they  might  not  be  so  readily  dissipated  by  the  things  of  this 
world.  Let  us  endeavour  to  work  together  with  real 
earnestness  for  our  own  and  for  others'  salvation.  It  is  thus 
alone  that  we  can  please  God,  and  receive  His  blessing. 

"  To  return  to  myself,  you  counsel  me  to  rebuke  maître 
Jourdan  for  his  indiscreet  zeal.  He  well  deserves  it,  but  I 
have  rather  preferred  asking  the  Pastor  of  his  district  to 
whom  I  communicated  your  letter  and  who  was  displeased 
with  him,  to  treat  him  with  all  the  gentleness  possible.  I 
should  like  to  have  been  present  when  he  was  sent  for  that  I 
might  have  urged  forbearance  towards  him.  He  acknow- 
ledged his  fault  in  having  failed  to  communicate  a  scheme 
of  such  importance  to  his  Pastor,  and  there  is  reason  to  hope 
he  will,  as  soon  as  possible,  repair  the  mischief  he  has  done 
in  giving  utterance  to  the  falsehood.  I  will  write  to  Sieur 
Rey  himself  to  ascertain  what  he  has  said  against  me,  and 
will  also  endeavour  to  find  out  whether  Delor  merits  atten- 
tion. Few  people  were  aware  of  the  true  motives  for  my 
journey  to  Switzerland,  it  was  desirable  for  important  reasons 
not  even  to  refer  to  the  subject.  It  is  not  surprising  therefore 
that  each  one  has  argued  according  to  his  own  ideas,  though 
it  is  unfair  to  form  a  judgment  without  a  knowledge  ot  facts. 
God  will  not  allow  such  rash  judgments  to  remain  unpunished 
at  the  last  day. 

"  Although  my  best  vindication  is  to  lead  a  holy  life,  to- 


ll>  consents  to  write  an  apology  to  the  Synod.     149 

act  prudently,  and  to  procure  further  help  for  our  Churches, 
I  will  not  fail  according  to  your  advice  to  send  you  an 
apology  for  presentation  at  the  ensuing  Synod.  Meanwhile 
you  may  communicate  the  contents  of  this  letter  to  those 
whom  you  may  judge  proper,  and  may  say  to  them  that  it  is 
but  just  and  fair  to  send  the  money  that  has  been  voted  to 
me  as  soon  as  the  Synod  shall  have  deliberated  as  to  the  best 
means  for  its  collection.  As  evidence  that  my  tour  in  Switzer- 
land was  not  made  with  the  intention  attributed  to  me,  you  may 
refer  to  my  favourable  reception  from  persons  eminently 
distinguished  for  their  rank  and  piety,  to  the  help  I  have 
received  from  them,  and  to  the  fact  that  I  could  if  I  wished  pay 
my  own  stipend,  but  that  I  prefer  to  owe  my  recompense  to  the 
Churches'  equity  rather  than  to  the  power  with  which  I  am 
endowed;  and  further,  that  I  would  earnestly  desire  to  serve 
the  Churches  gratuitously  were  it  not  that  my  relatives 
furnish  means  for  my  necessities  only  and  not  for  maintaining 
a  correspondence  with  several  places  in  Europe,  still  less  for 
travelling. 

I  mention,  between  ourselves,  that  1  have  put  my  name 
to  a  bill  for  five  hundred  livres  in  order  to  provide  for 
unavoidable  expenses,  and  if  God  does  not  endorse  the  bill, 
I  have  great  fear  of  becoming  bankrupt.  I  repeat,  however, 
what  I  have  already  written  both  to  M.  Cortiez  and  to  you, 
that  I  do  not  wish  to  receive  my  allowance  while  the 
preachers  remain  unpaid 

u  Salute  all  our  brethren  and  ask  them  to  be  less  credulous  ; 
>fl  have  some  envious  enemies,  I  have  a  greater  number 
of  influential  friends  than  is  imagined.  I  may  state  that  in 
spite  of  the  slackened  charity  that  exists  here  consequent  on 
the  derangement  of  commerce  and  through  which  numerous 
families  are  in  great  distress,  I  have  obtained  unaided  the 
means  wherewith  to  replace  a  horse  and  some  clothes  which 
had  been  lost  by  Sieur  Chapel.  I  have  also  obtained  for  M. 
Bétrine  sufficient  means  for  the  completion  of  his  studies 
without  having  recourse  either  to  the  Churches  or  his  rela- 
tions; I  have  received  several  special  favors,  and  if  the 


150  Practical  advice. 

poverty  of  the  Churches  is  too  great  to  prevent  their 
providing  my  allowance,  I  have  friends  enough  here  to 
supply  funds  for  the  discharge  of  my  mission  ;  but  unless 
the  distress  be  extreme  it  were  no  honor  to  our  numerous 
Churches  to  withhold  an  allowance  so  solemnly  voted  me. 
I  would  rather  be  paid  by  the  Churches,  in  order  that  I  might 
the  more  effectually  plead  their  cause.  In  France  I  received 
nothing,  and  was  thus  in  a  better  position  to  seek  aid  for  the 
Pastors,  but  now  I  must  be  enabled  authoritatively  to 
demand  succour  for  the  Churches. 

"  Think  over  all  I  have  written  to  you,  my  dear  friend- 
You  are,  with  M.  Cortiez,  at  the  head  of  our  Churches  of  the 
Cevennes  and  Lower  Languedoc,  and  it  is  expedient  that 
you  should  be  firmly  united  in  your  efforts  to  awaken  them. 
It  is  of  the  first  necessity  to  infuse  into  the  minds  of  the 
students  a  spirit  of  wisdom,  charity  and  union,  in  order 
that  you  may  have  in  the  Synod  and  elsewhere  but  one  voice 
and  one  motive.  For  this  purpose  it  is  advisable  to  hold 
special  conferences  for  discussion  and  prayer,  to  the  end 
that  God  may  be  among  you  and  bless  your  plans.  When 
the  subject  under  consideration  is  of  importance  it  will  be 
well  to  summon  the  Elders  of  the  neighbourhood  and  discreet 
men  from  other  localities  to  your  deliberations.  Proper 
measures  must  be  taken  to  enlighten  the  ignorant  or 
insufficiently  informed  Elders  as  to  the  subjects  selected  for 
discussion  at  the  Synods.  Those  who  are  led  away  by  their 
temper  must  be  brought  back  to  a  knowledge  of  their  duty. 
The  busybodies  must  be  reproved  in  a  forcible  and  dignified 
manner,  and  threatened  with  Divine  judgment  and  the 
Churches'  excommunication.  It  is  desirable  when  the  Synods 
meet,  and  in  view  of  the  short  time  during  which  they  can 
remain  in  Session,  that  everything  should  be  well  understood, 
prepared,  and  almost  resolved  upon  among  the  chiefs 
beforehand. 

"  I  say  again  that  I  have  many  influential  friends,  thanks 
to  the  Lord,  and  if  I  have  enemies  the  greater  part  are  of  no 
consequence.    They  make  great  outcry  behind  my  back  but 


Letter  of  Du  Fkm  to  the  Synod.  151 

in  my  presence  they  change  their  tone  and  language  ;  the 
most  conspicuous  pretend  to  be  my  friends,  but  their  protesta- 
tions are  worth  nothing,  for  they  throw  the  stone  with  a 
concealed  arm. 

u  Please  reply  as  early  as  possible  to  this  letter  and  at 
the  same  time  tell  me  the  probable  date  of  the  next  Synod. 
I  hope  soon  to  send  you  a  letter  for  the  Pastors,  and  another 
afterwards  for  the  Synod 

u  Adieu,  my  dear  friend,  I  embrace  you  in  spirit,  and  if 
after  I  have  sent  you  all  the  attestations  in  my  power  I 
should  yet  be  forced  to  relinquish  my  office  through  blind 
injustice  and  ingratitude,  I  will  always  remember  the  good 
men  and  still  remain  your  faithful  friend  and  very  humble 
servant.  " 

(8th  of  March  1726). 

Benjamin  Dit  Plan  followed  the  advice  of  his 
friend.  He  sent  the  required  attestation  from  the 
Venerable  Company  of  Pastors  of  Geneva  and 
addressed  a  long  letter  to  the  Synod  explaining 
his  conduct,  and  justifying  himself  against  the 
absurd  accusations   which   were  laid  to  his  charge. 

u  The  evil  reports  that  have  been  circulated  in  several 
parts  of  the  Province  have  occasioned  me  much  distress. 
Some  persons  have  said  that  I  was  driven  out  of  Geneva; 
others,  that  I  went  to  Switzerland  to  visit  the  fanatics  and  to 
spread  their  ideas;  others,  that  I  abandoned  the  meeting- 
house, in  order  to  shut  myself  up  with  visionaries  ;  while 
others  again  have  said  that  if  I  attended  the  meeting  at  all  it 

was  simply  as  a  matter  of  policy It  is  indiscreet  on 

the  part  of  private  individuals  to  disparage  me  in  my  public 

capacity I  have  long  been  known  to  the  Churches, 

and  have  been  allied  from  the  commencement  with  the  chief 
Pastors  and  Elders.  I  have  taken  part  in  several  Synods, 
helped  to  make  rules,  addressed  petitions  to  the  Powers  and 


152     Cortiez  accuses  Du  Plan  in  the  Synod  of  1726. 

written  pastoral  letters  to  the  faithful.  I  have  offered  prayer 
and  given  exhortations  both  in  general  and  private  Assemblies 
in  town  and  country.  I  have  consoled  the  afflicted,  assisted 
the  poor,  visited  the  sick,  the  prisoners  and  the  galley  slaves. 
As  by  a  miracle,  God  preserved  me  for  several  years  in  the 
midst  of  my  enemies.  At  length  I  became  so  well  known  to 
the  Roman  Catholics,  and  was  so  closely  watched  that  I  was 
obliged  to  leave  my  home;  and,  subsequently,  by  the  advice 
of  my  relations  and  friends  I  quitted  the  kingdom.  It  was 
with  regret  that  I  abandoned  my  country  and  the  Churches, 
and  I  should  have  been  inconsolable  at  my  separation  from 
relations,  friends  and  brethren  in  Christ  had  no  opportunity 
been  granted  me  of  employing  on  their  behalf  the  talents 
which  I  have  received  from  God.  On  my  arrival  at  Geneva 
I  was  worn  out  with  the  care  I  had  bestowed  on  the  Church 
ot  Alais  during  the  pestilence,  by  missionary  rounds  in  the 
Vaunage  and  the  Cevennes,  by  over  study,  and  by  the 
journey  to  Marseilles  and  Geneva  during  the  hot  weather. 
These  things  combined  have  thrown  me  into  a  low  state  of 
health  which  has  not  permitted  me  either  to  study  or  travel. 
But  now  that  God  by  His  grace  has  restored  me,  though 
I  have  a  very  delicate  constitution,  I  am  desirous,  with  His 
help,  of  traversing  both  land  and  water  on  behalf  of  my 
brethren,  and  it  is  for  you  to  cooperate  with  me  in  this  object.  " 

(15th  of  April  1726). 

Du  Plan's  explanations  did  not  disarm  his 
enemies.  They  meditated  a  conspiracy  against  him, 
and  for  this  purpose  attended  the  general  Synod 
which  assembled  in  the  Desert  on  the  26th  of  April, 
1726.  The  conspirators  were  led  by  Cortiez  who  had 
already  seized  opportunities  at  various  Conferences 
of  raising  discussions  hostile  to  the  Deputy,  the 
avowed  object  of  these  intrigues  being  to  obtain 
from  the  Synod  the  revocation  of  his  appointment. 


Defence  of  Du  Plan  by  Antoine  Court.  153 

Antoine  Court  courageously  faced  the  storm. 
He  read  an  attestation  from  the  Venerable  Com- 
pany of  Geneva  exculpating  his  friend,  and  a  letter 
from  Du  Plan  himself  to  the  Synod  in  explanation 
of  his  conduct.  Cortiez,  unable  to  withstand  Court, 
endeavoured  to  gain  his  point  by  main  force  ;  he 
demanded  that  the  question  of  the  maintenance  or 
deposition  of  the  Deputy  should  be  at  once  put  to 
the  meeting  without  discussion,  and  charged  a  young 
student  to  collect  the  votes.  As  the  majority  of  the 
Synod  was  against  Du  Plan,  the  result  would  have 
been  his  certain  recall.  Court  however  anticipated 
the  manœuvre  by  reminding  the  student  that  he  had 
no  authority  to  collect  the  suffrages.  In  a  passion 
Cortiez  snatched  the  pen  and  paper  from  the  hands 
of  the  student  and  prepared  to  undertake  the  office 
of  teller.  Court  restraining  him,  demanded  a 
hearing,  and  in  an  eloquent  discourse  pleaded 
warmly  the  cause  of  his  friend.  We  cannot  refrain 
from  publishing  this  defence — so  creditable  alike 
to  him  who  delivered  it,  and  to  him  on  whose 
behalf  it  was  uttered  : — 

"Is  it  necessary,  my  very  dear  and  honored  brethren,  on 
so  important  a  day  and  in  the  midst  of  an  Assembly  so 
venerable  and  religious  as  that  before  me — is  it  necessary 
that  I  should  be  constrained  to  undertake  the  defence  of  a 
man  whose  life  has  always  been  irreproachable,  a  man  of 
piety  so  exemplary ,  zeal  so  fervent,  and  who  has 
served  the  Churches  so  long  and  so  usefully  ?  What  demon 
can  have  issued  from  the  infernal  regions  to  put  us  to  this 
necessity  ?  What  enemy  to  our  peace  has,  under  the  guise 
of  friendship,  entered  into  our  midst,  in  order  to  prejudice 


154  Defence  of  Du  Plan  by  Antoine  Court. 

our  minds  against  a  member  so  worthy  of  our  esteem  and 
love  and  so  essential  to  the  good  of  our  Churches. 

"  Let  us  endeavour  to  ascertain  the  crime  of  which  he  is 
accused.  Is  it  that  he  has  taken  money  belonging  to  the 
Churches  ?  No  !  Is  it  that  during  his  youth  he  was  so  weak  as 
to  embrace  the  Roman  Catholic  religion  ?  In  reply  I  ask 
whether  it  is  not  well  known  that  he  had  the  resolution 
to  throw  off  its  yoke,  and  that  Providence  in  a  manner 
simply  permitted  the  star  to  obscure  itself  for  a  time  in 
order  that  it  might  shine  with  greater  brilliancy  in  the 
firmament  of  our  Churches  ?  Is  it  that  in  his  youth 
he  loved  the  military  profession  ?  Now  everyone  knows 
that  not  only  is  this  inclination  natural  and  general  among 
all  young  men,  especially  among  the  nobility,  but  that  reli- 
gion never  condemned  it  ;  and  that  when  the  soldiers  came 
to  John  the  Baptist,  that  man  who  was  more  than  Prophet 
did  not  tell  them  to  abandon  their  calling,  but  only  to  do  vio- 
lence to  no  man  and  to  content  themselves  with  their  wages  ; 
moreover  every  one  knows  that  this  young  warrior  only 
practised  himself,  so  to  speak,  as  a  soldier  in  order  to  be- 
come more  intrepid,  firm  and  courageous  among  the  soldiers 
of  the  Lord,  and  more  assiduous  in  the  work  of  the  Church. 
Is  it  that  he  loved  pleasure?  Alas  who  amongst  us  is- 
innocent  enough  to  throw  the  first  stone,  and  who  does  not 
know  that  the  love  of  God,  the  love  of  our  neighbour,  respect 
for  religion,  and  efforts  to  propagate  the  Gospel  have  not 
always  afforded  the  sweetest  pleasure  ?  Is  it  that  he  has 
wasted  the  money  he  collected  ?  It  is  a  well  known  fact 
that  not  only  were  we  indolent  enough  to  allow  six  months 
to  elapse  after  the  appointment  of  a  Deputy  without 
assigning  him  any  remuneration,  but  unjust,  ungrateful,  and 
wicked  enough  subsequently  to  withhold  that  which  had 
been  solemnly  adjudged  to  him,  and  further  that  he  never 
spared  his  superfluous,  and  sometimes  even  his  necessary, 
means  to  maintain  the  preachers  at  a  time  when  they  were 
abandoned  by  all.  Tell  me  then,  0  Du  Plan,  what  is  thy 
crime  !    Is  it  not  that  thou  hast  always  appeared  too  eager 


Defence  of  Da  Plan  by  Antoine  Conrt.  155 

in  the  service  of  the  Church,  too  zealous  iu  thy  efforts  to 
procure  the  peace  for  which  she  sighs,  to  console  her 
mourners,  and  to  help  her  poor  and  needy?  If  it  be 
considered  a  crime  to  lavish  a  noble  enthusiasm  on  objects 
like  these,  I  know  of  no  terms  that  will  characterise  thy 
crime  ;  and  if  thou  art  found  guilty,  I  know  not  how  thou 
canst  adopt  a  better  course. 

u  You,  who  are  his  accusers  show  yourselves  and  make 
your  complaints  without  further  delay.  You  tell  us  that 
our  Deputy  is  infected  with  fanaticism,  that  he  believes  in 
the  Inspired,  that  he  made  a  journey  into  Switzerland  to 
propagate  his  ideas,  and  to  strengthen  his  party,  that  he 
dishonors  our  Churches  by  his  sentiments,  that  he  despises 
the  advice  of  his  best  friends  and  that  in  a  word  he  is  incor- 
rigible. Mark  these  accusations  carefully,  are  they  true? 
You  who  make  them,  tell  me  by  what  authority  you  do  so. 
These  are  questions  worthy  of  this  Assembly.  Are  you  that 
august  Senate  which  sits  in  the  city  where  our  Deputy  is 
sojourning — a  senate  even  more  venerable  than  that 
illustrious  Senate  of  ancient  Rome  ;  or  are  you  that  far 
famed  Company  of  Pastors  who  assemble  in  the  same  city 
once  a  week  to  regulate  ecclesiastical  affairs?  Are  you 
acting  under  the  direction  of  these  bodies  or  ot  some  of  the 
members  who  compose  them,  for  you  must  of  necessity  be 
acting  under  one  or  the  other  to  merit  the  attention  of  this 
assembly  ?  Or  are  you  but  a  few  private  individuals  who 
frame  your  complaints  and  accusations  without  authority 
or  common  consent, — acting  under  a  delusion,  real  or 
assumed,  or  an  imprudent  and  excessive  zeal  ?  If  such  you 
are,  if  motives  such  as  these  have  guided  your  pen  and 
shaped  your  language,  let  not  this  assembly  take  any  heed 
of  your  complaints.  Need  I  tell  you,  dear  and  illustrious 
brethren,  that  they  who  have  been  so  hard  on  our  Deputy 
belong  to  this  latter  class  and  that  they  are  not  of  sufficient 
importance  to  deserve  consideration  ?  What,  on  the  simple 
testimony  of  a  bungler  and  an  idle  tatler,  dismiss  our 
Deputy,  and  deprive  him  of  the  credentials  with  which  he 


156  Defence  of  Du  Plan  by  Antoine  Court. 

has  been  solemnly   invested  !    What  folly  !     What  incon- 
sistency ! 

"  He  is  said  to  be  infected  with  fanaticism  ;  but  are  you 
sure  that  it  is  fanaticism  ?  A  fanatic  is  a  man  possessed 
by  an  evil  spirit,  influenced  by  mania  or  hypochondria, 
speaking  only  of  visions,  ecstacies,  transports,  and  persuading 
himself  that  he  is  a  prophet,  able  to  work  miracles.  Is  this 
the  character  of  our  Deputy  !  Has  he  not  always  displayed 
strength  of  mind,  a  wise  understanding  and  a  sound 
judgment?  Has  he  ever  been  heard  to  speak  of  ecstacies, 
visions  and  transports?  Has  he  ever  boasted  prophetic 
gifts  or  ability  to  work  miracles?  Public  and  private 
discourses  which  have  so  often  fallen  from  his  pious  lips, 
learned  and  judicious  letters, — matchless  fruits  of  his  pen, 
offsprings  of  his  toil  and  productions  ot  his  genius- — wise 
and  renowned  personages  who  are  now  the  joy  of  his  life 
and  eye  witnesses  of  his  conduct,  disputes  and  combats 
waged  against  fanaticism,  and  you  my  brethren  who  have 
known  and  associated  with  him,  you,  even  his  enemies, 
come  all  and  bear  witness  to  the  truth  !  Come  and  put  us 
to  confusion  if  we  speak  not  the  truth  ! 

"  It  is  said  that  he  believes  in  the  Inspired.  This  is  a 
subject  which  calls  for  some  discussion.  Firmly  convinced 
of  the  fruitfulness  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  the  Divine  grace  of 
our  Lord,  he  believes  that  God  in  these  last  days  has  directly 
bestowed  His  Spirit  on  certain  persons,  some  of  whom 
he  personally  knows  ;  but  does  this  imply  a  beliet  in  all 
who  are  extolled  as  prophets  ?  Has  he  not  on  the  contrary 
frequently  contended  against  them  ?  Alter  God,  is  it  not  to 
him  that  we  owe  the  downfall  of  one  who  had  enticed 
away  some  of  our  people  ?  Is  it  not  he  who  detached  from 
the  cabal  of  Vesson  its  principal  supporters  ?  Is  it  not  he 
who  wrote  forcibly  against  the  senseless  troop  of  Montpellier? 
And  is  it  not  in  consequence  of  his  letters  which  were  found 
in  possession  of  this  eccentric  band  when  it  was  seized  that 
we  owe  his  flight  and  exile  from  the  town  of  his  birth  ? 


Defence  of  Bu  Plan  by  Antoine  Court.  157 

u  It  is  said  that  he  associates  with  the  Inspired.  In  my 
humble  opinion  it  would  have  been  better  if  he  had  not  done 
so,  seeing  that  the  weak  minded  were  thereby  offended 
and  the  censorious  and  the  ignorant  so  much  scandalized. 
But,  after  all,  how  does  he  even  in  this  respect  contravene 
Scripture  ?  He  tries  the  spirits,  and  are  we  not  commended 
by  St.  John  for  so  doing  ?  He  proves  all  things,  and  does 
not  St.  Paul  exhort  us  to  do  likewise?  He  despises  nothing 
which  he  takes  for  prophecy,  and  would  you  wish  that  he 
should  do  so,  after  the  prohibition  of  St.  Paul  ?  But  perhaps 
you  may  say  that  when  the  Apostle  enjoins  us  not  to  despise 
prophesyings  he  refers  to  prophecies  which  are  so  in  fact, 
and  not  to  those  which  have  merely  a  semblance  of  reality.  It 
may  be  that  our  Deputy  is  mistaken,  but  he  does  not  think 
so  ;  his  error  is  that  of  his  judgment  only,  and  to  induce  him 
to  abandon  this  error  it  is  necessary  rather  to  enlighten  his 
judgment  than  to  constrain  his  will — a  man's  opinions  are 
not  to  be  rooted  out  by  despotic  and  arbitrary  proceedings  ; 
he  must  be  convinced  of  his  error  before  a  change  of  ideas 
and  sentiments  can  be  demanded,  and  though  this  may  be 
difficult  to  accomplish  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not 
persevere  in  our  efforts  ;  a  man  who  is  shaken  in  his  belief 
without  being  convinced  is  weak  minded,  and  deserving 
only  of  contempt  or  pity,  while  on  the  other  hand  a  man 
who  is  firm  and  resolute  in  opinions  which  appear  to  him  to 
be  founded  on  the  Holy  Scriptures,  in  spite  of  all  that  may 
be  said  or  done  against  him,  is  strong  minded  and  worthy 
of  our  admiratio»  and  praise. 

u  But  sentiments  such  as  these  in  question,  it  may  be 
said,  are  not  to  be  tolerated  in  our  Deputy.  I  grant  that  if 
they  are  contrary  to  the  principles  of  the  Reformed  Religion, 
if  it  be  a  grave  error  in  our  Deputy  to  believe  that  there  are 
still  true  prophets,  if  this  belief  causes  him  to  act  contrary 
to  the  maxims  of  our  religion,  if  for  the  sake  of  what  he 
calls  prophecies  he  ceases  to  frequent  the  holy  Assemblies,  to 
preach  and  to  receive  the  sacraments,  if  he  break  off  commu- 
nion with  the  faithful  and  forms  a  separate  sect,  then  our 


158  Defence  of  Bu  Plan  by  Antoine  Court. 

laxity  would  be  not  only  a  crime  but  the  greatest  of  follies. 
I  should  be  the  first  to  denounce  such  folly,  and  to  take 
from  him  those  credentials  which  rightly  belong  to  and  are 
destined  alone  for  one  of  the  strict  and  faithful  observers  of 
the  tenets  of  our  holy  religion.  But  who  will  dare  to 
maintain  that  the  error  of  our  Deputy  (supposing  it  be  an 
error)  has  ever  led  to  such  consequences.  Has  not  his  zeal 
for  the  assemblies,  for  preaching  and  for  participation  in  the 
sacraments  always  been  of  a  special,  if  not  of  an  eminent, 
order  ?  Have  we  not  seen  him  indefatigably  exerting 
himself  far  and  near,  day  and  night,  to  restore  peace  to  the 
Church  when  it  had  been  broken  by  busybodies,  or  to  bring 
back  to  her  bosom  that  unfortunate  offspring  whose 
dissensions  had  lacerated  her  tender  heart  ;  and  further  still 
is  be  not  always  the  first  to  attend  religious  exercises  in  the 
country  where  he  at  present  resides  ? 

"  But  I  hear  you  return  to  the  charge  and  say  that  you 
wish  our  Deputy  absolutely  to  discontinue  associating  with 
those  who  call  themselves  Inspired.  I  have  already  said, 
and  say  again,  that  1  wish  it  still  more.  Would  to  God  our 
wishes  might  be  fulfilled  !  Yet  his  conduct  is  apparently 
authorized  by  the  Holy  Scriptures.  He  proves  all  things  to 
keep  that  which  is  good,  he  tries  the  spirits  to  find  out 
those  which  are  of  God.  If  by  so  doing  he  wounds  our  too 
sensitive  feelings  let  us  seek  a  remedy  for  the  evil  in  being 
less  sensitively  refined,  and  without  violating  his  conscience 
or  desiring  despotically  to  overrule  his  sentiments  let  us 
prescribe  for  him  such  rules  as  will  satisfy  all  reasonable 
minds.  We  are  not  bound  to  satisfy  unreason,  for  duty  does 
not  require  it  and  the  burden  is  too  heavy. 

"  But  what  consideration,  it  may  be  said,  ought  to  be 
shown  to  a  man  who  not  only  believes  in  the  Inspired,  who 
is  not  only  content  to  associate  with  them,  but  who  undertakes 
journeys  expressly  to  stir  up  fanaticism  and  to  strengthen  the 
fanatics.  What  proof  is  there  for  this  statement?  Calumny  ! 
What  is  its  origin  ?  The  devil  and  the  infernal  regions  !  Our 
Deputy  too  long  inactive  forms  the  design  of  making  a 


Defence  of  Du  PJmt  by  Antoine  Court.  159 

journey  into  Switzerland.  Thereupon  certain  envious,  or  at 
least  indiscreet,  persons  wishing  to  penetrate  his  thoughts 
and  ascertain  his  intentions,  and  not  being  able  to  do  so, 
conjure  up  chimeras  and  shadows  and  upon  this  foundation 
build  up  an  edifice  of  dreams.  They  take  appearauces  for 
realities,  and  being  fanatics  themselves  they  believe  that 
our  Deputy  visited  Switzerland  simply  to  foster  fanaticism, 
and  subsequently  endeavour  to  persuade  us  into  the  same 
belief.  Shall  we  be  credulous  enough  to  accept  these  dreams? 
God  torbid!  Where  would  be  our  discretion,  where  our 
understanding?  If,  my  brethren,  you  desire  to  know  the 
true  motives  of  our  Deputy's  journey,  ask  the  political  and 
ecclesiastical  bodies  of  certain  renowned  Cantons,  witness 
the  favorable  reception  accorded  to  him  by  those  bodies,  and 
the  rich  gifts  by  which  his  reception  was  followed,  and  you 
will  learn  by  undoubted  proofs  that  his  great  idea — his 
principal  motive — was  to  interest  powerful  friends  and  to 
procure  important  succour  for  our  Churches.  If  such  a 
motive  as  this  merits  our  disapproval  and  justifies  our 
depriving  him  of  the  character  of  Deputy  with  which  we  have 
solemnly  invested  him,  it  must  be  admitted  that  we  are 
strange  folks,  and  who,  I  ask,  would  henceforth  care  to  exert 
himself  in  our  service?  It  has  been  frequently  said  that  it 
would  have  been  more  desirable  to  be  Herod's  pig  than  his 
son.  because  the  tyrant  following  the  teaching  of  the  Jews 
spared  his  pigs  while  immolating  his  son  to  his  vengeance. 
In  a  like  manner,  if  the  good  deeds  of  our  Deputy  should 
lose  him  our  favour  it  would  be  better  to  feed  and  tame 
monkeys  and  lions  than  serve  as  our  Deputy. 

u  It  is  said  that  he  is  incorrigible  in  his  sentiments.  Yes, 
as  to  sentiments  which  he  believes  to  be  founded  on  the 
Word  of  God!  He  despises  the  advice  of  his  best  friends. 
Calumny!  Who  is  not  convinced  to  the  contrary?  Who  is 
not  satisfied  that  he  has  drawn  up  a  strong  case?  If  he 
does  not  defer  to  certain  creeds,  is  it  not  because  he  is  unable 
to  do  so  conscientiously? 

"  It  is  said  that  he  dishonors  ue  by  his  opinions.    They 


160  Defence  of  Du  Plan  by  Antoine  Court. 

who  hold  this  view  must  be  very  sensitive  as  to  honor! 
Have  the  sentiments  of  our  Deputy,  we  repeat,  ever  led  him 
astray  or  made  him  do  anything  contrary  to  the  precepts  of 
our  holy  religion  ?  I  appeal  to  the  consciences  of  the  most 
obstinate.  He  believes  there  are  true  Inspired  ;  does  religion 
teach  us  that  there  are  not?  St.  Paul  says  that  prophecies 
should  cease,  and  in  this  the  Apostle  seems  to  be  right,  for  in 
his  time  they  had  already  approached  or  were  approaching 
their  end.  I  do  not  conceal  from  you  that  I  have  long  held 
this  idea;  but  after  all,  this  single  passage  is  not  sufficiently 
explicit  to  convince  us  that  since  the  publication  of  the 
Gospel  until  the  end  of  time  there  shall  be  no  more  prophets, 
and  I  am  not  aware  that  any  theologians  of  our  communion 
have  ever  contested  the  belief  of  certain  persons,  that  it  it 
pleased  God  He  could  yet  send  prophets  unless  such  a 
mission  should  be  opposed  to  revelation  ;  so  that  the  only 
difference  between  our  Deputy  and  those  persons  is  that 
while  they  believe  there  might  be  true  prophets  if  it  pleased 
God  to  send  them,  our  Deputy  believes  that  God  has  so 
pleased.  As  for  ourselves  we  are  so  prejudiced  that  it  an 
angel  were  to  descend  from  heaven  in  the  guise  of  a  prophet 
to  announce  to  us  things  of  the  utmost  importance  we  should 
refuse  to  hear  him.  Should  we  by  so  doing  act  wisely  ? 
Would  it  not  rather  be  better  to  find  out  whether  his  message 
was  the  true  Gospel  or  a  table?  We  are  a  formidable  people; 
we  would  annihilate  all  who  in  the  least  degree  oppose  us, 
and  after  the  example  of  certain  of  the  disciples  of  our  Lord 
demand  that  fire  might  descend  from  heaven  and  consume 
those  who  will  not  conform  to  our  ideas  and  sentiments.  Is 
this  the  spirit  ot  the  Gospel?  Is  not  that  spirit  one  of 
forbearance,  gentleness,  and  love? 

"  When  I  come  to  examine  the  Inspired  I  find  them  to  be 
of  two  kinds — wilful  imposters  and  weak  minded  fools  who, 
led  away  by  a  desire  to  become  prophets,  and  encouraged 
by  the  pretended  predictions  of  other  false  prophets 
persuade  themselves  at  last  that  they  really  possess  prophetic 
gitts  and  seek  to  impress  others  with  the  same  belief.    The 


Defence  of  Du  Plan  by  Antoine  Court.  161 

former  deserve  stern  remonstrance  and  exposure,  the  latter 
are  worthy  of  my  compassion,  my  counsels  and  my  prayers. 
Does  it  follow  because  our  Deputy  is  of  opinion  that  there 
is  a  third  kind  who  are  good  and  true  that  he  casts  a  slur 
on  our  good  name,  or  dishonors  our  Churches  ?  If  they  whom 
he  so  much  esteems  wish  to  introduce  into  our  religion  a 
new  worship  like  that  introduced  by  certain  monks  of  Liège 
into  the  Romish  Church  some  centuries  since,  let  them 
be  anathematized.  If  they  suggest  to  people  the  abolition  of 
certain  customs  they  regard  as  hurtful,  though  the  customs  in 
question  may  have  existed  for  ages,  let  them  be  accursed — 
let  us  drive  them  out  as  imposters  and  deceivers  !  and  if  our 
Deputy  should  adopt  their  opinions  and  practices,  if  he  be 
not  himself  the  first  to  denounce  them,  let  us  deprive  him  of 
his  office  and  let  us  hurl  our  censures  at  his  head  ;  but  if  his 
views  be  orthodox — if,  to  his  apprehension  they  are  in 
harmony  with  the  Gospel,  or  at  least  not  opposed  thereto, 
and  if  he  reckons  as  Inspired  only  those  whose  inspiration  is 
in  accordance  with  Scripture,  let  us  cease  to  speak  of 
dishonor.  That  which  dishonors  us,  my  brethren,  is  the 
toleration  of  crime,  being  sparing  in  our  censure  of 
transgressors,  and  a  general  laxity  of  discipline  ;  neglecting 
to  succour  our  poor,  to  provide  for  the  wants  of  our 
confessors,  suffering  in  the  assemblies  certain  contentious 
characters  whose  presence  tends  only  to  perplex  our  affairs, 
and  who  like  the  mountain  in  the  fable  make  great  groanings 
in  the  bringing  forth  of  a  mouse  ;  failing  to  keep  our 
engagements  by  refusing,  as  we  hitherto  have  done,  to  pay 
our  Deputy  the  just  recompense  solemnly  promised  to  him  ; 
and  lastly  venturing  to  discuss  at  the  mere  instance  of  a 
bungler  or  of  persons  without  authority  the  withdrawal  from 
our  representative  of  an  office  with  which  he  had  been 
invested  in  an  Assembly  similar  to  this,  and  confirmed  by 
one  yet  more  illustrious.  These  are  the  things  which  are 
dishonorable  to  us  my  brethren  ! 

"  Let  us  venture  to  hope  that  what  has  been  now  said 
has  sufficiently  justified  our  Deputy  in  the  eyes  of  this 


162  Defence  of  Bu  Plan  by  Antoine  Court. 

assembly;  to  suppose  the  contrary  were  to  suggest  an  insult 
to  your  understanding.  Bear  with  us,  however,  dear  and 
honored  brethren,  if  to  our  apology  we  add  reasons  which 
should  imperatively  constrain  us  to  maintain  him  in  office. 

"  First  reason  :  The  necessity  of  having  a  representative 
in  foreign  countries.  The  necessity  is  obvious;  abroad  our 
condition  is  very  imperfectly  understood — we  need  to  be 
represented  there  by  a  person  of  ability  in  whom  we  can 
implicitly  confide,  a  person  who  will  depict  facts  as  they  are, 
solicit  for  our  Churches  the  protection  of  the  Protestant  Powers 
and  endeavour  to  persuade  them  to  intercede  with  our 
august  Monarch  for  the  toleration  of  our  faith. 

"  Second  reason  :  The  character  of  Sieur  Du  Plan,  than 
whom  we  could  have  addressed  ourselves  to  none  better. 
He  has  all  the  intellectual  and  physical  qualities  which  the 
position  demands.  He  has  birth  and  education,  a  lively 
imagination,  a  strong  mind  and  a  sound  judgment;  he  speaks 
well  and  writes  better.  All  these  gifts  are  happily  combined 
with  a  natural  docility,  a  rare  scholarship  and  a  zeal  beyond 
compare.    This  is  an  urgent  reason. 

"  Third  reason  :  Good  faith  and  fidelity  to  our  engage- 
ments. How  could  we  deprive  our  brother  ot  his  quality  as 
our  Deputy  without  breaking  our  word  and  doing  an  injustice? 

"  Fourth  reason  :  Our  personal  honor.  To  deprive  our 
Deputy  of  his  office  were  to  confess  our  ignorance  and 
fickleness  ;  our  ignorance,  because  this  act  alone  would  prove 
us  incapable  of  making  a  suitable  choice,  and  that  our 
heedlessness  is  so  great  that  we  accept  or  reject  a  man  on 
the  impulse  of  the  moment;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  our 
infirmity  of  purpose  would  be  apparent  (supposing  our 
selection  to  have  been  a  right  one)  in  our  vacillation,  and  we 
should  acquire  a  reputation  for  weakness,  and  for  inability 
to  remain  constant  to  our  choice;  so  that  in  whatever  light 
our  proceedings  might  be  viewed,  we  should  become  objects 
of  ridicule  and  expose  ourselves  to  charges  of  ignorance  and 
fickleness. 

"  I  could  adduce  a  fifth  reason — our  own  interest  ;  for  if 


Bu  Plan  gwes  pledges  of  obeêience  to  the  Synod.    163 

we  were  capable  of  acting  as  proposed  towards  our  Deputy, 
who  would  henceforth  care  to  devote  himself  to  our  service? 

"  I  could  also  add  a  sixth— in  the  good  our  Deputy  has 
already  effected,  a  happy  prelude  and  a  sure  guarantee  of 
that  which  is  to  follow— but  I  come  now  to  my  last  reason, 
— our  incompetence  to  withdraw  his  credentials  and  ignore 
the  grounds  on  which  they  were  granted,  even  though 
we  should  be  sufficiently  unjust  to  harbour  a  design  so 
unworthy.  Without  the  unanimous  consent  of  all  the 
confederated  Churches  in  National  Synod  we  are  powerless, 
and  it  cannot  be  permitted  to  us,  who  are  but  a  section  of 
the  Confederated  Churches,  to  act  alone  and  revoke  a 
measure  of  which  all  have  approved. 

u  But  why  dwell  so  long  on  the  subject  ?DoI  not  already 
hear  you  assent  to  the  withdrawal  of  the  indictment?  Do 
I  not  already  see  you  eager  to  tender  again  the  right  hand 
of  fellowship  to  our  Deputy?  Let  us  then  conclude  his 
defence  !  Let  us  cease  to  urge  reasons  for  maintaining  him 
in  his  office,  and  while  he  prepares  himself  for  his  work  let 
us  do  all  we  can  to  further  his  efforts  ;  let  us  pray  to  God 
that  He  may  accompany  him  on  all  his  journeys  and  that 
He  may  turn  our  deliberations  to  His  glory  and  to  the  well 
being  of  our  beloved  Churches.     Amen  and  Amen." 

26th  of  April  1726. 

At  the  close  of  this  eloquent  and  fervent  dis- 
course, the  Assembly  declared  itself  convinced  and 
satisfied  ;  a  few  friends  warmly  defended  the  absent 
Deputy,  but  his  fierce  opponents  though  silenced 
were  not  subdued. 

On  hearing  of  the  happy  issue  to  this  grave 
affair,  Du  Plan  heartily  thanked  the  Synod  and  with 
due  submission  pledged  himself  to  terminate  his 
relations  with  the  Inspired. 

u  Since  certain  zealous  but  misinformed  persons,"  he 
wrote  to  Court,  "  have  written  in  condemnation  of  my  con- 


164  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod 

duct  and  as  it  has  become  in  consequence  a  source  of  scandal 
in  the  Church,  notwithstanding  that  I  have  forwarded  testi- 
monials bearing  the  signatures  ot  the  venerable  Consistory  of 
this  city,  I  unconditionally  engage  for  the  love  of  peace  and 
the  edification  of  our  Churches  to  take  no  further  part  in  the 
assemblies  of  the  Inspired,  and  to  shun  their  society — so  far 
as  charity  will  allow — while  acting  as  Deputy. 

u  And  as  the  Churches  are  poor  and  unable  to  pay  me  the 
salary  they  have  promised,  I  ask  nothing  of  them  either  for 
the  past  or  the  future,  hoping  that  with  the  help  of  God,  and 
that  of  my  relations  and  friends,  to  be  enabled  to  render 
them  better  service  than  has  hitherto  been  possible  owing  to 
the  prevailing  troubles." 

(28th  of  May  1727.) 

He  addressed  the  following  pastoral  letter  to  the 
Synod  : — 

"  Messieurs,  my  very  dear  and  honored  brethren  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  ;  the  grace  and  peace  of  God  the  Father 
and  Jesus  Christ  His  Son  be  with  you. 

"  Although  I  have  been  careful  to  inform  our  dear  and 
well-beloved  brother  M.  Court,  with  whom  I  am  in  corres- 
pondence, of  all  that  concerns  the  interests  of  our  Churches, 
and  although  I  have  no  doubt  he  has  made  you  acquainted 
with  everything  proper  for  you  to  know,  I  have  considered 
it  my  duty  to  add  this  letter  in  order  to  assure  your  pious 
and  honored  assembly  of  my  warmest  affection  and  most 
sincere  respect  as  well  in  spirit  as  in  truth.  It  is  neither  flesh 
nor  blood  nor  any  temporal  interest  which  has  bound  me  to 
your  service,  but  God  alone  by  His  infinite  mercy;  and 
nothing  shall  make  me  abandon  it  save  death  itself,  or  your 
unanimous  resolution  to  withdraw  from  me  the  credentials  of 
Deputy  which  yourselves,  by  a  formal  vote,  have  done  me 
the  honor  to  confer.  Everyone  has  his  enemies  ;  neither 
Kings  with  all  their  power,  nor  Saints  with  all  their  wisdom, 
are  protected  from  the  slanders  of  the   malevolent  ;  how,. 


Ili s  disinterestedness.  1G5 

therefore,  can  I,  a  poor  aud  helpless  sinner,  called  by  my 
vocation  to  attack  the  Empire  of  Satan  and  Anti-Christ,  hope 
to  screen  myself  from  envy,  hatred,  and  false  reports  ?  But 
thanks  be  to  the  Lord,  though  I  am  not  free  from  errors  and 
failings,  my  intentions  are  upright,  and  though  I  am  not  so 
blind  or  insensible  as  to  believe  I  have  no  enemies,  my 
friends  are  even  more  numerous  and  more  powerful  than  my 
foes.  Ot  this,  my  dear  and  well-beloved  brethren,  you  have 
■convincing  proof  in  the  honorable  testimonials  given  me  by 
the  venerable  Consistory  of  this  town,  aud  which  our  dear 
brother,  M.  Court,  has  presented  in  full  Synod.  I  could,  if 
necessary,  send  you  other  vouchers  of  my  good  conduct  and 
of  the  manner  in  which  I  have  sustained  the  glorious  office 
it  has  pleased  you  to  confer  upon  me,  notwithstanding  my 
incompetency  aud  the  malignity  of  my  enemies. 

u  Perhaps  if  the  Churches  had  taken  heed  to  supply  me 
with  a  colleague,  as  I  have  more  than  once  demanded,  and 
furnished  me  with  the  means  of  travelling,  at  least  on  foot, 
I  should  have  procured  them  more  assistance  than  I  have 
been  able  to  do;  but  what  has  already  been,  or  is  about  to 
be  procured  is  not  to  be  despised,  although  the  accident 
M'hich  has  happened  to  poor  Genoulhac  has  occasioned  con- 
siderable loss  to  the  Churches,  besides  the  cost  to  me 
individually  tor  the  temporary  maintenance  of  his  poor  wife 
and  three  young  children,  who  are  in  a  manner  the  victims 
of  their  father's  zeal  in  the  service  of  the  Church.  In  truth  it 
had  been  on  my  part  ungrateful,  and  even  cruel,  had  I  not 
done  all  I  could  either  alone  or  with  the  assistance  of  friends 
to  mitigate  the  sufferings  ot  this  poor  and  desolate  family 
who  at  present  are  partially  supported  out  of  the  French 
purse.  You  can  scarcely,  my  dear  and  well  beloved  brethren, 
reproach  me  while  you  withhold  the  five  hundred  livres  per 
annum  you  have  promised,  and  of  which  I  have  hitherto 
received  only  two  hundred  and  fifty  livres  for  two  years 
service.  I  have  been  under  the  necessity  of  borrowing  a 
sum  ot  money  to  enable  me  to  discharge  the  duties  of  my 
office,  but  God  who  haa  hitherto  provided  will,  if  it  please 


166    He  exposes  De  Fleury's  schemes  of  persecution. 

Him,  yet  provide.  If  a  colleague  is  given  me  who  does  not 
possess  the  credit  I  enjoy,  his  wants  must  be  supplied  in 
order  that  my  enemies  may  not  reproach  me  with  uselessly 
squandering  the  money  belonging  to  the  Churches.  I  shall 
not  be  a  burden  on  the  Churches,  but  hope  rather  to  do  them 
good  service.  I  would  pour  out  my  blood  to  the  last  drop, 
rather  than  needlessly  use  the  substance  of  the  followers  of 
Jesus  Christ  my  Saviour.  I  have  several  times  written  to 
M.  Cortiez  and  M.  Court  that  I  have  no  desire  to  receive  my 
allowance  until  after  the  preachers  have  been  paid;  I  would 
that  I  were  in  a  position  to  maintain  them  all,  it  would  then 
be  evident  with  what  devotion  I  am  drawn  towards  my 
beloved  country  and  my  dear  friends  and  colleagues  in  the 
work  of  our  Lord.  All  I  ask  of  you,  my  dear  brethren,  is 
that  you  do  not  lend  too  ready  an  ear  to  calumnies,  that  you 
give  heed  to  the  credentials  I  have  received  from  one  of  the 
most  venerable  Consistories  in  the  world,  that  you  bear  in 
mind  that  we  all  have  our  errors  and  shortcomings,  that  no 
one  is  without  his  enemies,  that  I  ask  of  you  neither  gold 
nor  silver,  but  only  your  sympathy  and  prayers  ;  for  these 
are  due  to  me  in  return  for  the  sincere  and  heartfelt  love 
which  I  have  borne  you  ever  since  I  first  engaged  myself  in 
your  service,  risking  and  abandoning  all  for  your  sake,  and 
being  always  ready  to  sacrifice  all  my  remaining  possessions 
for  the  edification  of  the  Church. 

u  Though  in  a  worldly  point  of  view  your  condition  is 
sad,  though  you  are,  as  it  were,  but  a  little  flock  of  sheep 
in  the  midst  of  many  wolves  ready  to  devour  you,  I  am 
convinced  that  God  will  work  miracles  on  your  behalf  and 
effect  your  deliverance,  if  you  be  mindful  to  humble  your- 
selves before  Him,  to  repair  your  shortcomings  and  to  make 
daily  progress  in  the  Divine  life.  I  am  desirous  you  should 
know  that  the  Cardinal  who  at  present  rules  France  is 
guided  by  the  Pope  and  the  Jesuits,  and  that  he  only  awaits 
the  return  of  peace  in  Europe  to  banish  Protestantism  from 
France;  humanly  speaking  it  will,  on  the  conclusion  of  peace, 
be  an  easy  task  tor  this  Cardinal  to  suppress  our  religion.,. 


He  exhort*  hi*  brethren  to  prayer  and  repentance.    167 

seeing  that  he  possesses  all  the  authority  he  needs  and 
controls  an  immense  armed  force  with  which  to  overrun  the 
Province.  Do  not  be  misled  therefore  by  the  calm  you  at 
present  enjoy.  Do  not  be  like  Jonah  who  slept  in  the  vessel 
while  it  was  on  the  point  of  being  wrecked.  Haste,  haste 
my  brethren  to  make  your  peace  with  God  before  your  ruin 
is  decreed  !  Your  condition  is  much  clearer  to  me  than  to 
yourselves,  owing  to  the  information  I  obtain  here  of  all 
that  transpires  in  Europe.  It  is  absolutely  impossible  to 
avert  your  ruin,  unless  God  takes  your  cause  in  hand. 
Your  position  is  as  hopeless  as  that  of  the  Israelites 
when  they  were  pursued  by  the  Egyptians  and  the  sea 
barred  their  way.  I  feel  the  truth  of  what  I  say  much  more 
forcibly  than  I  can  express  it  ;  and  I  repeat  that  if  you  have 
not  God  on  your  side  you  are  utterly  lost.  Open  your  eyes 
then,  my  brethren,  and  rouse  yourselves  ;  plead  incessantly 
with  the  Eternal  to  take  pity  on  you  !  Why  do  you  wait, 
when  your  enemies  are  so  eager  to  sacrifice  you  to  their 
blind  and  cruel  zeal  ;  has  neither  past  nor  present  experience 
taught  you  that  you  are  prisoners  and  slaves,  sheep 
destined  tor  slaughter,  victims  who  on  the  conclusion  of 
peace  will  assuredly  be  sacrificed  to  superstition  ?  It  is  no 
pleasure  to  me,  my  dear  brethren,  to  be  a  prophet  of  evil. 
I  warn  you  of  coming  troubles  in  order  that  you  may  escape 
betimes.  Up  to  this  present  has  God  restrained  the  billows 
that  threatened  to  overwhelm  you  ;  He  has  calmed  the 
roaring  winds  and  assuaged  the  storms  that  raged  over 
your  heads.  The  terrible  decree  of  extermination  issued 
against  you  has  not  been  executed,  but  this  great  mercy  you 
owe  to  God  alone  and  to  the  prayers  of  a  few  honest  souls. 
Let  not  your  preservation,  however,  be  regarded  except  as 
a  respite  accorded  you  by  God,  in  His  loving  kindness,  for 
prayer  and  repentance.  Let  each  one  by  the  help  of  the 
Eternal  look  into  the  innermost  recesses  of  his  heart  and 
remove  all  impediments  to  Divine  love.  While  exhorting 
you,  my  brethren,  to  repentance  and  sanctification,  I  am 
sincerely  and  firmly  resolved,  with  the  help  of  God,  to  cast 


168     He  exhorts  his  brethren  to  prayer  and  repentance. 

off  all  the  rags  of  the  old  man,  and  to  be  clothed  again  in  the 
Lord  Jesus-  God  has  not  hitherto  blessed  all  my  undertakings 
and  labours  because  I  have  failed  in  my  duty,  nevertheless 
I  trust  with  His  aid  and  through  your  prayers  to  be  of  more 
service  to  you  in  the  future  than  I  have  been  in  the  past  ; 
only  let  your  prayers  be  offered  in  faith  and  love,  and  be 
zealous  and  sincere,  otherwise  they  will  be  of  no  efficacy  and 
you  will  assuredly  be  lost.  If  it  is  the  prayer  of  the 
righteous  alone  which  availeth,  I  beseech  you  to  be  righteous 
in  all  your  doings  and  you  will  undoubtedly  receive  from 
the  Eternal  more  than  you  can  ask  or  conceive.  God  only 
awaits  your  repentance  to  work  miracles  in  your  favor.  The 
arms  of  justice  and  of  mercy  are  already  extended  to  execute 
vengeance  and  to  bestow  blessings.  Depart  out  of  Babylon, 
my  brethren.  Come  unto  the  new  Jerusalem  !  'Cease  to  do 
evil,  learn  to  do  well,'  if  you  desire  to  avoid  perdition  and  to 
become  partakers  of  the  peace  and  salvation  which  God 
has  prepared  for  His  children. 

"  I  renew  my  prayers  to  heaven  on  your  behalf.  May 
God,  by  His  infinite  grace,  give  power  to  my  words.  May 
<Srod  give  you  aspirations  worthy  of  His  love.  May  God 
deliver  you  from  the  hands  of  our  enemies,  visible  and 
invisible,  and  render  me  an  effectual  instrument  for  your 
happiness.  With  these  sentiments,  my  dearly  beloved 
brethren,  I  conclude,  and  am  your  very  humble  and  obedient 
servant  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 

Benjamin  Du  Plan.  " 

10th  of  May  1727. 


Fresh  attacks  on   Du  Plan.  1G9 

CHAPTER   XV. 

THF.  SYNOD  OF   1727  CONFIRMS  DU   PLAN  IN  HIS  OFFICE. 

1727. 

The  enemies  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  though 
vanquished  by  Antoine  Court  in  the  Synod  of  1726, 
■were  not  discouraged  ;  they  again  demanded  the 
deposition  of  the  Deputy  at  a  Synod  held  the 
following  year  in  the  Vivarais,  hoping  possibly  to 
gain  their  ends  through  the  absence  of  Antoine  Court; 
they  failed,  however,  to  take  account  of  Jacques  Roger 
who  was  Moderator  of  the  Synod  and  a  great  admirer 
of  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  though  they  ought  not  to  have 
forgotten  the  esteem  and  affection  that  had  been 
evinced  for  the  Deputy  of  the  Churches  by  the 
intrepid  and  indefatigable  pastor  of  Dauphiny  at  the 
Synod  of  1726,  and  of  which  he  had  given  proofs 
while  courageously  defending  the  accused.  The 
following  in  the  beautiful  pastoral  letter  he  wrote 
on  that  occasion  to  the  Pastors,  Students,  and  Elders 
of  the  Synods  and  Churches  of  Languedoc  and  the 
Cevennes. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  to  express  to  you  the  satisfaction 
felt  by  the  Consistories  of  our  ten  little  Churches  on  hearing 
that  you  had  graciously  summoned  us  to  enter  with  you  into 
a  solemn  treaty  of  union.  But  this  feeling  ot  satisfaction, 
which  increased  daily  on  receiving  the  letters  of  M.  Du  Plan 
and  other  distinguished  persons,  was  almost  turned  into  one 
of  distress  on  hearing  from  M.  Du  Plan  himself,  as  well  as 
from  another  eminent  and  pious  nobleman,  that  there  had 
been  circulated  base  calumnies  about  M.  Du  Plan  to  the  effect 


170     Pastoral  letter  of  Roger  in  favor  of  Du  Plan. 

that  he  favoured  fanaticism,  and  that  in  consequence  thereof 
it  was  proposed  to  withdraw  his  credentials  as  Deputy  and 
withhold  the  five  hundred  livres  promised  him  at  the  recent 
Synod  in  the  Cevennes.  The  intelligence  has  so  taken  me 
by  surprise  that  I  have  thought  right  to  communicate  it  to 
our  Consistories. 

"  Now  as  there  is  nothing  more  certain  than  that  M.  Du 
Plan,  by  his  enlightened  understanding  and  his  labours,  has 
proclaimed  our  rights  and  procured  for  us  many  good 
friends  as  well  as  very  important  aid,  we  can  but  entertain 
a  strong  hope  that  the  consolation  and  even  the  entire 
deliverance  of  our  Churches  will  be  accomplished,  if  God 
continues  as  heretofore  to  bestow  His  blessing  on  the  Deputa- 
tion. How  sad  is  it  to  witness  an  enemy  to  the  peace  of  the 
Church  marring  an  enterprise  of  such  vast  importance — one 
too  which  apparently  tends  to  advance  the  glory  ot  God 
and  the  salvation  of  lost  man!  What,  because  God  elects  to 
make  use  of  certain  weak  instruments  to  maintain  true 
Christianity  in  the  kingdom,  and  because  M.  Du  Plan 
recognises  the  fact  with  other  discerning  men,  is  he  to  be 
regarded  as  a  fanatic?  Because  he  maintains  with  all  wise 
men  that  the  wanderers  should,  after  the  examples  and 
doctrines  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the  Apostles,  be  brought  back 
with  gentleness,  and  that  all  things  should  be  proved  in 
order  that  the  good  may  be  retained,  is  he  to  be  accused  of 
favoring  fanaticism?  If  so,  it  is  necessary  to  overthrow  the 
truth  and  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  conscience,  as  it  is  undoubtedly 
the  fact  that  these  maxims  are  not  only  graven  on  the  hearts 
of  all  good  men  but  are  distinctly  taught  by  Jesus  Christ  and 
the  Apostles. 

"  As  M.  Du  Plan  was  well  known  to  you  prior  to  his 
appointment,  and  as  we  felt  persuaded  that  you  had  not 
acted  without  due  consideration,  we  followed  in  your  foot- 
steps. How  grievous  and  mortifying  will  it  be  to  us  if  we 
have  the  misfortune  to  see  you  revoke  the  nomination  on 
such  unjust  pretexts,  and  above  all  after  Protestants  every- 
where are  convinced  of  the  marvellous  success  of  his  labours! 


Pastoral  Jitter  of  Roger  m  favor  of  l)u   Plan.      171 

How  can  the  idea  be  entertained  for  a  moment?  Surely 
there  will  be  found  among  you  a  sufficient  number  of 
enlightened  Pastors,  Students  and  Elders  to  maintain  the 
right  and  unanimously  complete  what  you  have  so  nobly 
begun.  Will  you  expose  yourselves  or  the  Synodal  body  to 
a  disgrace  which  can  but  be  fatal  to  the  Church?  " 

After  having  reminded  them  that  such  conduct 
would  alone  irritate  Grod  and  make  him  abandon 
them  to  their  unhappy  fate,  Roger  added  :  — 

a  I  know  not  from  whence  come  these  base  calumnies, 
nor  who  they  are  that  conceive  the  design  of  frustrating  the 
bright  hopes  we  have  justly  formed  of  this  deputation,  from 
the  truits  it  has  already  brought  forth  ;  but  we  conjure  you 
for  the  sake  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  as  well  by  the  interest  you 
ought  to  feel  in  the  advancement  of  the  kingdom  of  God  and 
the  reawakening  of  our  beloved  Churches,  without  speaking 
of  the  regard  you  ought  to  have  for  the  honor  of  our  Synodal 
body,  to  confirm  M.  Du  Plan  in  his  mission,  and  to  fulfil  the 
engagements  you  have  made  to  him;  and,  while  recognising 
that  he  is  a  man  truly  pious  and  sincere,  imbued  with  earnest 
love,  and  having  a  wise  and  understanding  heart,  we  beseech 
you  to  make  his  calumniators  and  the  opponents  of  his 
deputation  aware  of  the  magnitude  of  their  crime,  and  how 
greatly  their  proceedings  prejudice  the  much  needed  repose 
of  our  afflicted  Churches." 

The  Pastor  then  spoke  of  the  pecuniary  diffi- 
culties of  the  Churches  of  Dauphiny.  The  government 
had  called  up  the  arrears  of  taxes  for  twenty-three 
years,  and  threatened  to  confiscate  the  possessions 
of  those  who  had  married  in  the  Desert  or  fled  to 
other  lands.  Nevertheless  the  Churches  had  not 
refused  to  contribute  to  the  expenses  of  the  Deputy. 


172       The  Synod  maintains  Du  Plan  in  his  office. 

"  Notwithstanding  this  great  drawback,  "  added  Roger, 
*  I  venture  tô  affirm  that  we  shall  give  to  the  extent  of  our 
humble  resources;  and  further,  that  if  God  by  His  grace 
permits  us  to  witness  an  increase  in  the  number  ot  our 
brethren,  we  shall  augment  our  contributions  in  a  like  degree 
and  so  afford  encouragement  to  Sieur  Du  Plan  ;  for  we  must 
not  forget  that  he  can  spend  only  according  to  his  means." 

He  then  concluded  with  these  elevated  thoughts  : 

"  He  simply  asks  us  to  judge  his  conduct  to  the  best  of 
our  ability.  Why  then  should  we  continue  to  disregard  our 
own  honor  and  our  own  interests  ?  No,  my  dear  brethren, 
my  faith  in  the  Lord  is  such,  that  I  am  confident  the  pious 
example  you  give  daily  in  your  efforts  to  revive  religion  in 
our  Churches  will  produce  a  spirit  of  emulation  in  this  good 
work;  and  that,  regardless  of  the  suggestions  of  certain  evil 
disposed  persons,  you  will  remain  firm  in  your  sentiments 
and  matured  convictions,  to  tbe  end  that  God  in  His  mercy 
aiding  our  united  feeble  endeavours  may  grant  us  the 
satisfaction  of  meriting  the  spontaneous  approval  of  all 
who  love  the  Lord  Jesus.  l  " 

Benjamin  Du  Plan,  then,  had  found  in  Roger  a 
worthy  successor  to  Antoine  Court,  and  an  eloquent 
defender  of  his  cause.  Cortiez  and  his  followers 
again  failed  in  their  efforts  to  depose  the  Deputy, 
and  he  was  maintained  in  his  office. 

The  following  were  the  new  instructions  given 
to  the  Deputy-Greneral  of  the  Churches  of  Languedoc, 
the  Cevennes,  Vivarais,  and  Dauphiny. 

u  1st.  That  the  said  Deputy-General  shall  carefully  and 
religiously  refrain  from  doing,  saying,  writing  or 
countenancing    anything  in  opposition  to    the    Sovereign 

l.    Jacques  Roger,  by  Daniel  Benoit,  p.  101. 


Instructions  from  the  Synod  to  the  Deputy.        173" 

Powers,  and  specially  in  opposition  to  our  King  or  legitimate 
government  ;  that  he  shall  abstain  from  acts  likely  to 
canse  trouble  in  the  Church,  and  in  or  between  the  States  ; 
contenting  himself  with  simply  representing,  or  causing  to 
be  represented — always  in  a  humble  and  submissive  manner 
— the  justice  and  equity  of  our  requirements  ;  and  obtaining, 
or  causing  to  be  obtained  for  us,  the  full  and  free  exercise 
of  our  religion,  according  to  the  Word  of  God  and  the 
dictates  of  our  consciences.  To  these  ends  the  said  Deputy 
must  alone  address  himself  to  our  Sovereign,  or  to  friendly 
and  allied  Powers  ;  and  if  he  shall  do,  speak,  write  or 
countenance  anything  to  the  contrary  he  shall  thereupon  be 
censured,  denounced,  and  degraded  from  his  office  for  doing, 
speaking,  writing,  and  countenancing  that  which  is  opposed 
to  the  intention  and  aim  of  the  Deputation  ;  for  he  thereby 
incurs  the  wrath  of  God,  and  the  penalties  threatened  by 
our  Churches  and  Synods  the  same  being  empowered  to  take 
ecclesiastical  proceedings  against  him. 

u  2nd.  Amongst  the  representations  he  will  make  to  the 
Protestant  Powers,  friendly  to,  and  allied  with  the  State,  as 
to  our  condition,  he  shall  not  fail  to  apprize  them  of  our 
urgent  need  of  gifts  and  free  will  offerings  for  the  main- 
tenance of  the  ministry  either  by  the  formation  of  a  fund  for 
the  instruction  of  those  who  are  willing  to  devote  themselves 
to  the  ministry,  or  at  least  for  the  support  of  the  Pastors 
already  in  charge,  until  it  shall  please  God  to  bring  about 
for  us  a  happier  state  of  affairs. 

u  3rd.  He  shall  sustain  the  interests  of  the  Churches  whose 
Deputy  he  is,  with  all  the  zeal  of  which  he  is  capable,  both 
by  speaking  and  writing. 

Mth.  He  shall  take  every  opportunity  of  vigorously 
defending  the  sacred  assemblies  which  meet  under  the  Cross 
for  Divine  service  against  the  unjust  attacks  of  those  who 
question  their  utility,  necessity  and  importance. 

u  5th.  He  shall  scrupulously  abstain  trom  all  intercourse, 
public  or  private,  with  those  who  in  these  last  times  call 
themselves  the  Inspired  and  Prophets,  not  alone  because  the 


174        Instructions  from  the  Synod  to  the  Deputy. 

glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church  demand  it, 
but  because  of  the  promise  he  himself  has  given  us  by  letter, 
which  letter  is  preserved  among  the  archives  of  our  Churches. 
"  6th.  He  shall  undertake  nothing,  how  unimportant 
soever,  either  in  his  négociations,  his  journeys,  or  his  distri- 
bution of  the  offerings  he  may  receive  on  behalf,  especially 
of  the  preachers,  or  generally  of  the  Churches  or  even  for  his 
own  benefit,  without  first  consulting  and  obtaining  the 
advice  and  consent  of  certain  persons  selected  for  the 
purpose  by  the  Synodal  Assemblies. 

u  7th.  Our  Churches  being  unable  at  present  to  furnish 
him  with  means  for  his  support,  he  shall  maintain  himself 
from  hie  own  private  resources,  until  such  times  as  there 
shall  be  found  other  resources  from  which  to  pay  him  a  salary 
befitting  his  office,  which  salary  shall  be  regulated  by 
persons  appointed  for  the  purpose  or  by  a  Synodal  Assembly. 
"  8th.  That  bis  life  and  conduct  shall  be  in  conformity 
with  the  rules  established  in  this  behalf  by  our  Churches, 
that  he  shall  submit  to  our  censure,  and  promise  never  to 
deviate  from  our  creed  and  doctrines. 

"Lastly,  that  he  shall  render  an  exact  account  of  all 
money  bestowed  and  all  work  performed  for  the  benefit  of 
our  Churches. 

"Given  at  our  National  Synod,  held  in  Dauphiny  this 
eleventh  day  of  October,  One  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
twenty  seven 

"Roger,  Pastor  and  Moderator; 
Durand,  Pastor,  Deputy  for  Vivarais,  joint 

Moderator; 
Boyer,    Preacher,    Deputy  General    of  the 
Churches  of  Upper  and  Lower  Languedoc, 
the  Cevennes  and  Guienne,  Secretary; 
Fauriel,  Preacher,  Deputy  of  the  Churches 
of  Vivarais,  joint  Secretary." l 


1.    Copied  word  for    word    from    the    original    document  in  the 
possession  of  our  Churches,  by  me,  Vouland,  Pastor  of  Dauphiny. 


letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod  of  1727.         175 

On  receipt  of  these  resolutions,  Benjamin  Du 
Plan  proceeded  to  address  the  Synod  with  obser- 
vations on  certain  points  regarded  by  him  as  personal 
to  himself,  and  at  the  same  time  offered  his  brethren 
some  salutory  advice. 

u  To  the  Pastors,  Preachers,  and  Elders,  of  the  Reformed 
Churches  of  France,  who  groan  beneath  the  Cross. 

"  Messieurs,  my  very  dear  and  honored  brethren  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

"  The  grace,  peace,  and  love  of  God  be  with  you. 

tt  It  is  some  time  since  I  have  had  an  opportunity  of 
addressing  the  Assembly  of  our  Churches,  to  render  them  an 
account  of  my  doings,  and  afford  them  evidences  of  my 
affection.  I  waited  for  this  object  until  I  had  returned  from 
a  journey  made  in  their  interest,  and  now  that  I  am  undis- 
turbed, it  is  expedient  that  I  should  justify  myself,  as  far  as 
I  am  able,  to  them  who  have  honored  me  with  the  office  of 
their  Deputy.  I  know  not  by  what  sort  of  fatality,  a  spirit 
of  jealousy,  distrust  and  division,  has  crept  in  among  us.  In 
vain  have  I  sent  proofs  of  the  purity  of  my  taith  and  good 
conduct  in  matters  relating  to  religion — the  subject  on 
which  I  am  attacked.  The  testimony  of  a  few  private 
individuals  of  little  religious  knowledge  has  prevailed  over 
that  of  a  great  number  of  wise,  pious  and  disinterested 
pastors,  under  whose  observation  I  live  and  with  whom  I  am 
in  constant  intercourse.  True,  I  hold  certain  views  peculiar 
to  myself,  but  even  they  who  do  not  share  in  them  have 
agreed  that  they  are  not  dangerous,  for  I  submit  everything 
to  the  test  of  reason  and  the  Word  of  God.  All  my  attempts 
to  justify  myself  have,  however,  counted  for  nothing.  I  am 
continually  opposed  ;  some,  even,  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
attempt  to  deprive  me  of  my  office,  under  divers  pretexts, 
the  principal  being  that  there  is  danger  of  my  personal 
opinions  being  attributed  to  the  whole  body,  thereby  bringing 
it  into  contempt  and  causing  it  to  be  suspected  of  fanaticism  ; 


176         Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod  of  1727. 

others  affirm  that  the  Churches  are  not  in  a  position  to  sup- 
port a  Deputy,  while  others  again  say  that  a  Deputy  is  of  no 
use.  I  have  endeavoured  to  remove  all  these  hindrances  to 
the  success  of  my  mission  and  to  the  services  I  desire  to 
render  to  my  country  : — 

"  Firstly,  by  sending  proofs  of  my  faith  and  good 
conduct,  which  I  could  not  have  done  had  my  sentiments 
been  dangerous. 

"  Secondly,  by  writing  a  letter,  which  has  been  placed 
amongst  the  records  of  our  Churches,  wherein  I  promise,  for 
the  sake  of  peace,  no  more  to  be  seen  in  any  assembly  of  the 
Inspired  and  even  to  avoid  all  intercourse  with  them,  as  far 
as  charity  will  permit,  during  my  period  of  office. 

"  Further,  I  promise  not  to  ask  for  any  help  from  the 
Churches,  for  services  past  or  future,  leaving  experience  to 
decide  whether  or  not  a  Deputy  is  ot  use  to  them. 

"  If  hitherto  there  has  been  less  result  from  my  labours 
than  I  could  have  wished,  this  is  attributable  to  the  mis- 
chances by  which  the  greater  part  of  the  help  intended  for  us 
has  fallen  into  the  hands  of  our  enemies.  I  may  also  add 
that  the  want  of  money  has  prevented  me  from  visiting 
countries  where  riches  abound.  I  might  have  been  successful, 
or  I  might  not — God  knows  !  but  it  is  nevertheless  probable 
that  for  every  pistole  I  have  collected  in  Switzerland, 
I  might  have  collected  ten,  twenty  or  thirty  in  Germany, 
Holland,  and  England. 

"Having  now  completed  the  justification  of  my  past  con- 
duct, I  will  reply  to  the  instructions  forwarded  to  me  by  the 
Synod  of  Dauphiny,  at  which  the  deputies  trom  Languedoc 
have  assisted.  I  find  some  of  these  instructions  unintel- 
ligible and  others  impracticable,  and  I  have  consequently 
referred  them  to  certain  wise  and  pious  persons  who 
charitably  interest  themselves  in  the  well  being  and  edifica- 
tion ot  our  Churches,  for  explanation  and  emendation,  and  I 
conscientiously  promise  both  them  and  you  on  the  faith  of  a 
Christian,  to  follow  the  instructions  truly  and  faithfully,  so  soon 
as  they  shall  have  been  put  into  a  fair  and  reasonable  shape.  In 


Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod  of  1121.         177 

order  to  avoid  all  imputations  of  a  desire  to  profit  personally 
by  the  duty  to  which  I  have  been  appointed,  I  have  been 
very  careful  hitherto,  and  will  be  still  more  careful  in  the 
future,  not  to  touch  a  penny  of  the  money  contributed,;  I 
shall  simply  content  myself  with  soliciting  charity  for  others, 
and  naming  persons  of  well  known  honesty  and  respectability 
to  receive  and  put  all  contributions  to  their  proper  use.  I 
will  render  an  account  of  all  my  plans  and  actions  touching 
the  deputation  to  these  persons,  and  either  they  or  I  will 
tell  you  everything  it  is  right  you  should  know.  If  this  does 
not  satisfy  you,  I  shall  think  you  are  uncharitable  and 
your  demands  unreasonable. 

u  I  desire  to  point  out  that  as  you  are  under  the  Cross, 
and  living  in  the  midst  ot  your  enemies,  as  by  a  miracle,  you 
ought  to  display  in  all  things  a  spirit  of  humility,  gentleness 
and  charity  which  alone  will  secure  you  the  divine  protec- 
tion.   If  you  assume  a  haughty,  domineering  and  obstinate 
spirit  you  will  speedily  be  ruined.     God  will  withdraw  His 
protection  from  you,  and  you  will  probably  be  overwhelmed 
in  less  than  a  year  by  violent  persecutions,  the  outbreak  of 
which  has  hitherto  been  prevented  by  the  preoccupation  of 
the  Court  of  France  with  matters  of  grave  moment  and  the 
threatened  European  war.  Peace  is  on  the  eve  of  being  con- 
cluded, and  M.  le  Cardinal  De  Fleury,  a  devotee  of  Rome, 
and  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Jesuits,  is  probably  preparing 
plans  for  the  extinction  of  the  Protestant  religion  in  France, 
after  having  completely  crushed  the  turbulent  Jansenists  who' 
have  more  influence  in  the  Kingdom  and  are  more  tolerated 
than  the  Protestants.    It  is  not  necessary  to  be  a  prophet  or 
to  be  inspired  in  order  to  foresee  these  things  ;  past  and 
present  experience  of  the  action  of  the  government  makes  all, 
those  who  have  eyes,  to  tremble.    If  you  do  not  believe  me 
ask  intelligent  persons  who  understand  matters  and  see 
what  they  will  say.    It  is  no  pleasure  to  be  a  bearer  of  evil 
tidings.     But  if  both  you  and  I  do  not  improve  and  give 
better  attention  to  obey   the  commandments  of  God— if 
charity  does  not  animate  us  more,  we  are  deceiving  ourselves 


178         Letter  of  Bu  Plan  to  the  Synod  of  1727. 

It  appears  to  me  as  if  God's  judgments  were  being 
poured  out  upon  us  on  all  sides.  In  the  name  of  God,  ray- 
dear  and  honored  brethren,  let  us  together  humble  our- 
selves ;  united  in  Spirit  though  separated  in  body  let  us 
endeavour  to  appease  His  anger,  let  us  not  seek  our  own 
conversion  alone,  but  that  of  our  enemies  also,  that  all  may 
possess  the  liberty  of  serving  Him  according  to  His  Word. 
God  is  waiting  to  display  His  justice  or  His  mercy  according 
to  the  good  or  bad  use  we  make  of  His  protection  and  His 
blessings  ;  let  us  no  longer  abuse  His  goodness,  but  turn  to 
Him  with  all  our  heart,  then  instead  of  withholding  His 
contenance,  He  will  renew  His  grace  and  will  open  the  eyes 
of  our  enemies  to  their  error  and  wickedness.  Instead  of 
persecuting  us,  they  will  stir  us  up  to  serve  God  in  spirit 
and  in  truth  ;  no  more  shall  be  heard  the  cry  'Away,  Away 
Crucify  !'  but  Hosannahs  shall  everywhere  resound. 'Blessed 
be  He  who  cometh  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  !  Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest  and  on  earth  peace  and  good  will  to  men  !' 

"  This  new  year,  on  which  we  have  just  entered,  affords 
me  an  opportunity,  Messieurs  and  dear  brethren,  of  renewing 
my  earnest  and  sincere  prayers  on  your  behalf.  May  God 
by  His  grace  give  you  the  clearest  and  most  striking 
evidences  of  His  protection.  May  God  grant  to  you  the 
inestimable  happiness  of  serving  Him  in  holiness  and 
righteousness,  without  fear  of  your  enemies;  and  may  He, 
after  you  have  completed  a  long  and  prosperous  spiritual 
and  temporal  career  in  this  world,  vouchsafe  to  you 
everlasting  joy  in  heaven. 

"I  commend  myself  to  your  friendship  and  prayers,  and 
beg  leave  to  assure  you  that  no  one  is,  with  more  esteem 
and  affection,  Messieurs,  my  dearly  beloved  brethren  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  Your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant. 

"Caila  Du  Plan." 

"  Geneva,  the  2nd  of  January,  1728. 

"I  would  ask  Messieurs  the  Pastors  to  read  this  letter  in 
the  Synod  and  to  inform  the  Chiefs  of  its  contents.  " 


Attestation  of  the  Synod  of  1727.  179 

Agreeably  with  Du  Plan's  request,  this  beautiful 
letter  was  read  to  the  Provincial  S)mod  held  on  the 
30th  of  April  1728,  and  the  following  official 
document  was  sent  to  him  in  reply. 

u  We,  Pastors  and  friends,  Delegates  of  the  Reformed 
Churches    of   Dauphiny    assembled  in   Provincial   Synod, 
affirm    by    these    presents    that    M.    Benjamin    Du   Plan, 
Nobleman,  of  the  town  and  district  of  Alais  in  Languedoc, 
has,   after  being  nominated  by  the  Provincial  Synods  of 
Languedoc  and  Vivarais,  in  like  manner  been  nominated  by 
the  Pastors  and  Eiders,  Delegates  of  our  Churches,  assembled 
with  the  Delegates  of  the  Synods  of  Languedoc,  the  Cevennes, 
and  Vivarais,  in  National  Synod,   on  the  19th  of  August 
1725,   and  that  the  nomination  has  been  confirmed  by  the 
National  Synods  held  in  Vivarais  on  the  29th  of  August  and 
in  the  Cevennes  on  the  13th  of  September  of  the  same  year, 
the  said  three  Synods  being  the  National  Synods  of  the 
year  1725,  whereat  all  the  Churches  of  this  kingdom  have 
agreed   to  submit  to  a  common    rule  and  to  act  together 
by  a  common  treaty.  Inasmuch  as  M.  Du  Plau  has,  by  article 
21,  been  nominated,  and  his  nomination  since  confirmed  by 
all  our  National  and  Provincial  Synods,  the  said  M.  Du  Plan 
being  thereby  appointed  to  the  office  of  Deputy  General  of 
the    Reformed    Churches    of   Languedoc,    the    Cevennes, 
Vivarais  and  Dauphiny,  to  pray  and  beseech  the  Protestant 
Powers,  in  friendly  alliance  with  our  Sovereign  Monarch,  to 
be  pleased  to  represent  to  our  good  and  gracious  King  the 
expediency  of  granting  us  the  free  exercise  of  our  Holy 
Religion  in  order  that  we  may  serve  God  according  to  the 
teachings  cf  the  Gospel  and  the  dictates  of  our  consciences, 
and  to  implore  the  aid  of  their  liberality  and  benevolence  in 
order  that  the  Holy  Ministry  may  be  maintained  in  our 
midst,  that  the  Pastors  who  at  present  serve  us  may  have 
the  means  of  subsistence,  and  that  those  young  men  who 
have  the  courage  to  devote  themselves  to  the  service  of  our 


180  Attestation  of  the  Synod  of  1727. 

persecuted  Churches  may  have  the  means  wherewith  to 
prosecute  their  studies  in  conformity  with  the  instructions 
that  our  last  National  Synod  of  the  Uth  of  October  1727, 
Art.  7,  has  sent  to  M.  Du  Plan,  and  in  which  form  he  has 
accepted  and  signed  them,  Now  we  declare  that  we  have 
perceived  with  joy  and  thankfulness  that  since  the  first 
accession  to  office  of  M.  Du  Plan,  God  has  blessed  our  new- 
born Churches  in  a  marvellous  manner,  and  that  humanly 
speaking,  this  blessing  from  heaven  must  be  regarded  as  a 
result  of  the  important  succour,  the  books,  the  pious  and 
honored  friends,  and  the  prayers,  that  M.  Du  Plan  has 
secured  for  us,  by  his  own  unceasing  toil.  With  senti- 
ments of  the  most  profound  respect  we  take  the  liberty 
of  very  humbly  beseeching  and  supplicating  the  Sovereign 
Courts  and  their  Ecclesiastical  Councils  to  which  M.  Du  Plan, 
shall  address  himself  in  our  name  and  on  behalf  of  our 
Churches,  to  be  graciously  pleased  to  receive  him  in 
his  quality  of  Deputy  General  of  our  Churches  as  well  as 
to  place  reliance  on  all  that  he  shall  testify  on  our  behalt, 
we  being  fully  satisfied  from  the  most  conclusive  indications 
and  proofs  that  he  fulfils  the  duties  of  his  office  with 
a  truly  Christian  devotion;  and  we  believe  that  if 
M.  Du  Plan  can  continue  to  discharge  the  functions  of 
Deputy,  with  the  same  blessing  of  God  and  the  same  good 
will  of  men  devoted  like  himself  to  the  well  being  of  our 
Churches,  we  shall  have  the  great  consolation  of  witnessing 
a  revival  in  the  Protestant  Churches  of  the  kingdom  similar 
to  that  which  took  place  prior  to  the  persecution,  and  which 
was  regarded  as  a  miracle  of  Providence.  While  continuing 
our  prayers  to  God  for  the  maintenance  and  preservation  of 
the  Protestant  Powers  in  happiness  and  prosperity  and  for 
the  tranquillity  of  their  subjects,  while  praying  also  for  our 
King  and  his  whole  realm,  as  well  as  for  the  repose  and 
extension  of  the  Churches,  which  by  the  mercy  of  God  at 
present  enjoy  their  liberty,  for  the  deliverance  ot  those 
which  are  under  oppression,  for  the  preservation  in  health 
and  strength  of  our  worthy  and  zealous  Deputy,  and  for  the 


Success  of  Du  Plan  m  Switzerland.  181 

blessing  of  God  on  all  his  labours,  we  have  unanimously 
judged  it  proper  at  this  our  Synod  to  send  these  present 
attestations,  signed  by  our  Pastors  and  sealed  with  the  seal 
of  our  Churches,  to  M.  Du  Plan  for  the  purpose  of  giving 
authority  to  his  deputation  and  serving  as  his  credentials 
wheresoever  they  may  be  required. 

^  Given  at  our  Synodal  Assembly  this  thirtieth  day  of 
April,  One  thousand  seven  hundred  and  twenty  eight. 

"  Jacques  Roger,  Pastor  and  Moderator. 
Jean  Villevaire,  Pastor. 
Paul  Faure,  Pastor. 
Jacques  Badon,  Pastor  and  Secretary."  » 

Whilst  these  spirited  discussions  about  Du  flan 
were  going  on  in  France,  the  Deputy  of  the  Synods 
himself  was  continuing  his  work  of  devotion  to  the 
Churches.  Accompanied  by  the  young  student 
Bétrine  he  visited  the  principal  towns  in  Switzerland, 
and  in  one  year,  1728,  he  collected  1,900  livres  at 
Berne,  776  at  Schaffhausen,  880  at  Zurich,  and 
500  at  Bale.  In  the  following  year  he  sent*  to 
France  200  livres,  a  sum  which  was  devoted  to  the 
payment  of  the  Pastors. 

At  Berne  he  obtained  from  their  Excellencies 
the  Magistrates  a  life  annuity  for  a  victim  of  the 
persecution,  a  refugee  named  Martel.  A  few  friends 
in  the  Church  at  Berne  offered  to  maintain  at  their 
own  expense  two  additional  students  in  the  College 
at  Lausanne,  on  the  strict  condition  that  the 
proceeding  should  be  kept  secret.  Their  Excellencies 


l.    Copied  from  the  original  document. 


182         His  influence  in  the  College  at  Lausanne. 

would  never  have  permitted  support  to  have  been 
publicly  given  (and  in  a  way  that  might  have 
attracted  the  notice  of  France)  to  a  seminary  for 
the  education  of  young  men  to  whom  access  '  to 
allied  countries  had  been  forbidden,  and  who 
could  not  even  recross  the  frontier  without  exposing 
themselves  to  the  rigours  of  the  Edicts. 

The  number  of  the  students  was  thus  raised  to 
three  and  progressively  increased  year  by  year  until 
in  1730  it  had  risen  to  seven.  The  students  whose 
names  were  Roux,  Jacques  Boyer,  Foriel,  Jean 
Combes,  Paul  Faure,  Barthélémy  Claris,  and 
Maroger,  came  from  Dauphiny,  Languedoc,  and  the 
Cevennes. 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  felt  the  liveliest  interest  in 
this  rising  college.  He  took  delight  in  visiting 
the  young  men  at  Lausanne,  in  stimulating  their 
faith  and  in  speaking  with  them  about  their  native 
country  ;  he  specially  interested  himself  in  their 
studies  and  regretted  that  these  could  not  be 
prolonged  beyond  the  space  of  one  year. 

"Bétrine,  "he  wrote  to  Court",  makes  such  progress 
with  his  studies,  that  everyone  considers  an  act  of  injustice- 
will  be  done  to  the  Churches  as  well  as  to  himself  if  his  stay 
be  not  prolonged  for  several  months.  " 

(15th  of  August  1726.) 

"It  is  necessary,"  Du  Plan  again  wrote,  "that  Bétrine 
should  study  longer  if  he  be  considered  worthy  to  receive 
the  imposition  of  hands.  Several  of  our  most  prudent 
friends  advise  that  he  should  receive  his  ordination  in  this 


Formation  of  the  Committee  at  Genera.  183 

country  in  order  to  shut  the  mouths  of  our  calumniators, 
and  to  satisfy  the  scruples  of  certain  weak-minded  and 
ignorant  persons  to  whom  we  are  bound  to  defer.  Our 
preachers,  as  you  are  aware,  have  the  reputation  of  being 
idle,  illiterate  tatlers  without  profession  or  vocation,  and 
for  this  reason  it  is  expedient  to  have  amongst  us  some  who 
have  received  their  ordination  in  a  foreign  Church." 
1726. 

Now  that  the  college  was  becoming  of  im- 
portance and  the  sum  accumulated  by  the  Deputy 
of  the  Churches  considerable,  a  committee  was 
formed  at  Geneva,  composed  of  benefactors  to  the 
work.  Its  duties  consisted  not  alone  in  receiving 
and  distributing  the  money  collected,  but  also  in 
superintending  the  education  of  the  young  men  at 
Lausanne.  Antoine  Court  and  Cortiez  would  have 
wished  the  Deputy  to  render  them  an  exact  account 
of  his  mission  and  to  have  made  them  acquainted 
with  the  origin,  extent  and  destination  of  the 
amount  received."  This  Du  Plan  resolutely  refused 
to  do.  He  tells  us  himself  of  the  formation  of  the 
Committee,  in  a  letter  dated  the  19th  of  May,  1729. 

u  Our  benefactors  have  selected  certain  persons  beyond 
all  suspicion  of  imprudence  or  dishonesty,  who  out  of  charity 
have  been  induced  to  accept  the  task  of  receiving  and 
distributing  the  gifts.  To  me  is  reserved  the  simple  duty  of 
asking  and  not  that  of  receiving,  distributing  or  renderiug 
an  account.  All  I  am  able  to  tell  you  on  this  point  is  that 
our  receipts  are  not  very  large,  and  that  as  we  receive  so 
we  give  either  for  the  maintenance  of  the  students,  for  the 
comfort  of  the  galley  slaves,  prisoners,  and  afHicted,  or  for 
the  purchase  of  the  books  you  receive  from  time  to  time. 


184:    Ordination  of  two  Students  in  a  foreign  country. 

As  to  the  origin  of  our  resources,  it  is  neither  right,  possible 
nor  judicious  to  name  our  benefactox*s  or  render  an  account 
to  you  of  their  gifts.  The  work  being  one  of  charity  it  is 
sufficient  if  they  from  whom  the  money  is  received  are 
satisfied  as  to  its  amount  and  disposal.  If  I  collected  or 
held  the  money  I  should  be  obliged  to  render  an  account  to 
those  who  have  appointed  me,  or  if  they  wished  it,  to  our 
benefactors;  but  thank  God  I  am  relieved  from  this 
embarrassment  ;  nevertheless  as  a  friend  I  will  give  you  all 
the  information  in  my  power.  " 

Roux  and  Boyer,  two  students  of  the  college 
at  Lausanne,  having  expressed  a  wish  to  be  ordained 
at  Zurich,  before  returning  to  France,  Antoine  Court 
and  Cortiez  opposed  the  idea  on  the  score  of 
discipline.  They  were  more  than  ever  annoyed  on 
hearing  that  Benjamin  Du  Plan  had  not  discouraged 
the  young  men  in  their  project,  and  they  thereupon 
commenced  a  spirited  correspondence  into  which 
Cortiez  infused  all  his  characteristic  passion  and 
spite.  They  nevertheless  submitted  to  the  judicious 
observations  of  the  Deputy,  who  in  justification  of 
the  young  men  had  only  to  remind  Cortiez  that  he 
had  himself  adopted  the  same  course.  1 

"  I  now  come,"  Du  Plan  wrote  to  them,  "  to  the  second 
point,  which  refers  to  the  installation  of  M.  Rous  and 
M.  Boyer,  and  upon  which  both  of  you  specially  display  your 
eloquence  in  attacking  and  blaming  me  for  my  conduct. 
Were  you  not  my  friends,  I  should  resent  your  smart  and 
stinging  style;  but  knowing  the  kindness  of  your  hearts  and 
jour  good  will  towards  me,  I  will  content  myself  by  giving 


1    See  Edmond  Hugues,  on  this  subject,  Vol.  II,  p.  49. 


A  dispute  on  the  subject.  185 

my  explanations  without  «sing  language  which  might  give 
offence.    In  the  first  place  I  have  never  seen  amongst  our 
laws  any  rule  opposed  to  ordination  in  a  foreign  country. 
I  have  received  no  notice  from  any  Synod  on  the  subject, 
and  all  I  know  is  that  the  majority  of  the  Churches  of  Lower 
Languedoc  and  the  Cevennes  have  demanded  the  instant 
return  of  M.  Roux,  to  which  demand  I  have  added  my  own 
solicitations  both  by  writing  and  by  word  of  mouth,  notwith- 
standing that  the  directors  of  his  studies  consider  it  desirable 
that  his  stay  should  be  prolonged  in  order  that  his  journey 
may  not  have  been  made  altogether  in  vain.    With  regard 
to  his  installation,  I  am  not  unmindful  that  several  of  our 
friends  wish  that  it  should  take  place  in  the  country  they 
serve,  while  others  have  thought  that  it  should  take  place 
here.    No  one  contests  your  right  to  impose  hands  on  our 
Pastors  ;  the  act  has  been  both  performed  and  sanctioned, 
besides  which  it  is  no  doubt  very  advantageous  ;  but  there 
is  likewise  no  question  that  the  reception  of  some  of  our 
students  by  our  brethren  abroad  is  of  considerable  use.     It 
evinces  the  union  and  intercourse  which  exist  between  our 
Churches  and  Pastors,  and  the  Churches  and  Pastors  of  our 
■communion  ;  it  edifies,  consoles,  and  rejoices  many  good 
people,  whether  they  are  acquainted  with  our  condition  or 
not.     It  in  a  manner  shuts  the  mouths  of  gainsayers  who 
profess  to  follow  our  religion,  and  who,  to  justify  their 
cowardly  and  wicked  conduct,   treat   our  assemblies  and 
them  who  preach  in  the  desert  with  the  greatest  contempt, 
saying  that  the  preachers  are  ignorant,  that  they  have  received 
no  call  to  the  ministry,  and  tuat  they  are  not  recognised  by 
persons  of  any  intelligence  or  position. 

u  I  have  no  wish  unduly  to  praise  either  the  Academies 
where  our  students  are  taught  or  the  Pastors  who  instruct 
them,  yet  these  Pastors  are  at  least  as  capable  of  ascertain- 
ing the  ability  and  worth  of  our  students  as  our  brethren  : 
besides  that  it  is  customary  to  ordain  them  in  the  place 
where  they  have  studied.  Neither  do  I  wish  to  speak  at  any 
length  of  the  warm  affection  entertained  by  the  Academies 


186  Conduct  of  Du  Plan. 

and  the  Pastors  for  the  persons  received  and  instructed,  or 
of  the  good  which  is  likely  to  result  in  the  end,  not  alone  to 
the  members  themselves,  but  also  to  the  body  of  which  they 
are  members.  I  proceed  to  justify  my  conduct  touching  the 
reception  of  M.  Roux  and  M.  Boyer.  You  accuse  mé  of 
having  sanctioned  their  doings.  I  believe  I  could  have  done 
so  without  prejudice  to  my  office,  as  I  am  ignorant  of  any 
article  in  our  creed  on  the  subject,  and  as  I  had  no  order 
from  any  Synod  to  the  contrary.  Being,  however,  aware 
that  I  had  many  personal  and  good  friends  who  earnestly 
wished  that  the  reception  of  M.  Roux  and  M.  Boyer  should 
take  place  in  our  Churches,  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to 
prevent  the  reception  taking  place  here.  I  even  believed 
that  1  had  succeeded,  when  suddenly  they  declared  their 
determination  of  leaving  for  Zurich.  I  had  no  further  right 
or  ability  to  oppose  them,  and  perceiving  that  the  measure 
might  occasion  disputes  and  troubles,  I  was  anxious  to 
remain  neutral,  in  order  to  be  enabled  to  act  as  mediator  in 
case  of  need.  I  accompanied  them  as  far  as  Berne,  having 
business  there  on  behalf  of  our  Churches,  but  I  purposely 
avoided  going  to  Zurich,  that  I  might  be  free  to  act  afterwards 
as  prudence  and  charity  might  suggest.  It  should  be  borne 
in  mind  that  when  Messieurs  Roux  and  Boyer  had  decided 
to  be  ordained  in  this  country,  -and  the  brethren  at  Zurich 
had  thought  proper  to  receive  them,  I  openly  declared,  by 
way  of  precaution,  that  they  were  not  acting  by  my  advice 
or  counsel.  At  the  same  time  I  judged  it  prudent  to  join 
them  on  their  return  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Berne,  to  con- 
gratulate them,  and  to  offer  my  views  touching  their  conduct 
towards  you,  as  well  as  to  implore  upon  them  the  blessing 
of  the  Lord.  Could  I  do  less  for  men  whom  I  have  known 
so  long,  who  confided  in  me,  and  who  were  about  to  devote 
themselves  to  the  service  of  those  Churches  which  I  myself 
serve,  and  on  whose  behalf  I  am  willing,  through  the  grace 
of  God,  to  sacrifice  everything  I  hold  most  precious  in  the 
world?  Take  heed,  my  dear  friends,  that  under  the  pretext 
of  maintaining  a  discipline  hitherto  unknown  amongst  us, 


His  advice  on  the  question.  -187 

and  which,  to  be  useful  and  acceptable  to  all,  ought  to  have 
just  and  reasonable  foundations;  take  heed  you  do  not  trouble 
the  peace  and  endanger  the  union  absolutely  essential  to 
our  existence.  To  cry  out,  to  become  excited  and  angry 
about  trifles,  and  to  treat  them  as  grave  and  essential,  is  to 
display  want  of  judgment  and  narrowness  of  mind.  The 
dogmas  and  the  morals  of  our  religion  ought  never  to  vary; 
not  so  with  discipline.  As  this  is  altogether  human  it  may 
be  faulty  and  require  amendment  ;  it  may  be  good  under 
certain  circumstances  and  bad  under  others,  and  require  to 
be  adapted  to  times,  places,  and  persons.  We  are  under  the 
Cross  and  have,  properly  speaking,  only  the  law  as  given  in 
the  Gospel  to  guide  us  in  our  dealings  with  oue  another  ;  all 
else  is  arbitrary;  we  can  submit  to  it  or  reject  it  at  pleasure 
without  incurring  judgments  either  human  or  divine  (I  speak 
of  the  Church).  Should  Messieurs  Roux  and  Boyer  not 
recognise  or  accept  the  rule  forbidding  their  reception  in 
this  country,  they  may  disregard  all  commands  and  censures 
and  carry  on  their  ministry  elsewhere.  I  fear  if  they  are 
pushed  to  it  they  may  even  torni  parties,  and  occasion  more 
trouble  than  Vesson  or  Mazelot  have  ever  done.  If  such 
should  be  the  case,  would  they  alone  be  to  blame?  would  not 
those  who  constrained  them  to  this  course  have  much  to 
reproach  themselves  with  ?  I  wish  with  all  my  heart  (fore- 
seeing the  fatal  effects  of  discord)  that  these  young  men  would 
submit  to  any  censure  they  have  merited  and  which  it  may 
be  judged  expedient  to  administer.  But  beware  of  employing 
a  remedy  worse  than  the  disease.  It  is  well  to  ascertain  first 
whether  any  disease  exists  ;  secondly,  whether  the  disease 
requires  strong  médecine;  and  lastly,  whether  the  disposition 
of  the  patient  is  not  such  that  he  would  take  offence  and 
throw  the  offered  médecine  in  the  face  of  him  who  should 
administer  it.  If  you  profess  to  be  gentler,  wiser,  and  more 
charitable  than  our  brethren,  you  should  display  these 
qualities  in  your  conduct.  People  here  think  that  of  the  two 
parties  you  are  most  interested  in  this  affair,  because,  the 
students  having  already  been  ordained  in  this  country,  it 


188  He  appeases  the  conflict. 

might  be  said  by  ignorant  or  evil-minded  persons  that  the 
vocation  of  the  pastors  who  ordained  them  was  more  valid 
than  yours  But  you  can,  and  should  without  difficulty,  put 
yourselves  beyond  such  a  suspicion.  The  best  vocation  of 
all  is  the  Divine  unction,  the  approbation  of  your  flock,  and 
the  fruit  of  your  ministry  ;  without  these  things  all  else  is 
nearly,  if  not  altogether  worthless. 

"  It  is  well  you  should  know  that  people  here  think  that 
a  contemptible  spirit  of  pride  and  domination  is  creeping  in 
amongst  those  who  direct  the  affairs  ot  our  Churches.  The 
heart  is  deceitful  above  all  things  and  desperately  wicked, 
let  us  beware  of  its  flattery  ;  the  strongest  and.  worst  passions 
generally  hide  themselves  under  a  plausible  exterior,  and  it 
frequently  happens  that  they  who  have  the  most  brilliant 
talents  and  perform  the  noblest  acts  most  easily  fall  victims 
to  pride.  The  apostles  were  not  free  trom  vain  glory,  and 
God  judged  it  right  to  give  to  St.  Paul  a  thorn  in  the  flesh 
to  preserve  him  against  pride.  You  will  not  fail  to  discover 
your  thorn  if  you  look  for  it  ;  are  you  not,  so  to  speak,  but 
as  victims  ready  at  any  moment  to  be  sacrificed  by  the 
devotees  of  superstition  to  the  Lord  of  Glory? — victims  who 
must  be  sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  the  Lamb  without 
blemish,  and  animated  by  His  spirit  to  be  made  acceptable 
to  the  God  of  Love.  I  speak  in  the  spirit  of  confidence  and 
sincerity,  as  to  brethren  and  friends,  when  1  say  that  if  you 
are  desirous  of  maintaining  peace  you  will  succeed,  for  I 
know  scarcely  a  person  who  could  or  would  bring  trouble 
upon  Messieurs  Roux  and  Boyer.  If  you  take  their  part  as 
much  as  reason  and  a  desire  for  peace  requires  of  you,  God 
will  applaud  your  conduct,  and  your  friends  here,  on  hearing 
of  your  harmony,  will  not  be  scandalized  or  alienated,  but 
on  the  contrary  will  renew  their  esteem,  their  affection  and 
their  good  will." 

(Berne,  19th  of  May  1729.) 

The    observations    of  Du   Plan,    supported   by 
those  of  Professors  Turretin  and  Maurice  of  Greneva, 


Cardinal  De  Fleury  in  poiver.  189 

and  Vial  de  Beaumont  formerly  Pastor  of  Grenoble, 
appeased  the  conflict.  Court  and  Cortiez  consented 
to  give  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  to  their  young 
brethren  as  soon  as  they  had  obtained  the  approval 
of  their  colleagues  of  Dauphiny  and  Vivarais — Roger 
and  Durand.  Roger  who  had  been  one  of  the 
firmest  opponents  no  longer  resisted,  and  a  Conference 
granted  the  approbation  demanded. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

CARDINAL   DE  FLEURY's  PERSECUTIONS. — COURT  QUITS 
FRANCE    AGAINST    THE    WISHES    OF    DU    PLAN. 

1726-1729 

The  Declaration  of  1724,  cruel  as  it  was,  did  not 
appreciably  aggravate  the  situation  of  the  Reformed 
Church.  It  seemed  as  if  the  attention  of  the  Court, 
occupied  by  political  cares  and  the  marriage  of 
Louis  XV,  hadbeen  diverted  from  religious  questions. 

But  in  1726  all  was  changed.  The  Bishop 
De  Fréjus,  now  Cardinal  De  Fleury,  had  already 
designated  the  Duke  De  Bourbon  to  succeed  to 
office  on  the  first  favorable  opportunity,  and  that 
opportunity  now  presenting  itself  the  Duke  was 
installed  and  the  persecution  recommenced. 

Du  Plan,  who  through  his  friends  in  Switzerland 
was  well  informed  as  to  all  that  passed  in  Paris,  had 
frequently  forewarned  Antoine  Court.  His  repre- 
sentations were  however  disregarded,  but  though 


190  De  Fleury's  schemes  for  persecution. 

treated  as  a  visionary,  he  was  unhappily  under  no 
misapprehension.  Scarcely  had  De  Fleury  acceded  to 
power  when  he  was  overwhelmed  with  demands, 
memorials,  and  petitions  from  ths  Clergy  against 
Protestantism,  and  soon  afterwards  there  appeared 
a  fresh  decree  from  Louis  XV  ordering  rigorous 
measures  to  be  taken  against  all  who  attended,  or 
were  suspected  of  attending,  the  assemblies.  The 
men  so  convicted  were  condemned  to  the  galleys  in 
perpetuity,  and  the  women  to  life-long  imprisonment. 
De  Fleury's  first  victim  was  a  young  Pastor  of  the 
Desert  of  the  name  of  Alexandre  Roussel.  He  was 
born  about  the  year  1701,  atUzes,  and  belonged  to 
a  respectable  family.  Rocked  in  his  cradle  to  the 
rude  music  of  battle,  he  had  grown  up  amid  the 
perils  of  the  terrible  Camisard  wars  ;  his  pious 
mother  had  trained  him  in  the  fear  of  Grod,  and  the 
young  man  felt  within  himself  an  early  call  to  the 
ministry,  which  the  sight  of  Baville's  numerous 
gibbets  had  no  power  to  dispel  from  his  breast.  He 
was  twenty-five  years  of  age  when  Antoine  Court, 
struck  by  his  piety,  imposed  hands  upon  him.  For 
two  years  the  young  minister  wandered  about 
preaching  in  the  Cevennes.  On  the  10th  of 
October,  1728,  a  traitor  having  betrayed  his  place 
of  concealment,  he  was  arrested  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Aulas  and  imprisoned  in  the  Citadel  of  Montpellier. 
His  mother  on  hearing  of  her  son's  arrest  threw 
herself  at  the  feet  of  the  Duke  d'Uzes  whom  she  had 
nursed  in  infancy.  The  Duke  endeavoured  to  save 
the  young  man  and  counselled  him  to  feign  madness, 


Execution  of  Alexandre  Botissel.  191 

"Monseigneur",  replied  Roussel,  "I  am  very  much 
obliged  to  you  for  your  good  intentions  towards  me, 
but  permit  me  to  say  to  your  Grace  that  I  have  never 
possessed  greater  strength  of  mind  than  at  the 
present  moment,  and  that  my  conscience  does  not 
allow  me  to  counterfeit  insanity."  He  was  condemned 
to  be  hung,  and  the  execution  speedily  followed  the 
sentence.  As  the  sad  moment  approached,  the 
young  martyr  walked  to  his  doom  with  calmness 
and  serenity.  He  appeared  on  the  Place  du  Pérou, 
singing  the  fifty-first  psalm  with  head  uncovered, 
feet  bare  and  a  rope  round  his  neck.  On  arriving  at 
the  gibbet  he  knelt  down  and  prayed,  after  which 
he  ascended  the  ladder  with  much  courage  and 
firmness,  and  died  like  Stephen  in  a  transport, 
seeing  the  heavens  opened  above  him. 

Antoine  Court  visited  the  martyr's  mother  to 
console  her  ;  weeping  bitterly  she  replied  to  him, 
"If  my  son  had  displayed  any  weakness  I  should 
have  been  inconsolable  ;  but  since  he  has  died  stead- 
fast and  firm  in  the  faith,  all  my  grief  is  turned  into 
unceasing  thankfulness  and  praise  to  my  Grod  for 
His  almighty  consolation." 

Benjamin  Du  Plan  was  deeply  affected  by  this 
incident,  and  felt  himself  called  upon  to  write  to 
his  brethren,  urging  steadfastness  in  presence  of  the 
serious  evils  by  which  they  were  threatened. 

"  I  hope,  my  dear  friend,  u  he  wro'e  to  Court,  "  that  the 
saintly  death  of  our  dear  brother  M.  Roussel,  instead  of 
disquieting  our  brethren  who  preach  under  the  Cross,  will 
only  cause  them  to  implore  God's  help  with  greater  fervency 


192  JDu  Plan's  letter  to  Court  on  the  subject. 

and  exhort  their  hearers  to  discharge  their  duty  with  niorezeal^ 
since  it  is  by  the  help  of  God  and  by  a  Christian  deportment 
alone  that  we  can  outlive  and  triumph  over  the  fury  of  our 
enemies.  We  know  by  sad  experience  that  the  great 
Babylon  is  not  yet  surfeited  with  our  blood,  and  can  we 
doubt  that  the  Court,  ruled  by  a  Cardinal  devoted  to  the 
Jesuits  and  to  Rome,  is  meditating  projects  for  the  utter 
extinction  ot  Protestantism  in  France  ?  Therefore,  my  dear 
brother,  it  is  for  you,  as  one  of  the  chiefs  whom  God  in  His 
infinite  compassion  has  raised  up  for  the  establishment  of 
the  true  Gospel  in  France,  to  animate  the  others,  seek  out 
the  flock  with  diligence,  and  encourage  your  colleagues,  the 
elders,  and  the  Churches  to  sustain  with  courage  the  assaults 
that  Satan,  the  world  and  the  agents  of  Anti-Christ  are 
ready  to  make.  You  must  be  deeply  conscious  that  it  is 
due  alone  to  the  providence  of  God  and  His  miraculous  help 
that  the  lamp  of  the  Holy  Word  has  been  rekindled  in  our 
Provinces,  and  that  you  have  so  often  been  rescued  from 
the  toils  of  your  enemies.  Our  preservation  for  the  future 
depends  on  the  continuance  of  this  help,  for  without  it  we 
could  not  even  exist,  conscious  as  we  are  of  our  weakness, 
and  the  power  and  wrath  ot  our  foes,  who  spare  no 
effort  to  compass  our  ruin.  I  have  written  in  this  strain 
more  than  once  both  to  you  and  to  the  Churches,  but  my 
letters  have  not  received  the  attention  they  deserved,  because 
many  believe  that  my  statements  are  founded  on  the  so 
called  inspirations  of  some  prophetess.  No  extraordinary 
inspirations  are  necessary  in  order  to  perceive  the  imminent 
danger  that  threatens  us  ;  we  have  only  to  use  our  eyes  to 
see  that  we  do  but  resemble  a  flock  of  lambs  surrounded  by 
packs  ot  ravening  wolves,  and  that  unless  the  Shepherd  who- 
has  laid  down  His  life  for  His  sheep  restrains  their  rage  we 
shall  be  quickly  torn  in  pieces  and  devoured.  The  deceitful 
calm  we  have  tor  some  time  enjoyed  ought  not  to  make  us 
unmindful  of  what  happened  to  our  fathers.  They  flattered 
themselves  that  the  trial  would  never  overtake  them  and 
under  this  illusion  they  had  lulled  themselves  to  sleep  when 


Du  Flan's  letter  to  Court  on  the  sulyect.         193 

the  storm  burst  forth  with  such  fury  that  the  greater  number 
succumbed  to  persecution,  abjuring  our  Holy  Religion  in  a 
cowardly  and  shameful  manner.  I  know  not  what  would 
happen  in  our  times  if  the  enemy  employed  the  same  means 
to  compel  us  to  abandon  our  profession  of  the  truth.  Nothing 
less  than  righteousness  ot  life,  purity  of  morals,  ardent  zeal 
for  the  glory  of  God,  and  earnest  love  for  our  neighbour,  can 
prevent  the  occurrence  of  multitudes  of  apostacies.  In  the 
name  of  God,  my  dear  friend,  brother,  and  companion  in 
labour,  wait  not  till  the  Philistines  be  upon  you  !  Let  not 
flesh  and  sense,  like  another  Delilah  the  traitress,  deprive 
us  of  the  Divine  unction  which  alone  can  cause  us  to  triumph 
over  our  enemies.  Awake,  awake,  put  on  the  whole  armour 
of  God,  and  fight  manfully  in  the  battle  which  seems  to  be 
approaching  !  When  the  destruction  of  our  forefathers  was 
contemplated  by  their  enemies,  peace  in  Europe  was  the 
fatal  way  which  led  to  that  dire  catastrophe.  The  seizure  of 
some  papers  in  the  possession  of  M.  Roussel,  and  of  others 
in  Dauphiny,  have,  according  to  M.  Roger,  been  the  means 
of  revealing  our  affairs  ;  the  minister  of  a  Cardinal  who  has 
published  so  very  startling  a  decree  could  have  brought 
about  our  ruin,  if  Providence  had  not  temporarily  suspended 
the  operation  ot  the  decree,  to  the  end  that  we  might  have 
time  to  repent  and  make  our  peace  with  God,  by  whom  alone 
we  and  our  Churches  have  existence  in  the  midst  of  dangers 
that  threaten  on  all  sides. 

u  You  will  hear  with  regret  and  sorrow  that  some  small 
private  help  from  truly  pious  sources  has  been  intercepted  ; 
it  shows  us  that  we  ought  hot  to  rely  on  the  Protestant  Powers, 
unless  God  inspires  them  with  new  zeal;  they  are  broken 
reeds  which  will  only  pierce  the  hand  that  leans  on  them. 
The  Protestant  Princes  are  mostly  cold-hearted,  given  over 
to  their  own  pursuits  and  occupied  by  their  temporal  interests. 
Thus  there  is  more  need  for  us  to  ask  God  to  help  them  than 
to  ask  them  to  help  us  ;  let  us  turn  our  aspirations  heaven- 
ward, and  endeavour  to  appease  God's  anger  by  repenting 
and  humbling  ourselves  before  Him.     If  we  take  example 

is 


194  Du  Plan's  letter  to  Court  on  the  subject. 

by  Moses  on  the  hill  when  Joshua  fought  on  the  plain,  if  we 
wrestle  with  the  Lord,  like  Jacob  with  the  Angel,  and  refuse 
to  let  Him  go  except  He  bless  us,  it  is  certain  that  He  will 
come  to  our  help:  God  will  give  us  great  fortitude  to  with- 
stand persecution  even  should  it  increase,  and  we  may 
consider  ourselves  happy  in  being  permitted  to  suffer  tor  the 
sake  of  Jesus  Christ  our  Divine  Master.  Perhaps  God  may 
convert,  our  enemies  and  glorify  the  truth  in  upholding  it 
without  employing  instruments  ;  or  perhaps  if  our  enemies 
harden  their  hearts  like  Pharaoh,  God  may  visit  with  His 
most  fearful  plagues  that  Egypt  which  holds  captive  the 
new  Israel  :  be  it  our's  only  to  do  our  duty,  trusting  implicitly 
to  the  over-ruling  care  of  Providence! 

"  As  this  year  will  soon  give  place  to  another,  I  would 
desire  to  anticipate  the  good  wishes  it  is  customary  to  offer 
on  the  first  day  of  a  new  year.  May  God  commemorate  this 
new  epoch  by  the  most  striking  proofs  of  His  love  for  the 
Church  ;  may  He  sustain  and  bless  all  whom  He  has  appointed 
for  its  instruction,  consolation,  help  and  protection;  may  He 
support  and  animate  by  His  Holy  Spirit  all  who  suffer  for 
His  name's  sake  ;  may  He,  my  dear  friend,  give  you  grace 
to  carry  out  your  work  successfully,  and  after  you  have, 
like  St.  Paul,  fought  the  good  fight  and  kept  the  faith,  may 
you  inherit  the  crown  of  righteousness  that  Jesus  Christ  has 
purchased  for  you  with  His  precious  blood.  I  present  my 
most  earnest  prayers  on  behalf  of  your  beloved  Rachel 
and  your  dear  family  :  embrace  and  kiss  them  for  me.  You 
may  rest  assured  that  it  is  always  a  pleasure  to  me,  as 
well  as  a  duty,  to  testify  the  esteem  and  cordial  affection 
with  which  I  am,  Monsieur  my  dear  friend,  Your  very 
humble    and  obedient   servant. 

"  C.  B.  Du  Plan.  " 

(25th  of  December  1728.) 

Since  the  execution  of  Roussel,  the  preachers, 
and  especially  Court,  had  been  closel}r  watched. 
Court  had  been  betrayed  by  spies,  and  search  was 


Measures  proposed  for  banishing  the  preachers.     19î> 

made  for  him,  though  unsuccessfully,  on  the  night 
of  the  1st  of  March,  1729,  in  the  house  where  he  was 
concealed.  The  price  of  ten  thousand  livres  was  put 
upon  his  head,  and  it  was  only  by  stratagem  and 
constant  vigilance  that  he  succeeded  in  evading  his 
pursuers.  The  Protestants  appreciated  the  value 
and  importance  of  the  man  who  had  raised 
Protestantism  from  its  abasement.  They  all  became 
anxious,  some  even  counselled  him  to  leave  France 
and  wait  in  a  foreign  country  till  the  storm  had 
passed.  His  wish  was  to  remain  with  his  flock,  but 
his  enemies  discovered  his  vulnerable  point  ;  and  on 
that  day,  in  spite  of  the  remonstrances  of  his  best 
friends  and  the  firm  and  unmistakeable  wish  of  the 
Church,  the  man  who  had  braved  death  a  thousand 
times  quietly  abandoned  his  sphere  of  labour, 
crossed  the  frontier  and  quitted  France  for  ever. 

The  foul  measures  conceived  for  obtaining  the 
mastery  over  this  exalted  mind  have  been  since 
revealed  to  us  by  one  of  the  persecutors.  "If  you 
wish/'  he  wrote  to  the  Intendant,  "  to  exterminate 
Protestantism  forthwith,  chase  the  ministers  and 
students  of  the  sect  from  the  kingdom" — "How  ?" 
was  the  reply.  "  Shut  up  in  a  convent  the  wives 
of  those  who  are  married  and  in  a  citadel  the 
fathers  of  those  who  are  not,  and  publish  abroad 
that  you  will  set  them  at  liberty  only  when  husband 
and  sun  have  crossed  the  border.  Experience  proves 
the  success  of  this  plan.  The  minister  Court  would 
be  still  in  France  if  his  wife  had  not  been  threatened 
with  the  convent,  and  the  minister  Maroger   also  if 


196       Gourt's  thoughts  are  occupied  about  his  wife. 

his  wife  had  not  been  confined  in  the  convent  of 
Lodève.  Courageously  adopt  this  measure  and 
success  will  be  certain.  No  more  Pastors,  no  more 
baptisms  or  marriages  in  the  Desert.  1" 

Antoine  Court  had  married  in  1722,  on  his 
return  from  Geneva;  his  wife  was  a  young  girl  of 
Uzès  whom  he  had  probably  met  in  the  course  of 
his  missionary  rounds — he  loved  her  tenderly.  Her 
name  was  Etiennette  Pages,,  but  Court  and  his 
friends  styled  her  simply  Rachel.  She  had  some 
money,  but  what  was  of  more  value  she  was 
possessed  of  a  deep  piety.  By  this  marriage  Court 
had  two  girls,,  and  Du  Plan  was  god-father  to  the 
younger,  whom  he  called  his  bénonisse.  As  far  back 
as  1725,  Court  had  occupied  his  thoughts  in 
preparing  a  place  of  refuge  abroad  for  his  wife  in 
case  of  need. 

"  I  am  surprised,  "  he  wrote  to  Du  Plan,  "  that  you  have 
not  spoken  about  my  Rachel.  There  is  however  nothing 
new  respecting  her,  and  I  thank  God  she  enjoys  perfect 
tranquillity.  Let  me  know  your  ideas  frequently  concerning 
the  dear  child;  it  is  necessary  to  think  of  the  future.  Look 
out  at  once  and  read  with  attention  the  little  note  enclosed 
in  my  last  (moments  are  precious)  ;  it  should  be  preserved, 
for  it  inquires  as  to  the  way  in  which  a  sum  of  money 
might  be  provided  abroad — Geneva,  for  instance — where  the 
child  may  one  day  go  ;  meanwhile,  however,  some  money 
might  be  sent  thither.  " 

(3rd  of  November  1725.) 


1.  See  The  Bulletin,  Vol.  VII.,  p.  39.  A  traitor's  letter  to  the  Intendant,, 
furnishing  information  as  to  the  ministers  of  the  Desert  and  their 
families. 


Du  Plan  prepares  him  for  am  impending  separation.   l'.'T 

Du  Plan  at  once  replied,  and  being  aware  of 
Antoine  Court's  love  for  his  wife,  lie  took  the 
opportunity  of  preparing  him  for  an  early  separation, 
by  pointing  out  the  dangers  she  ran  in  his  company. 
Du  Plan  knew  the  place  she  occupied  in  his  heart 
and  feared  she  would  soon  become  to  him  an  idol. 

"  Assure  your  Rachel  of  my  respect  and  friendship,  and 
thank  her  for  her  kind  remembrance.  I  beseech  her  or  you 
to  tell  me  about  my  god-daughter,  not  at  the  same  time  tor- 
getting  her  dear  little  sister.  Think  over  how  I  can  be  useful 
to  you  in  this  country  :  you  may  rely,  if  it  please  God,  upon 
always  finding  in  me,  to  the  extent  of  my  ability,  a  zealous 
and  faithful  friead,  and  so  far  as  depends  upon  me  our 
friendship  shall  be  as  the  friendship  of  David  and  Jonathan. 

u  There  is  no  brotherhood  between  Christ  and  the  world  ; 
the  world  must  have  no  place  in  our  souls  it  we  desire  Christ 
to  fill  them  with  His  Spirit.  Let  us  commune  with  our  own 
souls,  let  us  dive  into  the  innermost  recesses  of  our  hearts  to 
discover  if  any  idol  be  concealed  there  !  Let  us  distrust  our 
own  acts,  our  own  thoughts,  our  own  sentiments.  Our  self 
love — our  Rachel — often  hides  its  divinities  under  pretexts 
so  plausible  that  the  Labans  are  deceived  ;  let  us  often 
exclaim  with  David  :  Search  me  and  try  me,  0  God,  and 
incline  my  heart  unto  Thy  testimonies  !  It  we  persevere  in 
examining  our  hearts,  and  in  praying  fervently  to  God  for 
His  Holy  Spirit,  if  we  make  a  good  use  of  the  talents  we  have 
received  from  Him,  He  will  without  doubt  more  frequently 
fiud  a  place  in  our  souls  ;  The  Lord  will  change  us  into  His 
image  by  the  virtue  and  efficacy  of  His  Holy  Spirit.  He  will 
altogether  dispel  darkness  from  our  understandings,  era- 
dicate vice  from  our  hearts,  and  kindle  in  us  the  fire  of  His 
love.  God  will  reveal  Himself  to  us  as  distinctly  and  clearly 
as  He  can,  and  will  reveal  Himself  to  the  world;  and  this 
revelation  added  to  His  love,  a  love  so  profound  and  pure, 
will  form  a  sure  pledge  to  us  of  a  blessed  future.  0  eternity, 


198  J.  sacrifice  that  the  Gospel  enjoins. 

0  blessed  eternity,  thou  hast  charms  for  earnest,  faithful  and 
true  souls.  No  suffering,  no  sorrow,  no  cross  shall  have 
power  to  deprive  us  of  the  peace  and  joy  to  be  found  in  the 
heart  of  a  true  Christian.  Who  is  he  that  cannot  exclaim 
with  St.  Paul,  'Who  shall  separate  me  from  the  love  of 
Christ?  Shall  tribulation,  or  distress,  or  persecution,  or 
famine,  or  nakedness,  or  peril,  or  sword'?  on  the  contrary, 

'  in  all  these  things  I  am  more  than  conqueror,  through  Him 
that  loved  me  ;  for  I  am  persuaded  that  neither  death  nor 
life,  nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  nor  things 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any 
other  creature  shall  be  able  to  separate  me  from  the  love  of 
God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.'  Let  us  then  strive 
with  all  our  power  to  stir  up  an  increased  love  for  God  in  our 
souls,  abstain  from  and  shun  everything  that  abates  or 
extinguishes  it,  and  fly  from  the  places,  or  separate  ourselves 
from  the  persons  who  hinder  our  growth  in  grace  !  God  is 
jealous  of  His  glory  ;  He  asks  for  our  entire  heart;  if  it  be 
His  will  to  permit  us  to  love  any  other  being  than  Himself, 
it  is  also  His  will  that  we  should  love  that  being  infinitely 
less  than  Himself,  as  well  for  His  sake  as  in  obedience  to  the 
precepts  of  His  Holy  Word.  When  any  creature  becomes  a 
stumbling  block  we  must  remove  it,  even  if  in  doing  so  we 
are  compelled  to  deprive  ourselves  of  the  reasonable  and 
legitimate  happiness  which,  under  other  and  happier  circum- 
stances, we  might  rightly  enjoy. 

"  Though   my  discourse,  my  dear  friend,  concerns   all 
Christians,  it  is  doubtless  now  addressed  to  you  specially. 

1  confess  that  I  fear  greatly  for  your  Kachel  and  her  children. 
I  should  for  your  own  sake,  as  well  as  for  that  of  the  objects 
of  your  affection,  advise  you  to  take  timely  measures  for 
putting  them  in  a  place  of  safety.  We  must  not  be  misled 
into  thinking  the  present  calm  will  endure  ;  it  may  be  broken 
by  a  thousand  unforeseen  accidents  ;  forewarned  of  the 
storm,  we  shall  be  the  better  able  to  avoid  rocks  and  sand- 
banks. I  admit  that  the  surest  means  of  avoiding  shipwreck 
is  to  Dlace  ourselves  under  the  guidance  of  the  Sovereign. 


Departure  of  "Rachel.  199 

Pilot  of  the  Church  ;  but  as  that  Pilot  has  endowed  us  with 
reason,  we  must  make  as  good  use  of  it  as  we  can,  and  leave 
the  rest  to  Providence,  always  praying  that  God  may  blese 
our  efforts,  over-rule  our  deliberations,  and  confirm  us  in 
all  the  aspirations  that  grace  may  inspire." 
5th  of  June  1726.) 

After  a  lapse  of  two  or  three  years  Antoine 
Court  acted  on  the  advice  of  his  friend,  and  in  the 
month  of  March,  1729,  wrote  to  him  as  follows  : — 

•'  My  Rachel  has  finally  taken  flight  ;  she  left  yesterday 
for  your  city  and  will  arrive,  if  it  please  God,  at  the  end  of 
the  month.  I  need  hardly  ask  you  to  do  what  you  can  to 
procure  for  her  a  favorable  reception,  being  firmly  persuaded 
you  will  refuse  her  nothing.  I  simply  ask  you  to  bear  in 
mind  that  she  is  my  Rachel — my  Rachel  from  whom  I  could 
not  separate  myself  without  sacrificing  a  tender  affection  to 
a  stern  sense  of  duty  and  regard  for  her  safety.  Adieu,  my 
dear  friend,  I  commend  my  Rachel  to  you." 

Du  Plan  lost  no  time  in  announcing  to  Court 
Rachel's  safe  arrival.  He  soon  discovered  that  his 
friend  had  a  secret  longing  to  join  her,  and  it  was 
with  the  view  of  urging  him  to  remain  in  France 
with  his  flock,  decimated  by  persecution,  that  he  thus 
wmte  to  him  two  months  after  her  arrival  in 
(ieneva  : — 

u  I  speak  with  special  frankness  to  my  friend  M.  Court. 
I  do  not  blame  your  affection  and  anxiety  for  your  Rachel,  I 
only  fear  that  you  are  a  little  too  ardent.  You  may  rest 
easy  on  her  account,  tor  she  is  much  beloved  here,  she  has 
everything  she  needs — more  perhaps  than  you  imagine.  You 
may  now  devote  yourself  to  the  glorious  career  that  Provi- 


200  Court  joins  her  at  Lmisanne. 

dence  has  marked  out  for  you,  and  which,  after  having  begun, 
you  will  not  for  love  of  the  creature  abandon  to  another. 
I  neither  advise  you  to  come  here  nor  to  remain  in  France  ; 
the  question  is  one  too  delicate  for  me  to  decide.  I  exhort 
you  only  to  have  regard  to  the  promptings  of  conscience, 
the  rules  of  the  Gospel,  the  requirements  of  our  Churches 
and  the  necessities  of  the  situation.  We  should  always 
avoid  rashness  on  the  one  hand  and  timidity  on  the  other, 
and  ascertain  whether  it  is  the  love  of  God  or  the  love  of 
His  creatures  which  is  the  ruling  motive  of  our  lives  and 
conduct.  The  love  of  Mark  Antony  for  Cleopatra  lost  him 
the  battle  of  Actiuin  and  the  Empire  of  the  world.  You  have 
enemies  to  fight,  and  an  Empire  to  gain,  infinitely  more 
glorious  and  lasting  than  the  Roman  Empire  in  all  its 
splendour — a  prize  which,  if  you  prefer  the  creature  to  the 
Creator,  you  may  lose  for  ever.  Forget  not  the  sacrifice  of 
Abraham  ;  forget  not,  above  all,  the  sacrifice  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  words  that  He  spoke  to  His  disciples. 
'He  that  loveth  tather  or  mother  more  than  Me  is  not 
worthy  of  Me.'  By  a  singular  Providence,  which  ought  to 
be  a  cause  of  continual  praise  to  the  Lord,  you  have  been 
happy  in  the  company  of  your  Rachel  for  several  years.  God 
has  blessed  your  marriage  with  some  children,  and  your 
Rachel  is  in  safety  among  kind  friends  of  both  sexes.  What 
more  can  you  wish  as  things  are?  Fight  manfully  with  the 
enemies  of  the  Lord,  and  remember,  moreover,  that  the  most 
formidable  enemies  are  as  nought  if  we  have  overcome  those 
from  within." 
(May  1729.) 

Antoine  Court  was  already  suffering  keenly  from 
his  enforced  separation  from  his  wife,  and  on  learning, 
a  few  months  later — in  October — that  she  was 
unwell,  he  hesitated  no  longer,  and,  notwithstanding 
the  dangers  that  threatened  the  Church,  he  left  for 
Lausanne  where  his  Rachel  was  living.     The  two 


The  Churches  murmur  at  his  absence.  201 

friends  had  thus  frequent  opportunities  of  meeting. 
What  long-  conversations  on  the  subject  of  religious 
persecution  in  their  country  did  they  have — how 
sweet  was  their  intercourse — what  blessed  memories 
were  awakened  between  them  ! 

Rachel  had  presented  her  husband  with  another 
child,  and  Du  Plan  thought  that  after  she  was 
restored  to  health,  Court  would  resume  his  work 
among  his  persecuted  brethren  ;  but  from  certain 
incidents  that  transpired  Du  Plan  soon  perceived 
his  mistake.  On  the  7th  of  Februaiy,  1 730,  he 
learnt  that  his  friend  had  received  his  black  gown 
from  France. 

u  Surprise  has  been  expressed  ",  he  wrote  to  the  latter, 
u  that  you  have  sent  for  your  black  gown,  for  it  is  not 
becoming  in  you  to  appear  in  ministerial  attire  unless  you 
wish  to  abandon  the  service  of  the  French  Church.  You  are 
master  of  your  own  acts  and  can  do  as  you  think  best,  but 
the  warm  and  sincere  friendship  which  exists  between  us 
obliges  me  to  tell  you  that  your  conduct  is  not  alone  likely 
to  give  rise  to  rumours  and  attract  attention,  but  may  be 
considered  dangerous." 

(7th  of  February  2730.) 

Days  and  months  slipped  away — the  Churches 
surprised  at  the  prolonged  absence  of  their  Pastor 
complained  loudly.  Du  Plan  wrote  to  him  again  on 
the  occasion  of  an  illness  which  had  occurred  to 
Rachel. 

"I  pray,  Monsieur  and  dear  triend,  that  God  may  restore 
your  Rachel  to  health,  but  above  all  that  He  may  dispose 
«vents  as  seems  best  in  his  sight.     1  cannot  doubt  that  this 


202  Severe  letter  from  Du  Plan  to  Court. 

sickness  has  been  sent  to  weaken  your  too  great  love  for 
each  other  and  to  draw  you  nearer  to  God.  The  Creator 
who  knows  our  hearts  employs  the  most  fit  and  efficacious 
means  to  bring  us  back  to  Himself,  when  our  affections 
interfere  with  the  right  discharge  of  our  duty. 

"I  have  received  a  letter  from  M .  Cortiez,  in  whioh  he 
urges  me  not  to  keep  you  here.  God  knows  the  truth — it 
will  not  be  difficult  to  justify  myself.  I  have  heretofore 
besought  you  to  consult  God  and  your  own  conscience,  and  I 
now  repeat  my  entreaties.  On  the  one  hand  your  co-worker3 
are  calling  you  back,  and  the  Churches  are  asking  for  you  ; 
and  on  the  other  a  wife  and  children  are  detaining  you: 
which  cause  have  you  most  at  heart?  I  have  great  fear  that 
if  you  prefer  your  wife  and  children  to  the  Church,  God  will 
bereaveyou  of  that  wife  and  perhaps  those  children,  in  order 
that  you  may  know  that  if  any  earthly  object  be  preferred 
before  Himself  it  wiil  be  taken  away,  while  if  the  object  is 
ready  to  be  sacrificed  it  will  be  preserved.  I  have  heard  it 
said  more  than  once  thatM.  Cortiez  wished  to  quit  the  service 
of  the  Churches  of  France,  but  he  thought  it  not  right  to  do 
so.  I  leave  you  to  your  own  reflections  on  the  matter,  and 
ever  implore  you  to  consult  neither  flesh  nor  blood,  or  you 
will  do  very  unwisely." 

(1st  of  June  1730.) 

At  length,  in  the  month  of  August,  1730,  the 
Churches,  disquieted  at  the  long  absence  of  their 
old  Pastor,  an  absence  that  was  neither  authorized 
nor  explained,  demanded  his  return  in  a  long  letter 
signed  by  the  Pastors  and  Students  of  the  Province, 
wherein  they  reminded  him  of  his  responsibility  and 
the  need  they  had  of  his  ministry.  Court  disregarded 
everything,  his  resolution  was  fixed,  he  refused  to 
leave  Rachel.  His  conduct  irritated  the  Churches, 
which,  in  spite  of  his  earnest  entreaties,  refused  to 


<   letter  from  Du  Plan  to  Court.  203 

remit  him  the  money  he  had  left  in  France. 
Du  Plan  now  no  longer  hesitated  frankly  to  speak 
his  mind: — 

u  I  feel  persuaded,  Monsieur  and  dear  friend,  of  your 
integrity  of  purpose  and  your  charity,  but  with  many  others 
I  avow  that  I  fear  the  quenching  of  your  zeal  and  the  cooling 
of  your  love,  and  that,  unmindful  of  the  duties  of  your 
calling,  God  will  take  His  Spirit  from  you  and  give  your 
crown  to  another. 

u  M.  S.  writes  to  me  from  Zurich  expressing  fears  that 
your  repose  in  Switzerland  is  having  the  same  effect  upon 
you  as  the  allurement  of  Capua  had  on  Hannibal.  Significant 
as  is  this  example,  I  would  rather  prefer  directing  your 
attention  to  the  examples  of  Samson,  David  and  Solomon, 
and  how  the  strength  of  the  first,  the  piety  of  the  second, 
and  the  wisdom  of  the  third,  yielded  to  the  influence 
of  women.  In  vain  you  may  allege  that  the  object  of  your 
love  is  legitimate  ;  nothing  is  legitimate  that  leads  us  to 
neglect  our  duty  and  to  prefer  the  works  of  the  Creator  to 
the  Creator  Himself.  Abraham's  love  for  his  son  Isaac  was 
as  legitimate  as  is  yours  for  your  Rachel,  yet  if  Abraham 
had  refused  to  sacrifice  his  son  in  obedience  to  God's 
command,  he  would  have  rendered  himself  unworthy  of 
God's  love.  The  point  then  is  to  ascertain  whether  or  not 
God  is  calling  you  to  return  into  France  for  the  solace  and 
edification  of  your  brethren  in  affliction  and  who  are  in 
danger  of  being  overcome.  You  have  never  seemed  to 
believe  in  extraordinary  revelations  ;  you  scorn  those  of  the 
present  day,  doubtless  under  the  idea  that  they  are  not 
required  ;  it  is  sufficient  if  you  regard  as  a  call  from 
Providence  the  talents  with  which  God  has  endowed  you, 
and  the  opportunities  He  has  afforded  for  their  exercise. 
Before  your  marriage,  on  receipt  of  a  simple  letter  from 
M.  Cortiez,  you  left  Marseilles  and  went  to  preach  in 
Languedoc.     Now,    probably,    neither    the    invitation    of 


204  The  Synods  withhold  Court's  salary. 

Churches  nor  the  solicitations  of  Synods  would  have  a  like 
effect.  I  do  not  pretend  to  say  that  you  ought  to  return  to 
France,  nor  do  I  even  counsel  this  course.  God  knows  what 
is  right  ;  I  repeat  my  first  advice  in  this  matter,  that 
you  should  consult  God  and  your  conscience.  I  admit  that 
I  have  a  fervent  desire  for  the  edification  of  the  Churches,  and 
it  appears  to  me,  as  well  as  to  many  others,  that  your 
presence  amongst  them  would  be  of  great  service  ;  but  I  feel 
persuaded  that  as  God  loves  His  Church,  He  will  never 
abandon  it,  and  that  if  you  should  desert  it,  He  will  raise 
up  many  more  faithful.  In  such  an  event  you  would  be  the 
only  one  to  be  pitied,  and  were  1  to  shed  tears,  they  would 
be  for  the  misfortunes  of  a  friend  whom  I  sincerely  love. 
While  you  ponder  these  things  seriously  in  your  mind, 
I  will  pray  that  God  may  give  you  grace  to  know  and  do 
His  will  without  regard  either  to  flesh  or  blood  or  any 
earthly  object,  be  that  object  the  most  charming  in  the 
world,  for  the  loveliest  Rachels  are  in  the  sight  of  God  but 
worms,  bags  of  filthiness,  sinks  of  iniquity,  and  wretched- 
ness. What  blindness  !  How  disgraceful,  how  criminal,  to 
abandon  the  cause  of  God  out  of  regard  for  a  creature  of 
earth  !  Understand  me,  my  dear  friend,  I  judge  you  not; 
I  only  advise  you.  You  may  be  deaf  to  my  counsels,  you  may 
sleep  and  perish — it  remains  none  the  less  our  duty  to 
exhort  and  rouse  each  other;  for  I  have  as  great,  or  even 
greater  need  than  you  have  to  be  exhorted,  advised,  and 
awakened,  being  conscious  that  the  fleshly  tabernacle  of  the 
Spirit,  like  Delilah  the  traitress,  flatters  and  soothes  us  if  we 
do  not  continually  watch  and  pray. 
(30th  of  June  1730.) 

Notwithstanding  these  solicitations,  Court 
refused  to  leave  Switzerland  and  return  to  France. 
The  Synods,  irritated  at  his  conduct,  first  of  all 
declined  to  send  his  property  and  then  withheld 
his   salary.     Thereupon    Court,  who    had    hitherto 


Court  complains  of  the  action  of  the  Synods.        205 

observed  an  unaccountable  silence,  complained  that 
violence  was  being  done  to  his  free  will  and  liberty.. 
Du  Plan  never  wearied  in  recalling  him  sternly 
to  duty. 

u  If  the  Synods  were  under  my  control,  "  he  wrote  to  him  : 
u  I  well  know  what  I  should  do  with  your  property  and 
the  9alary  you  receive  in  France.  I  would  send  you  the 
former  and  pay  you  regularly  the  latter,  until  your  love  for 
the  Churches  should  either  revive  or  altogether  perish.  All, 
however,  do  not  think  alike.  The  gentlemen  who  assist  at 
the  Synod  are  very  glad  that  you  are  constrained  to  acknow- 
ledge your  pecuniary  needs,  while  your  salary  goes  to 
maintain  those  who  really  serve  in  the  vineyard  of  the  Lord; 
and  seeing  that  the  country  is  impoverished  by  fines,  and 
that  the  number  of  the  Pastors  is  multiplied,  they  are  all  the 
better  pleased  that  you  are  in  receipt  of  a  salary  elsewhere, 
more  especially  as  you  do  not  deign  to  reply  to  the  letters 
that  have  been  written  to  you  and  to  the  solicitations  ot 
which  I  have  been  the  medium.  It  is  useless  to  say  that 
you  have  not  had  time,  since  you  have  had  more  than  a  year 
to  think  over  the  matter,  during  which  period  have  been 
held  a  National  Synod  and  conferences,  at  either  of  which 
you  could  have  made  known  your  wishes  ;  without  taking 
into  consideration  that  M.  Cortiez,  the  deacon  appointed  to 
receive  official  communications  to  the  Assemblies,  is  always 
ready  to  receive  your  letters. 

u  You  say  that  while  liberty  is  extolled  and  compulsion 
denounced  you  are  placed  under  restraint.  You  remind  me 
of  a  lady  who  had  promised  to  confer  some  benefit  on  our 
Churches,  and  who  told  me,  when  I  put  her  in  mind  of  her 
promises,  that  I  worried  her,  and  she  died  without  executing 
her  good  intentions.  You  have  similar  good  intentions;  you 
avow  an  ardent  love  for  the  Churches  which  desire  your 
presence  amongst  them  and  whose  well  being  appears  to  be 
dependent  on  you,  and  yet  you  deign  neither  to  notice  their 


206  Another  letter  from  Du  Plan. 

appeals  nor  to  afford  the  means  of  consolation.  Already  fifteen 
months  have  elapsed  since  you  left  the  country.  You  apparently 
take  a  terribly  long  time  to  examine  into  certain  subjects; 
probably  ere  long  we  shall  have  to  decide  for  you.  God 
forbid  that  I  should  constrain  you  to  return  to  France! 
I  have  uiged  you  to  consult  God  and  your  own  conscience 
as  to  the  following  of  your  high  calling,  at  the  same  time 
I  am  in  duty  bound  to  obey  the  orders  of  the  Synods  whose 
Deputy, I  am  and  to  inform  you  as  to  matters  which  personally 
concern  you. 

"  Although  you  may  not  need  an  example  to  encourage, 
or  to  shame  you,  according  as  you  are  true  or  false  to  your 
vocation ,  Providence  may  remind  you  of  the  two 
pastors *  who  so  assiduously  devote  themselves  to  the 
service  of  our  Churches.  You  have  received  greater 
talents  than  they,  and  are  of  maturer  age  and  more  vigorous 
constitution  ;  the  difference  between  you  arises  from  the 
fact  that  the  one  is  less  devotedly  attached  to  his  Rachel 
than  you  are  to  yours,  and  that  the  other  is  not  embarrassed 
by  a  wife  at  all.  Your  conduct  makes  us  think  and  say 
that  possibly  your  Rachel  was  really  the  Providence  that 
called  you  to  France  when  the  late  M.  Pictet  wished  to 
detain  you.  At  all  events  your  present  long  sojourn  with 
her,  in  spite  of  the  solicitations  of  the  Churches,  lends  to  this 
suspicion  an  air  of  probability. 

"I  well  know  that  God  has  called  you  to  the  service  of 
our  Churches,  enabled  you  to  overcome  obstacles  which 
opposed  themselves  to  your  success,  and  permitted  you  to 
receive  the  reward  of  your  labours  in  this  world.  Many 
other  persons  have  served  longer  and  suffered  more  than 
you  have  done,  and  for  objects  far  less  important.  In 
saying  this  I  in  no  way  wish  to  detract  from  your  merit,  or 
from  the  reward  you  may  receive  from  God.  On  the 
contrary,  I  wish  from  my  heart  that  you  might  be  more 
worthy  of  the  glory  which  God  prepares  for  those  who  serve 

1.    Cortioz  and  Roux. 


Court  refuses  to  leave  Switzerland.  207 

Him  faithfully.  God  calls  you,  and  if  you  turn  a  deaf  ear  to 
the  appeal,  all  your  righteousness  and  your  former  services 
count  for  nothing,  as  it  is  they  alone  who  are  faithful  to  the 
end  who  shall  he  saved.  Remember  always  to  consult  God 
and  your  conscience. 

"Whatever  may  happen,  or  whatever  course  you  may 
think  fit  to  adopt,  I  disclaim  all  responsibility.  I  can  only 
place  the  facts  before  you,  this  my  position  obliges  me  to 
do.  Consider  me,  if  you  will,  importunate,  indiscreet,  look 
upon  me  as  a  cavalier,  as  a  dragon —  I  shall  none  the  less 
acquit  myself  of  my  duty  towards  you  as  I  conceive  it.  I 
am  glad  to  be  able  to  add  that,  although  I  think  your 
presence  would  be  of  inestimable  value  to  the  Churches, 
God  has  an  infinity  of  means  by  which  to  instruct  and 
console  them,  should  you  refuse  to  return;  and  if  you  go 
unwillingly  or  from  unworthy  motives,  you  will  perish 
without  fruit,  unless  it  please  God  in  an  especial  manner 
out  of  His  infinite  compassion  to  take  pity  on  you.  " 

(December  1730.) 

All  was  in  vain,  however.  Court  was  lost  as  a 
Pastor  to  the  Churches  of  France.  Nevertheless  a 
disposition  so  active  could  not  long  remain  idle. 
Notwithstanding  the  reproaches  of  his  friends  and  the 
Churches,  he  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  life  and 
his  ample  leisure  to  the  service  of  his  brethren. 
"  Overwhelmed  by  work,  often  in  journeyings,  often 
multiplying  counsel  and  gathering  together  the 
refugees,  nearly  always  pen  in  hand  writing 
apologies  or  the  history  of  the  Churches  and  seeking 
protectors  for  the  same,  he  passed  fifteen  years  in 
retirement  at  Lausanne,  having  no  other  thought 
than  for  his  brethren  under  the  Cross,  no  other  aim 
than  the  relief  of  their  sufferings."  ' 

i.    Ed.  Hugues,  already  quoted.    Vol.  II,  p.  11. 


208  Forced  inactivity  of  Du  Plan. 

CHAPTER   XVII. 

THE    TRAVELS    OF    BENJAMIN    DU    PLAN. 
1731-1745.. 

During  a  period  of  four  years  Du  Plan  diligently 
traversed  Switzerland  as  Deputy  General  of  the 
Churches  of  Prance.  Although  Geneva,  Lausanne, 
Neuchâtel,  Berne  and  Zurich  had  received  him  with 
a  generous  good  will,  his  ambition  extended  further; 
he  desired  to  carry  out  the  plan  of  the  Synod  of 
1727,  and  visit  Germany,  Holland  and  England; 
but  want  of  money  impeded  his  movements.  The 
Synods,  it  is  true,  had  voted  five  hundred  livres  for 
his  travelling  expenses,  but  the  vote  was  all,  the 
money  had  never  been  forthcoming,  and  the  sacrifices 
he  had  made  for  his  brethren  had  so  reduced  his 
resources  that  they  scarcely  sufficed  for  his  personal 
expenses,  much  less  for  travelling,  notwithstanding 
the  aid  he  received  from  his  father  and  sometimes 
from  one  of  his  uncles  named  Lèches. 

A  National  Synod  which  assembled  on  the  27th 
of  September,  1730,  sympathizing  with  him  in  his 
forced  inaction,  renewed  his  powers  and  authorized 
him  to  deduct  all  his  travelling  expenses  from  the 
money  he  collected,  so  far  as  the  resources  would 
permit,  hoping  thereby  to  give  to  their  Deputy  a 
salary  proportionate  to  his  services. 

The  following  is  the  attestation  by  which  the 
Synod  confirmed  further  the  mandate  of  the  Deputy. 


Attestation  of  the  Synod  of  1780.  209 

u  We,  Pastors  and  Preachers  of  the  Churches  of  Franco 
which  are  under  the  Cross,  to  all  Protestant  Princes  and 
Powers,  greeting; 

u  Being  assembled  in  National  Synod  in  the  Vivarais, 
and  after  having  discussed  the  measures  which  should  be 
adopted  by  our  Churches  for  maintaining  the  truth  and  con- 
soling the  faithful  under  their  affliction,  have  taken  into  our 
consideration  the  overwhelming  misfortunes  of  our  flock,  the 
incessant  persecution  of  our  enemies  against  those  who 
refuse  to  conform  to  their  religion,  and  the  ruin  and  desolation 
brought  upon  entire  families  by  the  heavy  fines  exacted  from 
all  who  fail  to  send  their  children  to  the  Roman  Catholic 
schools  ;  finding  ourselves  devoid  of  means  and  deprived  of 
help,  we  have  had  recourse  to  M.  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  our 
Deputy,  requesting  him  to  address  himself  to  your  Majesties, 
High  Mightinesses,  Excellencies,  and  all  others  who  are 
aware  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  Church,  and  who  are  touched 
by  our  sad  condition,  in  order  to  represent  the  pitiable  and 
lamentable  state  of  our  Churches  groaning  under  the  Cross, 
and  humbly  implore  them  to  bestow  help  as  well  for  the 
solace  and  encouragement  of  the  pastors  as  of  their  desolated 
flocks. 

a  Our  flocks  being  ruined  by  the  frequent  imposition  of 
exorbitant  fines,  our  books  being  carried  away  and  burnt — 
as  everyone  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Nismes  and  Alais  can 
testify  : 

u  Our  pastors  having  insufficient  means  wherewith  to 
support  themselves,  owing  to  the  straightened  circumstances 
of  our  faithful  whose  property  is  seized  by  the  government, 
we  ourselves  outlawed,  and  our  ministerial  duties  in 
consequence  not  maintained  : 

u  We  very  humbly  beseech  you  to  grant  to  us  in  this 
time  of  our  sore  trial  the  consolation  of  your  compassion  and 
protection. 

u  We  beseech  you  also  to  intercede  with  our  King  on 
our  behalf  for  the  withdrawal  of  the  scourge  which  afflicts  ub. 

'  But  especially  do  we   entreat  the   compassionate  to 

14 


210      Letter  of  advice  from  the  Synod  to  Du  Plan. 

implore  a  gracious  God,  the  Father  of  mercies,  that  He  may 
have  pity  upon  us,  that  He  may  set  at  liberty  our  prisoners, 
console  our  afflicted,  re-establish  our  churches,  and  turn  our 
present  evil  plight  to  good  account  by  inclining  to  us  the 
hearts  of  our  brethren  who  are  free. 

"  It  is  unnecessary  here  to  enumerate  the  multitude  of 
sufferers  now  in  the  kingdom,  as  you  have  already  been 
informed  thereof,  and  Monsieur  our  Deputy  can,  if  required, 
himself  supply  this  information. 

"  We  may,  however,  set  forth  the  facts  that  latterly 
many  who  were  luke-warm  have  been  aroused,  and  that  even 
Catholic  families  have  united  themselves  to  our  Churches. 

u  We  humbly  pray  that  the  Lord  may  continually 
preserve  among  you  the  light  of  His  Gospel,  and  always 
afford  you  the  means  of  helping  the  unfortunate. 

"  In  the  Desert,  in  our  Synodal  Assembly,  the  twenty- 
seventh  day  of  September,  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
thirty. 

"  Signed  :  P.  Durand,  Pastor  and  Moderator  ; 

Cortiez,  Pastor  and  joint  Moderator  ; 
Joui,  Deputy  of  the  Churches  of  Languedoc  ; 
Roger,  Pastor  and  Deputy  of  Dauphiny  ; 
Betrine,  Preacher  and  Deputy  ; 
Fauriel,  alias  Lassagne,  Pastor  and  Secretary  ; 
Maroger,  Preacher  and  joint  Secretary." 

The  following  is  the  letter  of  advice  written  at 
the  same  time  to  Da  Plan  by  the  Synod  : — 

"  We,  Pastors  and  Preachers  assembled  in  National 
Synod  in  the  Vivarais,  to  our  much  honored  and  well- 
beloved  brother,  Monsieur  Du  Plan,  our  Deputy  General. 

u  Accompanying  the  considerations  indicated  in  the 
instructions  herewith  sent,  we  renew,  Monsieur,  the  request 
we  have  more  than  once  presented  touching  the  carrying  out 
of  your  mission  to  the  august  and  gracious  Protestant 
Powers. 


Letter  6f  advice  from  the  Synod  to  Du  Plan.      211 

u  We  further  add  the  expression  of  our  hope  that  you 
will  not  any  longer  delay  the  prosecution  of  this  business, 
equally  urgent  and  interesting,  inasmuch  as  it  appears  to  ns, 
Monsieur,  that  its  further  postponement  would  be  an  act  of 
culpable  neglect,  in  view  ot  the  many  necessities  of  our 
afflicted  Churches. 

u  We  have  reason  to  hope  that  the  journey  we  now  ask 
you  to  make  will  obtain  for  us  much  needed  and  timely  help  ; 
having  a  sure  guarantee  of  the  same  in  the  fruits  of  previous 
solicitations  to  certain  of  our  kind  and  illustrious  friends. 

u  What  satisfaction  would  it  not  be,  Monsieur,  if  through 
the  grace  of  God,  the  success  of  your  mission  were  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  evils  by  which  we  are  oppressed,  and,  which  if 
God  does  not  interfere,  will  speedily  consummate  our  ruin? 
Wrhat  happiness  would  it  not  be  for  our  dear  brethren  under 
the  Cross,  if,  in  addition  to  the  amelioration  of  their 
sufferings,  you  were  to  obtain  through  your  ever  watchful 
care  and  faithful  interposition  the  blessed  deliverance  for 
which  we  have  so  long  sighed  ? 

■  Our  object,  Monsieur,  in  this  letter  is  to  solicit  you  to 
raise  a  fund  which  may  serve  to  relieve  our  wants,  chiefly 
those  of  the  Churches  in  connection  with  the  maintenance 
of  their  Pastors  ;  and  further,  that  you  may  endeavour  to 
obtain  the  intercession  of  the  Protestant  Powers  with  our  King 
on  behalf  of  that  liberty  which  is  our  sacred  and  rightful  due. 

u  Finally,  Monsieur,  permit  us  through  you  to  beseech 
our  dear  and  valued  friends  to  examine  the  instructions  we 
have  sent  you  on  this  subject,  and  we  shall  be  under  a  deep 
obligation  to  our  friends,  should  these  instructions  be  found 
defective,  if  they  will  prepare  others  more  suitable  to  your 
purpose;  to  which,  should  they  deem  proper,  we  will  append 
our  signatures,  if  you  will  have  the  goodness  to  forward  us 
the  document. 

u  W«  fail  not  to  offer  our  prayers  to  heaven  on  behalf  of 
all  who  interest  themselves  in  us,  beseeching  the  Lord  to 
bestow  His  richest  blessing  on  your  labours  and  your 
pious  self. 


212     Certificate  of  the  Venerable  Company  of  Pastors. 

u  In  our  Synodal  Assembly,  this  twenty  seventh  day  of 
September,  One  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty. 
"  Signed  :  Cortiez,  Pastor  and  Moderator  ; 
A.  Joui,  Deputy  ; 

Roger,  Pastor  and  Deputy  of  Dauphiny  ;  ' 
Betrine,  Preacher  and  Deputy  ; 
Fauriel,  alias  Lassagne,  Pastor  and  Secretary  ;■ 
Maroger,  Preacher  and  joint  Secretary." 

Before  leaving  Geneva,  the  Deputy  received  the 
following  certificate  from  the  Venerable  Company 
of  Pastors  of  that  Church  : 

"  We,  Pastors  of  the  Church  of  Geneva,  affirm  that 
M.  Benjamin  Du  Plan,  Nobleman,  of  Alais  in  Languedoc, 
of  a  stature  somewhat  above  middle  height,  hair  long,  aged 
about  forty  years,  of  the  same  religion  as  ourselves,  has  quitted 
the  Kingdom  of  France,  in  order  to  make  an  open  profession 
of  his  faith,  and  that  he  has  lived  nearly  seven  years  amongst 
us,  during  which  time  we  have  been  greatly  edified  by  his 
pure  morality  and  his  zeal  for  the  advancement  of  the  reign 
of  Jesus  Christ  ;  he  has  carefully  attended  our  religious 
assemblies,  and  has  celebrated  the  Lord's  supper  with  us 
on  every  occasion  that  presented  itself.  For  these  reasons, 
and  understanding  that  he  is  about-  to  travel  in  Holland, 
we  recommend  him  to  the  grace  of  God  and  the  good  will 
of  our  brethren. 

u  Given  at  Geneva,  this  12th  of  April  1731. 

"  Signed  :   Vial  de  Beaumont,  Pastor; 

Turretin,  Pastor  ; 

Maurice,  Pastor  ; 

L.  Tronchin,  Pastor  ; 

J.  Bessonnet,  Pastor  ; 

De  Roche,  Pastor  ; 

De  la  Rive,  Pastor  ; 

J.  Sarrasin,  Pastor  ; 

Léger,  Pastor  ; 

Dentand,  Pastor." 


Du  Plan's  last  journey  in  Switzerland.  213 

Last  journey  in  Switzerland,  1731. 

Furnished  with  these  attestations,  the  Deputy 
made  a  last  round  in  Switzerland  as  a  prelude  to 
his  longer  journey,  which,  though  expected  to  extend 
only  over  a  year,  was  not  finished  until  fourteen 
had  elapsed.  It  was  not  without  encountering 
strong  opposition  from  his  friends  that  Du  Plan  set 
out.  "  You  take  great  pains  "',  they  said  to  him, 
"  and  spend  much  money,  but  secure  very  little 
result."  They  were,  however,  mistaken,  for  it  may 
be  said  that  Du  Plan  by  means  of  the  help  he 
obtained  either  for  the  College  at  Lausanne,  or  for  the 
Churches,  prevented  the  extinction  of  Protestantism 
in  France.  Guided  only  by  his  zeal  and  devotion, 
he  started,  travelling  sometimes  on  foot,  sometimes 
on  horseback,  but  always  in  the  most  economical 
manner.  He  proposed  to  Antoine  Court  that  he 
should  accompany  him  : 

"  If  you  have  any  desire  for  a  pilgrimage  in  Switzerland," 
he  wrote  to  him,  u  I  offer  to  share  with  you  what  I  possess  ; 
you  know  the  extent  of  my  purse  and  the  object  I  have  in 
view  in  going,  if  it  please  God,  to  Holland  and  England.  If 
you  have  the  courage  to  encounter  perils,  travel  frequently 
on  foot,  and  put  up  with  meagre  fare,  you  are  my  man,  we 
will  share  our  troubles  and  our  pleasures." 

At  Zurich,  Du  Plan  made  the  acquaintance  of 
M.  De  Wateville,  a  wealthy  German  baron  who 
was  deeply  affected  by  all  that  the  Deputy  told  him 
of  the  persecuted  Protestants  of  France.  This  noble- 


214  He  encounters  M.  de    Wateville.. 

man  desiring  an  interview  with  Antoine  Court,Dir 
Plan  furnished  him  with  a  letter  of  introduction  : — 

"Monsieur  de  Wateville,"  he  wrote  to  him,  "lives  in 
Germany  ;  his  residence  is  near  that  of  a  nobleman — the 
Count  de  Zinzendorf— greatly  distinguished  for  his  piety. 
He  is  favorably  disposed  towards  those  who  abandon  their 
country  for  the  truth  and  has  made  certain  proposals,  as  to 
which  you  can  confer  with  M.  De  Wateville  in  order  to 
ascertain  how  they  can  be  adapted  to  the  wants  of  our 
refugees." 

(July  1731.) 

These  proposals  had  for  their  object  an  extension, 
of  hospitality  to  those  whom  persecution  had  driven 
from  France. 

Du  Plan  simply  passed  through  Zurich,  though, 
he  was  assured  that  a  longer  sojourn  in  the  city 
might  have  borne  good  fruit.  He  had  been  apprized 
of  the  arrival  of  the  King  of  Sweden  at  Cassel,  and 
he  hastened  to  commence  the  duties  of  his  foreign 
mission  by  an  interview  with  that  monarch.  From 
Saint-Gall  he  wrote  to  Court  asking  him  to  obtain 
from  M.  le  Professeur  Polier  a  letter  of  recom- 
mendation to  his  Swedish  Majesty.  Step  by  step 
he  arrived  at  Frankfort,  and  before  setting  out  for 
Cassel  communicated  to  his  friend  some  impressions 
of  his  journey  : — 

"I  thank  God  that  lam  able  to  report  myself  in  good 
health,  though  I  have  suffered  at  one  time  from  heat  and  at 
another  from  rain,  as  well  as  from  the  fatigues  inseparable 
from  travelling.  On  my  way  I.  have  encountered  persons  of 
different  character;  some  have  entertained  me  with  good 


Impressions  gathered  on  kin  journey.  215 

cheer,  afterwards  offering  me  money,  while  others  have  first 
entertained  me  badly  and  fleeced  me  afterwards.  These  things 
are  dispensations  of  Providence  to  teach  us  to  use  the  good 
with  moderation  and  thankfulness  and  to  suffer  the  evil 
with  patience  and  resignation. 

u  I  visited  all  our  friends  in  SAvitzerland,  and  have  received 
promises  of  a  continuance  of  their  charity  towards  our 
brethren  under  the  Cross;  there  is  good  reason  to  hope  that 
they  will  carry  out  their  promises  in  proper  time  and  place, 
but  let  us  pray  that  God  may  ever  inspire  them  with  virtuous 
sentiments  and  that  He  may  bless  them. 

UI  intend  leaving  to-morrow  forCassel,  where  I  am  led 
to  hope  I  shall  obtain  some  help.  I  shall  still  be  in  the 
keeping  of  God,  though  in  a  foreign  land  and  amongst 
strangers.  If  I  had  followed  the  Rhine,  I  should  soon  have 
reached  Holland,  by  a  route  sufficiently  agreeable,  and  with 
persons  whose  company  would  have  afforded  me  pleasure; 
I  have  not,  however,  undertaken  this  journey  for  pleasure 
but  to  procure  help  for  my  brethren. 

"To  speak  frankly,  I  have  not  much  reason  to  hope  that  I 
shall  be  very  successful  in  Germany,  money  being  scarce  and 
the  people  by  no  means  favorably  disposed.  I  am  told  that 
Holland  is  a  wealthy  country,  but  the  large  sum  recently 
collected  there  for  the  Vaudois  scarcely  leads  me  to  hope 
for  much  aid  at  present.  For  this  reason  I  should  prefer 
spending  the  winter  in  England  even  at  the  risk  of  my  lungs. 
Should  I  meet  with  success  in  that  country  many  persons  will 
be  greatly  surprised,  for  the  description  I  have  received  of 
the  inhabitants  both  from  English  and  French  sources  does 
not  afford  me  any  encouragement;  they  are  depicted  as  a 
people  excessively  hard  and  miserly,  devoted  e;.ther  to  their 
pleasures  or  to  business,  and  consequently  it  is  neither 
through  my  ability  nor  their  charity  that  I  hope  to  obtain 
succour  for  our  fellow  countrymen,  but  solely  through  the 
grace  of  God  who  can  dissolve  the  rocks  in  water  and  the 
flints  in  oil  when  it  is  His  pleasure  to  do  so." 

(29th  of  September  1731.) 


216  His  first  residence  in  London. 

At  length  Du  Plan  arrived  at  Cassel,  where  he 
was  presented  to  the  King  of  Sweden,  by  whom  he 
was  received  in  a  cordial  manner  and  who  gave  him 
about  eight  hundred  livres  on  behalf  of  the  Churches. 
For  the  reasons  assigned  to  Court  he  did  not  prolong 
his  stay  in  Germany  or  pass  through  Holland,  but 
directed  his  steps  at  once  towards  England,  arriving 
in  London  towards  the  end  of  1731. 

First  residence  in  London  1731 — 1733. 

The  trials  and  fatigues  of  the  journey,  and  the 
cold  and  foggy  climate  of  the  North  soon  affected 
the  health  of  the  zealous  Deputy,  which  was  already 
very  delicate.  Nevertheless  he  spared  no  pains,  but 
went  about  as  well  as  he  could,  appealing  either  to 
his  refugee  co-religionists  or  to  the  Court.  Alas!  he 
had  not  been  deceived  as  to  the  reception  which  had 
been  predicted  for  him,  it  was  everywhere  cold  and 
unkind.  He  wrote  as  follows  to  Court  about  a  year 
after  his  arrival  : — 

"I  have  no  good  news  yet  to  tell  you,  but  am  waiting, 
always  trusting  entirely  in  God  lest  my  hopes  should  be  put 
to  confusion.  Faith  is  at  such  a  low  ebb  in  this  country, 
charity  so  chilled  and  the  poor  so  numerous,  that  unless  God 
operates  in  a  miraculous  manner  there  is  every  appearance 
that  my  efforts  will  meet  with  but  a  poor  result." 

(27th  of  November  1732.) 

Some  declined  to  help  on  the  ground  that  the 
sufferings  of  French  Protestants  were  caused  by 
their  own  mistaken  policy,  by  their  persistence  in 


His  discouraging  reception  there.  217 

holding  illicit  assemblies  and  in  obstinately  pre- 
ferring- persecution  to  exile,  while  others  not  rarely 
ilismissed  roughly  the  troublesome  applicant  with- 
out wasting  too  many  words  on  him.  Let  us  hear 
Du  Plan's  own  account  of  his  first  essay  at  raising- 
money  in  England. 

"I  have  visited  persons  here  who  are  reported  to  be  very 
wealthy  and  inspired  with  zeal  for  God.  I  thought  they  would 
joyfully  embrace  the  opportunity  of  helping  to  publish  the 
glad  tidings  of  the  Gospel  in  our  country  upon  which  God  has 
commenced  to  look  with  a  compassionate  eye.  After  having 
explained  the  condition  of  our  Churches  and  their  needs  in 
the  most  pathetic  manner  possible,  I  have  been  told  distinctly 
and  flatly  that  missionaries  were  in  the  habit  of  consuming 
nearly  all  the  money  they  collected.  I  certainly  did  not 
expect  so  harsh  a  reception.  I  know  not  if  I  changed 
countenance,  but  I  felt  somewhat  irritated  and  replied 
firmly  that  I  advocated  the  interests  of  the  Church  from 
love  and  not  from  necessity,  that  I  already  had  sufficient, 
thank  God,  not  alone  for  myself,  but  to  help  a  neighbour, 
and  that  it  was  perfectly  indifferent  to  me  whether  I  ate  my 
bread  in  England  or  in  Geneva,  where  I  had  long  remained 
without  causing  inconvenience  to  anyone.  These  words 
completely  changed  the  tone  and  bearing  of  my  discourteous, 
unrefined  millionaires,  and  there  is  one  who  in  order  to 
atone  for  his  fault  has  given  evidences  of  his  charity  when- 
ever I  have  afforded  him  the  opportunity,  while  I  on  my  side, 
with  a  view  to  justify  my  professions  of  generosity  and 
devotion,  and  to  prove  my  independence,  have  disbursed  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  money  sent  to  me  by  my  relations  ; 
there  is  no  present  I  have  received  which  I  have  not  in  one 
way  or  another  returned  two  fold,  and  this  has  produced  a 
very  good  result  for  the  cause  which  I  advocate,  while  at 
the  same  time  it  has  gained  me  a  respect  which  wUl  render 
me  more  capable  of  serving  our  churches  and  my  frien  ds 


218  His  perseverance  is  crowned  with  success. 

also,  both  in  time  and  place.  I  say  "time  and  place" 
because  it  is  necessary  to  use  discretion,  otherwise  my 
efforts  may  be  defeated  like  the  husbandman's,  who,  after 
he  has  sown  and  laboured  with  diligence,  endeavours  to 
reap  the  harvest  before  the  grain  is  ripe.  " 
(January  1734.) 

Let  us,  however,  add  that  Du  Plan  received  some 
encouragement  towards  the  end  of  his  sojourn  in 
London.     He  himself  acquaints  us  with  the  fact. 

u  I  do  not  intend  at  present  to  make  a  long  stay  in  this 
city.  I  have  canvassed  it  for  fifteen  or  sixteen  months 
with  little  result,  but  God  has  at  length  touched  the  hearts 
of  a  few  people  of  importance  who  have  assured  me  that 
my  journey  shall  not  be  without  its  fruits  ,  I  have  reason  to 
believe  what  they  say,  and  have  accordingly  indicated  to 
them  the  persons  to  whom  they  should  transmit  their 
contributions  and  from  whom  they  will  not  fail  to  receive 
hearty  thanks  for  their  good  will,  while  I  content  myself 
with  praying  that  God  may  continue  to  sustain  them  in  these 
good  intentions.  I  have  however  encountered  gainsayers 
who  denounce  the  asssemblies  and  moralize  on  misfortune,, 
but  I  hope  soon  to  overcome  their  objections." 

(April  1733.) 

At  last  after  twenty  months  of  urgent  solicita- 
tions and  petitions  to  the  Court,  Grod  touched  the 
heart  of  the  King  of  England,  in  answer  to  the  prayers 
of  Du  Plan.  Already  had  the  Deputy  gained  over  to 
his  side  the  Queen  and  the  Chevalier  Schaub,  the 
latter  even  became  one  of  his  most  devoted  friends. 
The  King  granted  Du  Plan  an  audience,  listened 
graciously  to  his  recital  of  the  misfortunes  of  the 
French  Protestants,  and  most  generously  presented 


His  generosity  towards  the  refugees.  219 

him  with  a  gift  of  one  thousand  pounds,  promising,.. 
even,  to  make  the  subscription  a  yearly  one.  The 
Queen  referred  him  to  the  Bishop  of  London  for 
receipt  of  the  Royal  bounty. 

Although  occupied  with  the  general  concerns  of 
the  Church,  Du  Plan  did  not  neglect  the  interests  of 
his  friends.  He  laboured  assiduously,  though  not 
always  with  success,  to  gather  literary  materials  for 
Antoine  Court  who  at  that  time  was  engaged  in 
writing  the  history  of  the  Protestant  Church. 

He  also  sought  help  for  the  refugees  who  had  fled 
from  their  country  and  found  themselves  in  London 
wretched  and  destitute.  One  day  there  arrived  a 
M.  Gras,  a  church  elder.  Du  Plan  had  known  him 
in  the  South,  where  his  house  had  always  afforded  a 
welcome  to  the  preachers.  His  wife  had  made  her 
escape  to  'Geneva,  and  he  in  traversing  Savoy  had 
had  the  misfortune  to  lose  his  two  horses.  He  arrived 
in  London  "without  a  coat  or  shirt  to  his  back,  and 
moneyless.'"  Du  Plan  received  him  at  his  house,  and 
wrote  to  Geneva  begging  of  his  friends  there  to 
interest  themselves  on  behalf  of  the  wife  of  his  guest. 

u  She  writes  to  me  from  Geneva,  where  she  is  a  refugee, 
that  she  has  sold  her  clothes  to  buy  bread,  of  which  she  is 
often  in  need,  and  that  her  eldest  daughter  who  is  with  her 
is  sick.  They  receive  three  florins  a  week  from  M.  Vial,  but 
this  is  not  enough  to  sustain  life.  Could  you  receive  them 
at  Lausanne  for  a  time  until  we  can  arrange  to  place  them 
at  Berne  or  Zurich?  or  here,  if  the  husband  can  get  into 
business  ?  I  shall  be  specially  obliged  if  you  will  render 
them  all  the  aid  in  your  power." 

(November  1732.) 


220  The  death  of  his  father. 

We  draw  particular  attention  to  this  fact  as  a 
proof  of  the  benevolence  and  generosity  with  which 
the  Nobleman  welcomed  the  most  obscure  of  the 
unfortunates. 

It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  active  and  useful  life 
that  Du  Plan  suddenly  heard  of  the  death  of  his 
father,  as  well  as  that  of  his  uncle  Lèches,  neither 
of  whom  had  ever  failed  to  evince  their  affection 
for  him,  and  their  interest  in  his  occupation  during 
the  entire  period  of  his  absence  from  France. 

The  death  of  his  father  completely  frustrated  Du 
Plan's  hopes  for  the  future.  The  fact  that  he  was 
exiled  deprived  him  of  all  rights  of  inheritance. 
Having  foreseen  this  misfortune  he  had  several  times 
endeavoured  to  provide  against  it,  and  in  1731  had 
caused  his  father's  marriage  to  be  legalised;  the  same, 
owing  to  the  troubles  of  the  times,  not  having  been 
regularly  solemnised.  He  had  hoped  that  his  father 
Avould  have  bequeathed  his  propert)^  to  their  intimate 
friend,  the  Baron  of  Alais,  by  whom  it  could  have 
been  transferred  later  to  the  rightful  heir.  But  death 
overtook  Seigneur  Bibot  Du  Plan  before  he  had 
time  to  carry  into  execution  his  good  intentions  on 
behalf  of  his  son. 

It  is  touching  to  witness  with  what  calm  Christian 
resignation  the  disinherited  son  bore  this  heavy 
trial  : — 

"  God  has  ordained  all  these  things,"  he  wrote  to  Court, 
"  in  order  to  detach  my  affections  from  this  world,  and  I  only 
ask  grace  to  bow  with  submission  to  His  will.  I  ara  a 
stranger  and  sojourner  in  the  land,  and  desire  only  what  is 


He  leaves  London.  221 

necessary,  seeing  that  '  we  brought  nothing  into  this  world 
and  it  is  certain  we  can  carry  nothing  out.'  My  principal 
and  almost  only  object  should  be  to  please  my  Father  who 
lives  for  ever,  and  who  will  apportion  to  me  an  inheritance 
which  neither  the  power  nor  cunning  of  my  enemies  can  ever 
take  away  from  me,  trusting  that  God  will  not  permit  me 
to  be  so  unfortunate  as  willingly  to  suffer  deprivation  of  this 
inheritance  through  infidelity  to  His  service." 
(May  1732.) 

Thanks  to  the  kindness  of  a  few  of  his  relatives 
and  friends,  specially  to  M.  Fabre  and  M.  Trélis,  of 
Alais,  Du  Plan  saved  something  from  the  wreck  of 
his  fortune.  M.  de  Lencizole,  his  cousin  who 
inherited  the  property,  cordially  tendered  bis 
services  which  at  a  later  date  Du  Plan  was 
compelled  to  accept.  Deprived  of  further  aid 
from  his  father,  the  disinherited  nobleman  gathered 
together  a  little  capital,  four  thousand  francs,, 
which  he  deposited  with  a  banker,  his  excellent 
friend,  M.  Graussen,  of  Geneva. 

He  left  London  after  a  sojourn  in  the  capital 
of  England  of  about  two  years,  terminating  his 
residence  there  more  satisfactorily  than  he  had 
commenced  it. 

"  After  having  endured  many  hardships  in  England  and 
taken  great  pains  without  witnessing  any  result  of  my 
labours,  God  be  praised  my  journey  has  at  length  been 
successful;  I  am  unable  to  tell  you  by  writing  what  I  hope 
to  tell  you  by  word  of  mouth." 

(November  1733.) 


222  Journey  in  Holland. 


Journey  in  Holland,  1733-1735. 

Du  Plan  had  a  perilous  passage  to  the  Hague, 
where  he  arrived  towards  the  end  of  October  1733. 
He  was  compelled  to  keep  his  room  for  the  first 
three  months  after  he  landed,  in  order  to  recover 
from  his  fatigue  as  well  as  to  restore  his  shattered 
health,  the  climate  of  the  North  having  caused  him 
to  suffer  considerably  in  his  throat  and  lungs. 

As  soon  as  his  health  permitted  him  to  move 
about,  the  Deputy  of  the  Churches  put  himself  into 
communication  with  several  refugee  families,  and 
especially  with  the  Mesdemoiselles  De  Dangeau, 
daughters  of  the  Marquis  De  Dangeau,  he  to  whom 
Boileau  dedicated  his  famous  satire  on  the  Nobility. 
His  efforts  in  the  Confederated  Provinces  were  more 
successful  than  in  England.  He  secured  from  the 
Government  a  donation  of  two  thousand  florins, 
payable  yearly  for  five  years,  besides  obtaining 
help  for  the  prisoners  in  the  Tower  of  Constance 
and  the  galley-slaves  at  Marseilles.  Thanks  to  his 
intervention  the  States  entered  into  negotiation 
with  Louis  XV.,  and  procured  the  freedom  of  twenty 
of  these  unfortunates,  who  went  to  settle  in  Holland, 
where  they  received  an  annuity. 

Du  Plan  obtained  access  to  the  Prince  of 
Prussia  and  the  Princess  of  Orange,  during  a  journey 
they  were  making  through  the  Hague,  and  was 
munificently  presented  with  one  thousand  florins. 

The  following  is  Du  Plan's  résumé  of  his  collec- 


Zïïs  success  there.  223 

tiens  in  Holland  during  the  two  years  he  resided 
there  : — 

1st.  An  annuity  of  two  thousand  florins  extend- 
ing over  a  period  of  five  years. 

2nd.  Another  of  five  hundred  florins. 

3rd.  Another  of  three  hundred  florins. 

4th.  The  release  of  twenty  galley  slaves  with  an 
annuity  of  three  hundred  florins  for  ten  of  their 
number,  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  florins  for  the 
remaining  ten.1 

He  unhesitatingly  refused  every  present  that  was 
offered  to  him  personally,  as  he  had  hitherto  done  in 
Switzerland,  England  and  elsewhere  ;  not  that  his 
pecuniary  circumstances  were  by  any  means 
brilliant,  far  from  it,  but  from  delicacy  of  conscience. 
Since  the  loss  of  his  inheritance  the  Deputy  had 
lived  with  the  strictest  economy. 

"  I  am  like  a  vessel  grounded  on  a  sand  bank  ;  it  there 
come  not  soon  a  high  tide  and  a  fair  wind  I  run  the  risk  of 
remaining  here  long  enough  to  starve  my  two  companions  - 
who,  although  they  have  for  some  time  existed  on  meagre 
fare,  are  faithful  to  me,  not  knowing  indeed  which  way  to 
turn.  As  for  myself,  I  have  long  given  up  wine  and  been 
reduced  to  beer.  Everything  is  dear  ;  my  room  costs  me 
about  equal  to  ten  francs  per  month  of  Geneva  money  and 
the  rest  in  proportion." 

(July  1734.) 


1.  Statement  submitted  to  the  Arbiters. 

2.  Gas  and  the  preacher  Chapel. 


224  Journey  in  Germany. 

Occasionally  he  tried  his  lack  by  putting  into 
the  lottery,  but  with  no  more  success  in  Holland 
than  in  Geneva. 

"  Fortune  does  not  favour  me  by  chance.  It  is  necessary 
for  me  to  seek  a  fortune  which  has  its  foundation  laid  on 
wisdom  and  virtue,  and  it  is  God  alone  who  can  and  will  by 
His  grace  impart  the  wisdom  and  virtue  requisite  to  render 
us  happy,  independently  of  worldly  riches  or  glory." 

(July  1734.) 

Journey  in  Germany,  1735 — 1737. 

Du  Plan  quitted  Holland,  in  October  1735,  for 
Prussia  but  he  failed  to  discover  there  the  same 
generosity. 

"I  have  been  here  two  months,"  he  wrote  to  his  friend, 
"  and  notwithstanding  my  efforts  I  see  as  yet  no  result.  As 
I  do  not  place  my  reliance  on  human  means,  except  as  God 
blesses  them,  I  can  afford  to  wait.  " 

(6th  of  December  1735.) 

After  a  time  he  began  to  weary  of  his  journeys: 

"I  am  desirous  of  returning  into  Switzerland  as  soon  as 
I  can.  I  am  tired  of  travelling  about  the  world  and  have  an 
ardent  wish  to  see  my  old  friends  again." 

He  endeavoured  to  obtain  an  interview  with 
Frederick  William,  King  of  Prussia,  but  his  Majesty 
having  his  whole  thoughts  engrossed  with  the  army 
paid  but  little  attention  to  the  sad  tale  of  the  Deputy; 
another  reason  was  that  William  being  in  alliance 
with  Louis  XV.  could  not  render  aid  to  men  whom 
the  court  looked  upon  as  rebels. 


Du  Plan's  aunt  and  sister  arrive  at  Geneva.      225 

Du  Plan,  in  no  way  discouraged,  returned  to  the 
charge  and  wrote  again  to  the  King.  This  time  his 
Majesty  promised  to  intercede  with  France  on  behalf 
of  the  galley  slaves  and  offered  to  receive  into  his 
kingdom  those  who  wished  to  take  refuge  there.  He 
replied  to  the  petition  of  the  Deputy  of  the  Synods 
in  the  following  terms: 

u  Monsieur  Du  Plan, 
"Your  letter  of  the  31st  of  May  has  been  duly  received. 
In  reply  I  beg  to  state  tnat  if  you  are  in  a  position  to  indicate 
to  me  a  certain  number  of  French  families  who  desire  to 
establish  themselves  here,  I  will  give  them  a  hearty  welcome 
and  vouchsafe  to  them  everything  that  can  be  demanded  in 
reason,  but  as  to  the  propositions  you  meditate  submitting 
to  me  you  must  rest  assured  that  I  have  good  reasons  for 
refusing  to  consider  them. 

"  Yours  very  affectionately 

"F.  Guillaume." 
"Potsdam,  the  8th  of  June  1736." 

Despairing  of  success  at  Court,  Du  Plan  ad- 
dressed himself  to  private  individuals.  This  delicate 
and  troublesome  operation  was  facilitated  by  friends 
and  countrymen  whom  he  found  living  in  Berlin. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  heard  of  the 
arrival  of  his  aunt  Lèches  and  his  sister  at  Geneva. 
He  wrote  to  them  at  once. 

"Berlin,  the  1st  of  May  1736. 
"Mesdemoiselles,  my  much  honoied  dear  mother  and  sister, 
"  Praised  be  the  Lord  !    I  learn  from  a  letter,  that  our 
good  friend  M.  le  pasteur  Vial  has  had  the  kindness  to  write 

15 


226  He  addresses  them  a  letter  of  welcome. 

to  me,  that  you  have  safely  arrived  at  Geneva.  The  only 
thing  that  has  somewhat  lessened  my  joy  is  that  my  dear 
mother  is  indisposed  ;  I  trust,  however,  if  it  please  God, 
that  she  will  soon  recover.  It  will  be  a  satisfaction  to  me  to 
have  news  from  you  as  soon  as  possible,  as  I  shall  be  uneasy 
till  I  hear. 

"  Did  my  duty  and  even  my  temporal  interests  (as  our 
good  friend  will  better  explain  to  you)  not  impel  me  to 
remain  longer  in  these  parts,  I  should  hasten  to  join  you  at 
Geneva  ;  but  it  is  essential  that  I  postpone  this  gratification 
in  order  that  my  conscience  may  not  reproach  me,  and  that 
my  own  personal  affairs  do  not  suffer  complication.  The 
latter  I  hope,  with  the  help  of  God,  so  to  arrangeas  to  enable 
us  to  live  on  our  dividends  without  trenching  on  our  little 
capital.  I  have  asked  M.  Vial,  to  whom  I  am  under  a 
thousand  obligations,  the  recollection  of  which  will  be  ever 
present  with  me,  to  restore  to  you  the  notes  I  confided  to  his 
care  during  your  absence,  and  you  will  do  well  to  seek  his 
counsel,  as  it  is  the  best  you  can  follow.  As  you  are  now 
in  a  free  country,  I  will  write  to  you  as  often  as  you  wish, 
only  give  me  your  address,  for  it  is  unfair  to  put  our  friends 
to  expense  or  trouble  when  we  can  avoid  doing  so.  I  have 
received  many  tokens  of  kindness  from  our  dear  country- 
woman Madame  Dumas  ',  whom  I  look  upon  as  a  mother  ; 
I  am  delighted  to  hear  you  are  staying  at  her  house  and  that 
you  have  no  intention  of  leaving.  As  she  makes  me  her  heir, 
I,  in  return,  place  all  my  possessions  at  her  service.  Live 
together  and  spare  nothing  which  can  contribute  to  your 
health  and  comfort  without  consideration  for  me,  otherwise 
I  shall  be  disappointed.  I  thank  God  that  I  am  at  present 
in  very  good  health,  being  almost  entirely  free  from  an 
affection  of  the  throat  which  has  troubled  me  for  nearly 
three  years  :  the  air  of  Berlin  has  been  conducive  to  my 


1.  This  was  Du  Plan's  first  nurse,  for  whom  he  entertained  the 
affection  of  a  son;  she  was  a  refugee  at  Geneva,  before  he  arrived 
there. 


//<  pi  t  if  io>t*  the  Court  on  behalf  of  the  galley  slaves,  227 

recovery.  The  family  of  M.  Meynadier>  whom  I  frequently 
see,  are  persons  of  eminence  ;  they  have  shown  me  much 
kindness  and  they  greet  you.  I  am  also  charged  to  convey 
the  salutations  of  M.  de  la  Motte,  M.  de  Lamelouse,  Mlle  de 
Bandas  and  the  venerable  M.  de  Lancizole,  uncle  to  the 
inheritor  of  my  father's  property,  but  who  has  many  merits. 
It  is  a  pleasure  to  me  to  meet  here  persons  from  our  country, 
as  it  is  for  you  to  meet  at  Geneva  the  Mesdames  de  Lavabre 
and  Baudan,  the  Messieurs  Meynadier  and  their  wives, 
Messieurs  Gasc,  Icarde  and  Felinesse,  all  of  whom  I  beseech 
you  to  salute  when  you  see  them.  With  respect  and 
gratitude  I  unceasingly  commend  myself  to  the  good  will 
and  the  prayers  of  the  three  whom  I  esteem  and  love 
so  tenderly  and  whose  very  humble  and  affectionate  brother 
and  servant  I  am. 

"Du  Plax." 

Before  leaving  Berlin,  Du  Plan  prepared  for 
the  Minister  of  State  a  list  of  the  galley-slaves  and 
prisoners  in  order  that  he  might  make  still  another 
attempt  to  procure  their  liberation.  That  he  might 
do  this  the  more  effectually,  he  endeavoured  to 
induce  some  other  Power  to  join  its  efforts  to  those 
of  Prussia. 

u  After  having  used  all  the  means  in  our  power,  we  must 
leave  the  rest  to  a  kind  Providence  which  overrules  alike 
events  and  the  hearts  of  men  to  its  own  wise  purposes. 
I  feel  assured  that  I  shall  be  able  to  procure  some  little  help 
to  comfort  them  in  their  distress  ;  I  should  have  been  very 
successful  here,  were  it  not  that  business  is  so  bad,  that  poverty 
so  much  abounds,  and  that  so  many  have  been  ruined  by  the 
serious  inundations  of  which  you  have  perhaps  heard  ; 
entire  villages  have  been  swept  away  and  the  king  of  Prussia 
himself  has  lost  several  millions  '." 

1.    Du  Plan's  Letter  to  his  aunt  dated  from  Magdeburg,  12th  of 
Aug.  1736. 


228  Journey  in  Denmark. 

Du  Plan  after  leaving  Berlin  visited  Magde- 
burg, where  he  encountered  some  fellow  country- 
men from  Nismes  ;  he  then  went  to  Frankfort, 
Leipsic  and  Hamburg,  and  during  these  pilgrimages 
he  obtained  help  for  the  galley-slaves  and  prisoners,, 
the  Protestant  Church  of  Hamburg  alone  giving 
him  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  crowns. 

Journey  in  Denmark,  1737. 

Pursuing  our  journey  northward  we  find  Du 
Plan,  in  May,  1737,  at  Copenhagen.  Grreat  success 
awaited  him  at  the  Church  in  that  city,  where  certain 
of  the  faithful,  uniting  with  the  Court,  contributed 
about  fifteen  hundred  crowns.  It  was  in  Copen- 
hagen that  he  learned  the  success  of  his  efforts  on 
behalf  of  the  galley  slaves,  twelve  of  whom,  owing 
to  the  joint  intervention  of  Prussia  and  England,  had 
been  happily  set  free.  These  successes,  however,, 
were  not  obtained  without  great  exertion. 

"I  wend  my  way  through  the  Protestant  Christian  world; 
I  visit  all  the  Churches  of  our  Communion  ;  I  make  the 
acquaintance  of  our  brethren  scattered  throughout  the 
nations.  I  address  myself  specially  to  those  who  have  been 
received  into  neighbouring  States,  in  a  spirit  ot  charity,, 
offering  them  the  opportunity  of  exercising  charity  in  their 
turn  towards  those  who  yet  groan  beneath  the  Cross,  and 
who  are  waging  a  glorious  warfare  on  behalf  ot  our  great 
King,  Jesus  Christ.  Some  listen  and  &how  sympathy  for  the 
sufferings  of  their  brethren,  while  others  turn  a  deaf  ear,  and 
by  actual  importunity  alone  can  I  extract  anything  from  them; 
whether  owing  to  want  of  ability  or  willingness  on  their  partr 


Du  Plan  sympathies  ivith  Court  m  his  affliction.  229 

I  cannot  tell  ;  but  though  I  have  not  reaped  a  large  harvest, 
I  have,  at  least,  the  consolation  of  having  everywhere 
secured  gleanings  not  to  be  despised.  It  is  due  to  the 
Churches  and  to  those  who  control  them  to  say  that  if  they 
have  not  always  responded  to  ray  appeals  it  is  because  they 
have  amongst  them  many  poor  whom  it  is  their  obvious 
•duty  to  relieve  betore  they  assist  strangers." 
(Copenhagen,  15th  of  December  1736.) 

On  learning  that  Court  had  been  tried  by 
•domestic  affliction  as  well  as  by  confiscation  of  his 
property  in  France,  Du  Plan  evinced  great  sympathy 
lor  him,  and  after  having  compared  his  friend's  posi- 
tion with  his  own  he  added: 

"As  regards  myself,  never  having  had  children,  I  know 
not  what  it  is  to  lose  them,  nor  how  far  the  joy  oi  having 
had  them  tor  a  time  can  compensate  for  the  sorrow  their 
loss  may  occasion  ;  but  with  respect  to  worldly  goods,  I 
abandoned  all  when  I  came  away  from  France,  not  knowing 
■whether  I  should  ever  recover  anything.  God  has,  however, 
by  His  grace  enabled  me  to  gather  together  sufficient  to 
prevent  my  becoming  burdensome  to  any,  and  to  prosecute 
jny  travels  without  too  much  difficulty.  I  am  perfectly 
willing  to  employ  not  only  the  interest  of  my  little  capital 
but  what  remains  of  the  principal  itself,  and  even  to  sacrifice 
my  life,  if  it  be  God's  will  to  require  it,  on  behalf  of  Hi» 
«Church." 

(Copenhagen,  21st  of  April  1737.) 

The  only  hope  left  to  Du  Plan  after  having 
sacrificed  his  all  for  the  Churches,  was  that  he  might 
receive  proper  compensation  for  his  labours.  The 
committee  at  Geneva  took  this  view  and  even  gave 
expression   to    the   same   through   the   medium    of 


230  Journey  in  Sweden. 

Turrettin,  one  of  its  most  distinguished  members, 
who  in  addressing  Du  Plan  in  acknowledgement  of 
the  receipt  of  three  thousand  livres,,  said  : 

"My  colleagues  and  I  praise  God  for  the  happy  issue  of 
your  diplomacy,  prayiug  that  our  gracious  Father  may  be 
pleased  to  protect  you  and  by  His  infinite  mercy  to  bless 
your  labours  in  the  future  as  effectually  as  in  the  past  .  .  . 
I  refer  you  to  M.  Vial  for  further  details,  contenting  myself 
by  assuring  you  of  the  interest  we  all  take  in  everything  that 
concerns  you,  and  of  our  firm  conviction  that  the  expenses- 
you  incur  ought  to  be  made  good  to  you. l  " 


Journey  in  Siveden,  1737 , 

In  1737  Du  Plan  passed  on  into  Sweden  and 
came  to  Stockholm.  The  King  received  him  very 
favorably  and  generously  granted  him  an  annuity  of 
two  hundred  crowns.  Even  the  Senate  of  this 
kingdom  voted  him  fifty  ducats. 

The  Deputy  of  the  Synods  having  now  to  all 
appearance  arrived  at  the  end  of  his  long  pilgrimage, 
many  reasons  induced  him  to  return  to  Geneva;  both 
his  aunt  and  his  sister  were  desirous  of  seeing  him 
again;  his  health  was  injured  by  over  fatigue;  and, 
finally,  he  desired  to  embrace  his  dear  relatives  and 
friends  as  well  as  to  enjoy  a  little  repose.  GTod 
refused  him  the  consolation;  at  one  time  the  incle- 
mency of  the  weather  and  at  another  the  interests 
of  the  Churches  interfered  with  his  return. 


l.    Letter  from  Turrettin,  dated  Geneva,  3rd  of  December,  1736. 


I in  I'ln >t  revisits  Copenhagen  and  Hamburg.      231 

u  Much  as  I  wish  to  come  and  see  you,"  he  wrote  from 
Stockholm  to  his  aunt  and  sister,  u  I  fear  I  shall  be  unable 
to  do  so  this  year,  as  the  season  is  advanced  and  I  am  a 
long  way  from  Geneva.  It  is  also  necessary  for  me  to 
revisit  Holland  if  I  wish  to  sustain  that  which  I  have  so 
happily  begun  there.  I  may  also  be  detained  on  my  journey 
in  certain  towns  of  Germany,  where  I  have  formed  acquaint- 
ances calculated  to  be  of  service  to  our  brethren.  I  beseech 
you  not  to  consider  me  unkind,  because  I  feel  it  an  urgent 
duty  to  fulfil  my  commission  ;  rest  afterwards  !  " 

(Stockholm,  24th  of  August,  1737.) 

"  I  wish  still  more  than  you,"  he  wrote  again  to  his 
aunt  and  sister,  "  to  arrive  at  the  end  of  my  pilgrimage,  for 
I  am  weary  of  wandering  about  and  of  going  to  and  fro  in 
the  world.  It  is  only  a  strong  sense  of  duty  and  a  feeling 
of  compulsion  that  enables  me  to  overcome  the  fatigues 
I  encounter  on  the  way." 

(Hamburg,  November,  1737.) 


Return  to  London,  1738. 

Towards  the  end  of  1737,  Du  Plan  left  Sweden 
on  hi.s  return  to  Holland,  and  visited  for  the  second 
time  Copenhagen  and  Hamburg,  in  which  places  he 
strengthened  in  their  charitable  sentiments  the  bene- 
factors he  had  already  procured  for  the  Churches. 
On  his  journey  he  addressed  a  statement  to  the 
King  of  Prussia,  His  Majesty  having  placed  at 
Du  Plan's  disposal  two  hundred  crowns  "  for  the 
relief  of  the  oppressed  poor."  l 

In  January,  1738,  Du  Plan  was  at  the  Hague, 
whence  he  addressed  a  letter  to  his  friend  : 

1.    Letter  signed  Gram,  Frieden berg,  4th  of  Oct.,  1737. 


232  He  returns  to  London. 

"I  reached  the  Hague  some  days  ago,  after  having 
visited  the  countries  of  the  Goths  and  Vandals.  You  have 
tokens  that  God  has  given  me  grace  to  glean  something 
everywhere,  even  though  I  have  not  been  able  to  reap 
a  harvest.  The  commencement  is  always  difficult,  but  in 
time  we  shall  make  progress.  I  have  had  negotiations 
with  men  whom  I  have  had  to  press  with  importunity 
before  I  could  obtain  anything  from  them,  while  others  have 
given  cheerfully.  Cost  what  it  may,  I  hope  before  the  end 
of  this  year,  if  it  please  God,  notwithstanding  lukewarm 
charity,  to  put  the  whole  thing  on  such  a  footing  as  to 
sustain  itself  and  produce  a  certain  annual  income,  small 
though  it  may  be." 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ACTIVITY    OF    DU    PLAN   IN   LONDON. 

1738—1744. 

Du  Plan  was  preparing  to  set  out  for  Geneva 
when  an  unforeseen  occurrence  all  at  once  changed 
his  plans.  On  his  arrival  at  the  Hague  he  heard 
that  the  Queen  of  England,  his  benefactress,  was 
dead,  that  the  society  she  had  been  instrumental  in 
founding  was  dissolved,  and  that  the  King,  in  spite 
of  His  Majesty's  promises,  had  not  renewed  the 
annual  gift.  But  this  was  not  all  ;  he  heard  that 
the  English  Court  had  discontinued  altogether,  for 
a  year  past,  the  annual  payment  of  eight  thousand 
pounds,  which  since  the  Revocation  had  been 
granted  for  the  use  of  necessitous  refugees.  After 
having  written  on  the  subject  with  urgent  solicitude, 
but  without  result,  Du  Plan  unhesitatingly  resolved 


He  apprizes  his  aunt  and  sister  thereof.  233 

to  sacrifice  his  cherished  project  of  returning  to 
Switzerland  and  to  start  instead  for  London  with  a 
view  to  put  new  life  into  his  almost  defunct  work. 
It  was  from  London  that  he  wrote  to  his  aunt 
and  sister  to  apprize  them  of  the  sad  news. 

"  Mesdemoiselles,  iny  much  honored  Aunt  and  my  dear 
Sister, 

a  You  have  no  doubt  already  heard  of  the  death  of  the 
Queen  of  England  ;  it  was  through  the  instrumentality  of  this 
pious  and  illustrious  Princess  that  I  secured  from  His 
Majesty  the  King  a  kind  of  annual  pension.  It  appeared  to 
be  so  assured  that  I  never  anticipated  the  necessity  would 
so  soon  arise  for  me  to  cross  the  sea,  and  I  consequently 
deferred  doing  so  until  the  latest  moment  ;  but  finding  that 
my  reiterated  appeals  drew  forth  no  response,  and  that  I  had 
lost  my  estimable  protectress  and  mediator  with  the  King, 
I  came  here  about  two  months  since  in  order  to  set  matters 
straight,  a  work  of  great  difficulty  and,  according  to  some 
persons,  of  absolute  impossibility. 

"  I  admit  tbat  I  am  somewhat  perplexed,  inasmuch  as 
I  recollect  well  that  I  have  promised  to  rejoin  you  as  soon 
as  possible,  and  I  am  constantly  encountering  unexpected 
difficulties  and  delays.  If  the  sum  in  question  were  trifling 
I  would  have  sacrificed  it  for  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you,  but 
the  business  is  too  important  to  permit  me  to  treat  it  with 
neglect.  Difficult  as  it  may  be,  I  shall  leave  no  stone 
unturned  to  accomplish  my  work  in  time  to  enable  me  to 
visit  Geneva  this  year.  I  am  so  weary  and  fatigued  with 
my  travels  and  the  incidental  worry  and  excitement,  that  if 
the  important  interests  at  stake,  and  for  which  I  began  this 
campaign,  had  not  sustained  me,  I  should  long  ago  have 
abandoned  my  task." 

(June  1738)  « 

1.    Extracted  from  the  family  papers. 


234:    He  discovers  that  his  work  in  London  is  rained. 

When  Du  Plan  arrived  at  London  he  was  not 
long  in  discovering  that  his  work  was,  so  to  speak, 
ruined,  and  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  go  again 
over  the  old  ground  ;  nevertheless  he  did  not  lose 
courage,  but  renewed  his  efforts  with  the  King  and 
with  other  personages  of  wealth  and  distinction. 
The  difficulties  he  encountered  on  his  first  essay 
have  been  already  recounted;  they  were  none  the 
less  on  his  second  attempt,  and  after  eight  months 
of  unfruitful  labour  he  wrote  to  his  friend  as 
follows  : — 

"  For  more  than  eight  months  have  I  been  labouring  here 
without  result,  except  incessant  toil  and  the  expenditure  of 
much  money.  If  I  did  not  regard  human  agency  as  of 
secondary  importance  I  should  lose  all  hope.  ' 

(January  1739). 

Ultimately,  after  great  perseverance  and  endless 
importunity,  Du  Plan  obtained  an  audience  of  the 
King  of  England,  and  secured  from  this  Majesty  a 
fresh  grant  of  one  thousand  pounds  with  promise  of 
similar  payment  every  year. 

Although  so  actively  occupied  abroad  he  con- 
cerned himself  none  the  less  Avith  the  vicissitudes  of 
the  Protestant  Church  of  France. 

His  correspondence  with  the  preachers  kept  him 
well  informed  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  Huguenots,. 
a  faithful  description  of  whose  sufferings  he  com- 
mitted to  paper  and  in  this  way  obtained  subscrip- 
tions on  their  behalf.  In  one  of  these  appeals  he 
writes  as  follows  : — 

"  Notwithstanding  that  God,  in  order  to  try  His  Churchy 


He  publishes  an  appeal  on  I»  half  of  the  Protestants.  235 

as  well  as  to  punish  His  servants  for  their  forgetfulness  of 
His  spiritual  and  temporal  gifts,  has  permitted  the  Edict  of 
Nantes  to  be  revoked,  our  Pastors  to  be  exiled,  our  flocks  to 
be  scattered,  our  temples  to  be  razed,  and  persecution  to 
become  rampant  in  a  thousand  different  forms,  yet  the  Lord 
has  not  allowed  the  Light  of  His  Gospel  to  be  utterly  extin- 
guished in  France  ;  He  h?.s  always  raised  up  persons,  zealous  É 
for  His  glory,  who  have  proclaimed  His  Word  in  spite  of 
unjust  decrees  and  violent  persecutions. 

u  These  servants  of  God  have  formed  Churches  in  various 
Provinces,  specially  Lower  Languedoc,  the  Cevennes,  Viva- 
rais,  and  Dauphiny;  the  Churches  have  their  Pastors  and 
their  Elders  and  meet  in  yearly  Synod,  but  are  under  a 
tyrannical  yoke,  similar  to  that  of  the  Churches  of  the  first 
three  centuries  in  the  reigns  of  heathen  Emperors,  or  to  that 
of  the  early  Christians  who,  destitute  of  temples,  were 
constrained  to  hold  their  meetings  for  religious  worship  in 
caves,  deserts  and  woods,  in  secret,  and  often  at  night  time 

"The  greater  number  of  the  Preachers,  after  having 
instructed,  consoled,  and  edified  the  people  for  a  time,  have 
sealed  with  their  blood  the  truths  they  have  proclaimed  and 
have  submitted  to  martyrdom  not  only  with  fortitude  but 
joy,  while  many  of  their  hearers  have  suffered,  and  are  yet 
suffering  with  admirable  constancy,  for  their  profession  of 
the  faith,  either  on  galleys  or  in  prisons. 

"  It  is  on  behalf  of  these  willing  confessors  sinking  beneath 
their  load  of  suffering,  bound  in  fetters  with  all  sorts  ot  male- 
factors, or  shut  up  in  horrible  dungeons,  that  a  subscription 
has  been  set  on  foot  by  charitably  disposed  persons  who 
concern  themselves  in  the  froissure  de  Joseph,1  and  who 
sympathize  with  those  who  are  prisoners  for  the  Gospel's 
sake  as  if  they  themselves  were  in  bonds,  for  they  look  upon 
these  fellow  sufferers  as  members  of  the  mystical  body  of 
Jesus  Christ,  our  recognised  Master,  King,  Saviour  and  God, 
to  whom  we  look  tor  our  highest  happiness. 

1.    The  hurting  of  Joseph.    See  Psalm  CV.,  v.  17,  18. 


236  He  describes  the  Tower  of  Constance. 

"At  the  present  moment  the  number  of  galley  slaves  is 
eighteen;  of  prisoners  confined  in  the  fort  of  Brescou,  which 
is  surrounded  by  the  sea,  ten  ;  twenty-two  are  confined  in 
the  Tower  of  Constance,  without  reckoning  seventeen  women 
who  were  recently  arrested  near  Nismes  on  their  return  from 
attending  a  religious  assembly,  and  are  now  under  sentence 
ot  perpetual  imprisonment  in  the  said  tower. 

"It  has  also  been  recently  announced  that  two  ministers 
in  Vivarais,  named  Veruey  and  Lassagne,  were  shot  while 
flying  before  a  detachment  of  soldiers;  and  further,  that  in 
the  same  locality  seven  women  have  been  arrested,  one  of 
them  being  the  wife  of  M.  de  Lassagne,  a  lady  who  expects 
shortly  to  be  confined.  The  fate  of  all  these  victims  of  per- 
secution will  be  imprisonment  according  to  the  decrees. 

B  The  Tower  of  Constance,  situated  at  Aigues-Mortes,  a 
town  of  Lower  Languedoc,  is  a  dreadful  prison  to  which 
those  alone  are  sent  who  are  doomed  to  die  a  slow  and 
lingering  death.  Aigues-Mortes  was  once  a  port,  but  the  sea 
has  left  it,  and  commerce  and  manufacture  have  deserted  it, 
Bound  its  ancient  walls  stretch  dismal  swamps  and  barren 
fields,  the  air  is  filled  with  a  deadly  malaria,  there  is  no 
wholesome  water  within  a  distance  of  two  leagues; 
funerals  are  frequent  in  the  city,  and  its  few  surviving  inha- 
bitants, appear  to  be  in  perpetual  mourning  for  departed 
friends.  But  wretched  as  is  Aigues-Mortes  the  Tower  of 
Constance  is  still  more  miserable.  Into  that  abode  ot  woe 
the  outward  air  penetrates  only  by  a  few  holes  pierced 
through  its  massive  walls,  the  poor  prisoners,  shut  out  from 
the  light  ol  the  sun,  are  immured  as  in  a  living  tomb  whose 
terrible  monotony  of  gloom  and  cold  neither  the  brightness 
of  spring  nor  the  warmth  of  summer  ever  varies.  When 
seized  by  illness  there  is  none  to  minister  to  them,  and  in  the 
case  of  most  a  life  of  severe  suffering  is  speedily  terminated 
by  an  eagerly  welcomed  death. 

"  There  are  some,  however,  who  in  spite  of  their  suffer- 
ings, survive  in  this  horrible  den  for  ten,  fifteen  or  twenty 
years,  owing  either  to  their  strength  of  constitution,  or  to 


He  portrays  the  severity  of  the  persecution.        237 

the  will  of  God  in  preserving  them  in  order  that  they  may 
be  for  others  living  examples  of  constancy,  piety,  and  virtue. 
Among  the  galley  slaves  are  found  both  men  and  women  of 
all  ages,  from  twenty  to  eighty-four  years,  that  being  the  age 
of  the  father  of  M.  Durand,  the  faithful  minister  who  suffered 
martyrdom  about  nine  years  ago. 

"It  is  an  undoubted  fact  that  except  in  certain  towns 
where  trade  is  brisk,  the  people  of  France  are  very  poor  ; 
but  besides  poverty  and  physical  sufferings  the  Protestants 
have  long  been  sorely  tried  through  the  entrapping  of  their 
children,  through  arbitrary  impositions,  and  through 
confiscations  and  fines,  which  have  so  impoverished  our 
people  that  they  are  utterly  unable  to  succour  their  captive 
co-religionists. 

u  Twenty-five  young  lads  have  been  placed  in  a  Catholic 
school  at  Alais  and  forty  young  yirls  have  been  shut  up  in 
a  convent  at  Anduze,  a  town  in  the  Cevennes,  without 
counting  other  children  or  adults  who  have  been  carried  off 
and  incarcerated  in  neighbouring  provinces  where  the  zeal 
for  persecution  is  from  time  to  time  revived. 

u  All  these  statements  may  be  verified  by  letters  and 
attestations  from  persons  worthy  of  implicit  confidence. 
They  will,  without  doubt,  move  the  hearts  of  the  pious  and 
charitable  to  contribute  to  the  relief  of  their  brethren  and 
sisters  in  Christ  a  portion  of  the  worldly  goods  with  which 
God  has  blessed  them,  while  the  faithful  confessors  them- 
selves, imbued  with  a  true  and  lively  sense  of  gratitude,  will 
offer  their  earneot  prayers  to  God  on  behalf  of  their  generous 
benefactors. 

"  The  prayers  ot  the  faithful  when  offered  in  earnestness 
are  potent  tor  the  securing  of  Heaven's  blessings  and  for 
averting  the  threatened  judgments  of  the  Almighty. 

u  Convinced  by  the  many  letters  we  receive,  and  lrom  the 
testimony  of  trustworthy  persons  who  are  willing  to  con- 
tribute to  this  laudable  object,  of  the  truth  of  our  statements 
it  is  with  pleasure  that  we  append  our  signatures. 

«  London, .  .  .  1739." 


238    He  interests  himself  on  behalf  of  the  Confessors. 

This  appeal  met  with  a  favorable  hearing  and 
Du  Plan  had  the  pleasure  of  receiving  many  gifts 
which  he  transmitted  to  his  brethren  on  the  King's 
galleys,  and  to  his  sisters  in  the  Tower  of  Constance. 
Chapel,  on  his  return  to  England,  was  entrusted  with 
letters  of  thanks  from  some  of  the  faithful  confessors. 
In  reading  the  original  of  these  letters  disco- 
loured by  age,  written  within  the  massive  walls  of 
the  Tower  of  Constance  by  two  women  who  had 
grown  old  in  their  imprisonment,  or  on  the  galley 
"  Heroine  "  by  two  heroic  convicts,  we  have  felt 
the  tears  rise  to  our  eyes.  Though  the  writing,  as 
to  style  and  the  orthography,  is  that  of  persons  not 
highly  educated,  the  sentiments  are  elevated  and 
dignified.  The  first  letter  is  signed  by  two  pri- 
soners named  Yigne  and  Soleyrol,  natives  of  Alais. 
Jacquette  Yigne  was  forty-five  years  old  when,  on 
the  22nd  of  September,  1726,  she  was  arrested  on 
account  of  her  religion  and  shut  up  in  the  Tower; 
Anne  Soleyrol,  the  daughter  of  a  baker,  was  aged 
twenty  three  years  when,  on  the  2nd  of  January, 
1738,  she  was  imprisoned  for  having  attended  an 
assembly.  In  the  register  recording  the  conduct  of 
the  prisoners  we  read  under  date  of  the  year  1745. 
"  Jacquette  Vigne.  Belief  unchanged." 
"  Anne  Soleyrol.  Belief  unchanged." 
Women  of  this  stamp  alone  were  capable  of  en- 
graving on  a  paving  stone  in  the  Tower  of  Constance 
the  touching,  soul-inspiring,  and  courage-giving 
word,  which  yet  remains  :  Résistez  ! 

Jacquette  Vigne  and  Anne  Soleyrol,  grateful  to 


Letter  from  tiro  prisoners  in  the  Totrer  of  Constance.  239 

Pu  Plan  for  the  interest  which,  while  in  a  distant 
country,  lie  had  manifested  in  the  poor  captives,  wrote 
to  him  on  the  27th  of  March,  1740,  as  follows  : 

"Monsieur, 
"  We  have  been  honored  by  the  receipt  of  your  kind  and 
sympathetic  letter  and  deeply  affected  by  the  pious  exhor- 
tations you  have  been  good  enough  to  offer  us  ;  we  regard 
them  as  a  favor  from  Heaven,  as  it  is  thereby  evident  that 
God  will  never  abandon  us,  since  he  raises  up  persons  so 
respected  as  yourself  for  our  help,  notwithstanding  the 
cruelty  of  our  enemies  who  look  upon  us  as  the  offscourings  of 
the  earth  :  and  not  our  enemies  only,  but  many  who  ought  to 
give  us  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  it  is  this  which 
adds  to  the  hardship  of  our  captivity  :  but  we  hope,  Monsieur, 
through  your  charitable  and  zealous  exertions  and  your 
terveut  prayers,  that  under  God's  blessing  we  shall  receive 
some  mitigation  of  our  sufferings,  and  that  many  pious 
persons  will  follow  your  example.  While  very  humbly 
grateful,  Monsieur,  for  your  charitable  solicitude,  we  pray 
that  you  may  have  grace  to  continue  the  same,  so  long  as  it 
shall  please  the  Lord  to  prolong  our  imprisonment.  The 
Messieurs  of  Alais  have  kindly  written  to  say  that  you  have 
forwarded  some  help  for  us,  but  we  have  not  yet  received  it. 
We  are  in  all  thirty-one  prisoners,  mostly  widows  and 
orphans,  and  you  are  not,  Monsieur,  unacquainted  with  our 
wants.  In  commending  ourselves  to  your  devout  prayers, 
and  beseeching  you  to  ask  tor  us  those  of  the  Church  also, 
we  on  our  side  will  ever  supplicate  the  Divine  Bemg  to 
bestow  upon  you  every  prosperity  and  His  most  precious 
blessings,  both  spiritual  and  temporal.  These  are  the  wishes, 
Monsieur,  of  those  who  have  the  honor  to  subscribe  them- 
selves, with  much  respect  and  regard,  your  very  humble  and 
obedient  servants,  the  prisoners,  "  Vigne. 

"SOLEYROL." 

In  the  Tower  of  Constance,  Aigues-Mortes,  the  27th  of 
March,  1740. 


240       Letter  from  two  galley  slaves  at  Marseilles. 

The  following  is  the  letter  of  the  two  galley- 
slaves  at  Marseilles.  Villevaire  had  during  twenty 
five  years  been  one  of  Roger's  most  devoted  com- 
panions in  work.  For  a  long  time  he  had  fulfilled, 
the  office  of  reader  in  the  assemblies,  as  well  as 
catechist  and  preacher,  and  he  had  been  appointed 
by  several  of  the  Provincial  Synods  to  the  post  of 
Secretary.  He  was  arrested  on  the  15th  of  June, 
1736,  and  condemned  to  a  life  on  the  galleys.  l 

"For  Messieurs  La  Plaine  and  Du  Plan. 

"Messieurs  and  much  honored  brethren  in  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ, 

"I  have  received  the  letter  of  the  25th  of  October,  1739,. 
with  which  you  have  been  pleased  to  honor  me,  and  I  learn 
from  it  with  especial  pleasure  that  you  are  both  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  good  health.  God  grant  that  the  present  letter  may 
find  you  in  the  same  condition.  All  the  confessors  are  well. 
Praised  be  the  Lord  for  all  your  charitable  exertions  on  our 
behalf,  and  for  which  we  return  you  our  thanks.  God  will 
help  you  in  your  work  and  reward  you  for  your  labours;  He 
can  do  both,  for  He  commands  and  it  is  done.  Darkness 
flies  before  the  light  of  His  word.  We  feel  confident  that 
your  efforts  will  not  be  fruitless  for,  while  you  on  your  side 
are  describing  our  captivity  and  the  causes  of  our  sufferings 
to  persons  who  are  ignorant  of  these  things  and  whose 
compassion  may  thereby  be  moved  in  our  favour,  we  on 
our  side  are  so  humbled  by  God  as  to  be  incapable  even  if  we 
wished  of  rejecting  their  kind  offices;  we  find  ourselves 
comforted  under  our  afflictions  by  their  beneficence  and  may, 
perhaps, — what  we  should  like  still  better — be  delivered  by 
their  efforts  from  our  bonds. 


l.    See  the  interesting  details  of  his  life  and  capture  as  given  in- 
Jacques  Roger,  by  D.  Benoit,  p.  149, 152. 


Letter  from  two  galley  slaves  at  Marseilles.        241 

"Having,  by  the  grace  of  God,  made  a  Christian  pro- 
fession and  become  enrolled  in  the  spiritual  militia,  we  are 
bound  to  be  faithful  soldiers  and  to  submit  to  the  Lord's 
will:  our  chains  are  where  lie  has  placed  them,  and  it  is  our 
duty  to  bear  patiently  all  the  sufferings  by  which  we  are 
tried  for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel,  until  it  shall  please  Him  to 
release  U3.  How  do  we  know  whether  God,  in  permitting 
this  long  persecution,  and  in  permitting  new  captives  to  take 
the  places  of  the  old  ones  as  fast  as  these  are  called  away, 
does  not  intend  continually  to  reprove  the  lukewarm,  the 
worldly,  the  cowardly  and  the  timid  who  have  turned  away 
from  the  battle  and  abandoned  the  truth.  The  fancied 
wisdom  of  men  is  confounded  by  the  unerring  wisdom  of 
God.  Our  persecutors  think  to  dishonor  and  disgrace  us  by 
putting  us  with  malefactors  and  inflicting  on  us  the  same 
hardships,  but  in  this  we  are  honored  of  God  who  gives  us 
cause  for  rejoicing  in  that  He  counts  us  worthy  to  bear  shame 
for  the  name  of  Jesus. 

"God  has  predestinated  us  to  be  conformed  to  the  image 
of  His  Son,  that  suffering  with  Him  we  may  be  also  glorified 
together,  knowing  that  Christ,  who  went  through  tribulations, 
as  was  spoken  by  the  prophets,  and  who  has  entered  into 
His  glory,  has  told  us  that  we  shall  be  reviled  and  perse- 
cuted tor  His  name's  sake.  We  are  not  to  look  for  happiness 
in  this  life,  it  is  reserved  for  the  future.  Our  life  is  hid  with 
Christ  in  God,  but  when  Christ  who  is  our  lite  shall  appear 
then  shall  we  also  appear  with  him  in  glory.  Let  us  remain 
satisfied  for  the  present  with  the  promise  God  gives  us  of  an 
everlasting  felicity,  while  we  witness  in  our  own  time  and  in 
our  own  persons  the  accomplishment  of  the  persecutions 
with  which  faithful  Christians  must  expect  to  be  tried.  And 
let  us  also  strengthen  ourselves  in  our  confession  of  the  true 
faith,  trusting,  and  praying  that  God  in  His  mercy  may  give 
us  strength  to  persevere  unto  the  end. 

a  Please  present  our  humble  respects  to  M.  de  Vernon  and 
his  sons  who,  in  passing  through  Marseilles,  gave  us  proofs 
of  their  charity.  God  will  reward  them  for  their  good  deeds 


242  Death  of  the  King  of  Prussia. 

„  We  desire  our  affectionate  respects  to  Madame  D'Es- 
tampes and  her  family,  also  to  Monsieur  Ofrère,  and  to  all 
who  are  endeavouring  to  strike  off  our  chains  or  to  help  ua 
in  our  sad  condition,  and  be  assured,  Messieurs  and  brethren 
in  Christ,  that  I  am  with  heartfelt  affection,  your  very  humble 
and  obedient  servant 

"  Ville  vaire." 

Another  confessor  adds  the  following  lines  to 
this  letter  : 

"  Monsieur, 
"  I  take  advantage  ot  the  remainder  of  the  paper  in  order 
to  wish  you  many  happy  years  and  much  prosperity  in  this 
world,  and  a  glorious  entrance  into  Paradise  when  your 
earthly  course  is  finished.  May  God  in  His  Fatherly  good- 
ness bestow  upon  you  His  most  precious  gifts  and  further 
your  righteous  enterprise.  I  trust  you  will  not  be  unmindful 
in  your  prayers  of  my  sad  condition,  and  I  am,  Monsieur, 
with  a  profound  respect,  your  very  humble  and  submissive 
servant 

u  Gleize,  on  the  galley  Heroine.'1'' 

u  If  I  seem  to  have  been  dilatory  in  writing  to  you,  it  is 
because  our  brother  Villevaire  kept  the  letter  of  our  brother 
Chapel  for  six  weeks  without  shewing  it  to  me.  My  respects 
to  our  brother  Chapel.  Our  brother  Martin  makes  his  pro- 
found respects  to  you  both  and  recommends  himself  to  your 
•compassionate  consideration." 

Du  Plan  had  almost  completed  his  work,  and 
was  making  final  arrangements  to  respond  to  the 
appeals  of  his  aunt  and  his  sister  by  setting  out  for 
Geneva,  when  a  new  and  important  event — the  death 
of  the  King  of  Prussia — caused  another  alteration 
in  his  plans.    His  Majesty  had  rendered  some  service 


Du  Plan  limitâtes  whether  to  go  to  Berlin  or  Geneva.  243 

to  the  Churches  by  obtaining  from  Louis  XV.  at 
the  instance  of  Du  Plan,  the  release  of  several 
persons  recently  arrested  ;  but  owing  to  his  friendly 
relations  with  France  he  was  prevented  from  inter- 
fering to  any  further  extent  in  religious  matters. 
It  was  this  monarch  who  had  personally  addressed 
a  letter  to  Du  Plan.  x  His  son  and  successor  to  the 
throne,  it  was  said,  was  not  bound  to  exercise  such 
precaution. 

Du  Plan  hesitated  whether  to  go  and  plead  his 
cause  at  Berlin  or  to  return  to  (xeneva.  He  sub- 
mitted the  question  to  his  aunt  for  her  decision. 

"Were  I  a  young  man  and  at  liberty  to  pimue  my  own 
course,  I  should  not  have  hesitated  to  go  as  soon  as  I  heard 
of  the  death  of  the  King;  but  being  in  ray  fifty-third  year, 
of  a  delicate  constitution  and  utterly  weary  of  long  journeys 
in  countries  whose  language  I  am  unable  to  speak,  I  have' 
determined  to  write  by  the  first  post  to  Berlin  to  ascertain 
whether  it  is  necessary  for  me  to  go  thither.  I  also  write 
to  you,  my  dear  aunt  and  mother,  to  ask  whether  in  case  I  am 
wanted  at  Berlin  you  would  wish  me  to  call  first  at  Geneva  in 
fulfilment  of  my  promise,  or  whether  you  will  consent  that 
3  should  visit  Berlin  before  returning  to  Geneva,  if  it  please 
God,  for  the  rest  of  ray  days.  I  have  such  a  sincere  and 
ardent  desire  to  see  you,  and  ara  so  mortified  at  the  prospect 
of  being  obliged  to  postpone  ray  return,  that  supposing  I  bave 
to  visit  Berlin  I  would  attempt  with  God's  help  to  surmount 
the  fatigues  which  the  long  journey  thither  by  way  of 
Geneva  would  involve.  Instead  of  being  offended  with  me 
I  beseech  you  to  have  compassion,  in  that  I  am  forced  to 
restrain  my  inclination  in  order  to  fulfil  my  duty.    I  await 

.1.    See  his  letter  on  pase  225. 


244  The  generosity  of  Du  Plan. 

your   definite   reply   as    to   which    course   you    wish    me 
to  adopt." 

(London,  the  18th  of  June  1840.) 

The  worthy  aunt  consented  once  more  to  the 
postponement  of  Du  Plan's  return;  nevertheless  in 
her  affectionate  reply  she  could  not  refrain  from 
charging  her  nephew,  in  spite  of  his  defence  of 
himself,  with  a  somewhat  pronounced  taste  for 
travelling.  Du  Plan's  persevering  efforts  were  at 
least  not  always  fruitless.  He  had  the  satisfaction 
of  learning  that  he  had  gained  his  case  in  England 
on  behalf  of  the  refugees,  although  it  had  cost  him? 
it  is  true,  much  labour  as  well  as  money. 

UI  have  obtained  a  verdict  with  costs,  and  even  sup- 
posing I  have  sacrified  my  personal  interests  on  behalf  of 
my  brethren,  I  trust  now  that  a  commencement  has  been  made 
the  day  will  arrive  when  my  brethren  will  testify  their 
acknowledgements1. 

Du  Plan  departed  for  Berlin,  hoping  to  meet 
there  with  the  same  success  as  in  England,  when  to 
his  great  disappointment  he  heard  that  Prussia  had 
declared  war  against  Silesia;  and  although  this  event 
was  a  fresh  discouragement  and  prevented  him, 
apart  from  his  own  wishes,  from  returning  to  his 
aunt  and  sister,  he  did  not  fail  to  interest  himself 
in  their  welfare  or  neglect  to  minister  to  their  wants 
according  to  his  ability. 

"I  hear,"  he  wrote  to  them,  "that  you  exercise  the 
strictest  economy.     This   is  not   desirable  when  one  has 

1.  Du  Plan's  letter  to  his  aunt,  dated  September,  1740.  It  is  the 
Author  who  underlines  the  latter  portion. 


Death  of  his  aunt  Lèches.  245 

•reached  a  certain  age  and  has  need  of  additional  comforts  ; 
I  therefore  pray  you  to  take  more  care  of  yourself  than  you 
have  hitherto  done,  and  I  say  the  same  to  my  sister  to  whom 
I  renew  my  assurance  of  warmest  affection.  When  you  no 
longer  have  means  either  from  France  or  at  Geneva,  every- 
thing I  possess  in  this  world  is  at  your  disposal.  Can  I  fail 
to  offer  you  my  services  after  the  many  tokens  of  friendship 
received  at  your  hands,  and  which  I  can  never  forget?'' 
(26th  of  February,  1741.) 

This  letter  was  one  of  the  last  that  Madame 
Lèches  received  from  her  nephew;  she  died,  in  the 
the  course  of  the  year  1741  without  having  had  the 
jo)'  and  consolation  of  embracing  for  a  last  time  him 
whom  she  loved  as  a  son,  and  who,  as  we  discover 
from  Du  Plan's  correspondence,  fully  reciprocated 
her  affection.  After  the  death  of  his  aunt,  Du  Plan 
concentrated  all  his  thoughts  on  his  sister,  isolated 
at  Geneva,  and  ,  far  away  as  he  was,  he  anticipated 
all  her  wants  to  the  extent  of  imposing  such  sacri- 
fices on  himself  as  to  awaken  the  friendly  solicitude 
of  his  aged  friend  the  Pastor  Vial  de  Beaumont. 
Vial,  knowing  the  precarious  position  of  Du  Plan, 
and  his  slender  income,  considered  it  his  duty  to 
write  him  the  following  letter  advising  him  to  be 
more  careful  of  his  resources  and  to  provide  for  the 
future. 

u  Monsieur  and  very  dear  friend, 

"You  are  too  sensible  of  the  trifling  services  I  have 

rendered  to  the  late  Madame  Lèches,  your  aunt;  I  would 

assure  you,  1  wish  that  they  had  been  many  times  multiplied 

as  it  was  only  for  her  to  command  them.    I  had  the  greatest 


246  Letter  of  Pastor  Vial  de  Beaumont. 

regard  for  her,  a  regard  due  as  much  to  her  own  personal 
qualities  as  to  the  warm  affection  and  high  esteem  which 
I  entertain  for  you.  I  wish  Mlle  Suzon  De  Ribot  were  less 
reserved  and  more  willing  to  believe  in  my  desire  to  serve 
her;  on  many  occasions  when  I  could  have  been  useful  to 
her  she  has  failed  to  inform  me.  Be  that  as  it  may,  however, 
she  is  tolerably  well  provided  for  ;  she  still  receives  some- 
thing from  France,  which,  added  to  the  income  from  the 
little  remaining  capital,  is  sufficient  to  enable  her  to  live 
comfortably  for  the  rest  of  her  days.  Do  not,  therefore,  be 
anxious  about  her,  or  consider  that  you  are  under  any 
obligation  to  send  her  money.  Think  rather  of  yourself, 
my  dear  friend  !  I  know  not  what  property  is  still  left  to 
you  in  France,  nor  if  it  be  practicable  for  you  to  obtain 
anything  from  that  country;  I  only  know  that  very  little 
remains  in  Geneva,  and  that  with  the  exception  of  your 
furniture,  the  debt  due  to  you  by  M.  Joly,  the  lame  man, 
and  some  other  trifle  of  the  same  kind,  you  have  scarcely 
more  than  two  thousand  francs  ready  money.  Seeing  to 
what  straits  you  are  reduced,  I  beseech  you,  my  dear  friend,, 
to  take  some  thought  for  yourself  and  labour  under  God's 
blessiDg  to  provide  for  the  future.  Fages  has  received  the 
louis  d'or  and  the  fourteen  livres  you  directed  to  be  paid  to 
him  ;  do  not,  however,  trouble  yourself  any  more  about  this 
man,  several  people  have  assured  me  that  he  is  in  comfor- 
table circumstances.  Refrain  for  the  future  from  giving 
so  freely  as  you  have  done  hitherto  ;  too  great  liberality  is 
a  fault  on  the  right  side,  but  it  is  nevertheless  a  fault,  and 
I  beseech  you  to  rectify  it.  It  is  true  that  under  God's 
blessing  the  fund  belonging  to  our  Churches  has  increased, 
but  it  is  by  no  means  certain  that  this  prosperity  will  con- 
tinue, that  expenses  will  not  augment  in  the  same  proportion, 
or  that  the  managers  of  the  fund  will  always  acknoivledge  your 
services  as  they  deserve. l    I  trust  I  shall  always  be  devoted 


1.    These  words  are  underlined  by  the  author. 


Letter  of  Pastor  Vial  de  Beaumont.  247 

to  your  well  being,  and  that  I  shall  render  you  every  service 
in  my  power,  but  I  am  old  and  infirm,  the  time  of  my 
departure  is  at  hand,  and  even  it"  death  do  not  soon  put  an 
end  to  all  my  labours,  I  shall  feel  myself  constrained  to 
surrender  as  many  engagements  as  I  can,  be  they  what  they 
may.  My  colleagues  and  I  beseech  you  to  suffer  no  privation  ; 
there  is  still  money  in  the  hands  of  our  friend  M.  Gaussen 
which  we  place  at  your  disposal  in  a  spirit  of  Christian 
love. 

''Mademoiselle  Suzon  De  Ribot  has  just  left  my  study  ; 
she  has  shown  me  the  letter  you  wrote  to  her,  enclosed  in 
one  addressed  to  M.  Paul  Gaussen  under  date  the  19th  of  this 
month.  She  acknowledges  with  thanks  the  marks  of  your 
friendship,  and  begs  you  to  be  assured  of  her  unchanging 
attachment.  She  declines  to  accept  the  ten  guineas  you 
placed  at  her  disposal  some  weeks  since  through  M.  Gaussen, 
as  she  thinks  you  have  more  need  of  them  than  she  has,, 
and  she  desires  your  happiness  more  than  her  own.  Both 
she  and  I  beseech  you  in  the  name  of  God  to  lay  by  some- 
thing for  your  declining  years,  so  that  you  will  not  be- 
dependent  on  others.  Mademoiselle  Jalabert  of  Alais,  who 
lives  in  the  same  house  as  Mile  Suzon,  has  a  niece  who  sleeps 
there,  and  should  the  daughter  of  M.  Trelis  also  come  she- 
will  receive  a  hearty  welcome.  The  poor  woman  Icard 
still  survives  ;  she  is  in  fair  health  and  is  preparing  to  pass 
the  winter  in  Switzerland — at  Yverdon,  with  a  married  lady 
of  Geneva  who  wishes  her  to  live  with  her.  Mile  Suzon 
asks  if  you  will  be  good  enough  to  tell  her  whether  she  may 
hope  to  see  you  once  more  during  her  lifetime  or  whether  it 
will  be  with  her  as  with  your  aunt.  Endeavour  to  satisfy 
her  desire,  and  believe  me  always,  Monsieur  and  dear  friend, 
your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant 

"  Vial  de  Beaumont." 

"Geneva,  the  30th  of  October  1741." 

Du  Plan  profited  from  his  detention  in  London, 
during  the  winter  of  1741,  to  collect  a  considerable 


248  Pastor  Serces. 

sum  of  money  for  the  captives  in  France,  which  he 
duly  transmitted  to  M.  Vial  de  Beaumont.  This 
was  his  answer  to  those  who  were  beginning  to 
reproach  him  for  his  long  sojourn  in  England,  on  the' 
ground  that  his  presence  there  was  useless  and 
burdensome  to  the  Churches.  The  individual  who 
showed  the  most  ill  will  was  M.  Serces,  Pastor  of 
the  French  Chapel  at  St.  James". 

"  My  friend,  M.  Serces,"  wrote  Du  Plan  to  M.  Vial,  "in 
the  belief  that  I  am  laboring  in  vain  and  spending  money 
uselessly,  has  several  times  heartily  desired  to  banish  me 
from  the  country.  God  be  praised,  however,  both  he  and 
some  others  who  think  with  him  are  greatly  mistaken. 
Happy  are  they  who  put  their  trust  in  God,  they  will  never 
be  disappointed.  I  will  avail  myself  of  another  opportunity 
to  tell  you  more  on  this  subject,  especially  as  our  friend  M. 
Serces  is  in  correspondence  with  you." 

(18th  of  December,  1741.) 

After  this  date  the  letters  of  Du  Plan  became 
less  frequent,  but  his  Statement  to  the  Arbitrators, 
with  the  preparation  of  which  he  was  now  occupied, 
sufficiently  explains  their  rarity  and  accounts  for  his 
prolonged  stay  in  England.  We  have  already 
mentioned  that  since  his  return  to  London,  the  De- 
puty of  the  Churches  had  procured  the  continuation 
of  the  annual  grant  from  the  King  of  England  which 
had  been  temporarily  suspended.  Du  Plan  waited 
till  the  year  had  expired  before  renewing  his  appli- 
cation. His  Majesty  being  in  Grermany,  his  ministers 
very    much     occupied,    and    the  Treasury    empty, 


Du  Plan  and  Lord    Wilmington.  249 

the  Deputy's  numerous  and  pressing  demands  for 
the  thousand  pounds  were  of  no  avail.  Wearied 
with  his  incessant  appeals  and  continued  refusals, 
he  at  length  proposed  to  Lord  Wilmington,  who  had 
succeeded  Sir  Robert  Walpole  as  First  Lord  of  the 
Treasury,  that  the  Royal  gift  to  the  Churches  should 
be  reduced  to  five  hundred  pounds,  on  condition  that 
the  amount  should  be  regularly  paid  and  even  made 
a  charge  on  the  Consolidated  Fund,  but  notwith- 
standing that  this  proposition  was  accepted,  the  five 
hundred  pounds  were  no  more  forthcoming  than  the 
thousand  pounds  had  been.  On  this  Du  Plan  resolved 
to  address  himself  directly  to  the  King  and  claim 
the  sum  as  originally  promised.  His  Majesty  was 
surprized  and  in  all  probability  blamed  the  Minister, 
for  Lord  Wilmington  was  annoyed  and  accused  the 
Deputy  of  complaining  to  the  King.  Du  Plan  in 
justification  of  his  conduct  produced  a  copy  of  his 
letter;  this  appeared  to  have  the  effect  of  pacifying 
Lord  Wilmington,  for  he  paid  the  five  hundred 
pounds  and  promised  for  the  future  to  befriend  the 
Churches.  But  the  }'ear  following,  when  the  Deputy 
again  made  his  claim  at  the  Treasury,  Lord 
Wilmington  angrily  reproached  him,  much  to  the 
astonishment  of  Du  Plan,  fur  the  outburst  had  no 
other  cause  than  the  importunity  of  his  demands. 
M.Serces,  who  happened  to  be  present,  took  advantage 
of  this  occurrence  by  attempting  to  injure  the 
Deputy's  character  with  the  Committee  at  Geneva. 
While  Du  Plan's  thoughts  were  occupied  by  this 
matter  (in  1743)  he  received  the  affecting  news  of 


250  Death  of  the  sister  of  Du  Plan. 

the  death  of  his  sister.  1  For  seven  years  she  had 
been  a  refugee  at  Geneva,  living  with  her  aunt  and 
valued  friend  Madame  Jeanne  Dumas.  The  latter 
died  in  1740  and  Madame  Lèches,  as  we  have  already' 
stated,  in  the  following  year.  Suzanne  De  Bibot, 
whose  sorrow  at  the  event  was  extreme,  found 
devoted  protectors  in  the  friends  of  her  brother;  the 
hope  of  soon  again  seeing  him  had  supported  her 
under  her  misfortunes  and  her  isolation;  a  hope,  alas, 
that  was  doomed  to  be  disappointed! 

In  evidence  of  her  affection  for  her  brother  she 
bequeathed  him  her  modest  dowry  and  by  this  means 
Du  Plan's  circumstances  were  improved.  Never- 
theless the  expenses  incident  to  his  prolonged  sojourn 
in  England,  and  above  all  his  liberality,  so 
awakened  the  solicitude  of  Vial  de  Beaumont  as  to 
draw  from  that  old  friend  a  second  letter. 

u  Geneva,  the  19th  of  April  1743. 
"  Monsieur  and  very  dear  friend, 
"  My  age,  nay  infirmities,  and  the  goodness  of  my  friends, 
having  forced  me  to  relinquish  active  interference  with  the 
affairs  of  our  brethren,  it  is  scarcely  to  be  expected  that  I  should 
keep  up  my  correspondence  with  you.  Indeed  I  should  have 
remained  silent  if  my  cordial  affection,  and  sincere  esteem 
for  you  did  not  compel  me  once  more  to  refer  to  the  little 
sum  of  money  belonging  to  you,  which  yet  remains  in  the  hands 
ot  M.  Gaussen.  Reflect,  I  beseech  you,  that,  in  the  first  place, 
this  sum  is  very  small,  not  more  than  five  or  six  thousand 


1.  Suzanne  de  Ribot  who  was  nine  years  older  than  her  brother 
was  born  on  the  6th  of  November,  1679,  at  the  Château  de  la  Favède,  and_ 
baptised  in  the  parish  of  Soustelle  by  a  Pastor  of  the  Desert. 


Last  advice  of  Pastor   Vial  de  Beaumont.  "251 

Korea;  secondly  that  it  constitutes  the  greater  part  of  your 
property;  and,  thirdly,  that  it  behoves  you  to  husband  it 
very  carefully,  because  your  friends,  conscious  of  your 
merits,  are  desirous  that  nothing  should  induce  you  to 
deprive  yourself  of  the  comfort  it  will  afford  you;  times  may 
change,  you  may  one  day  find  yourself  in  actual  want  and 
become  dependent  on  the  cheap  charity  that  dispenses  only 
fine  words.  And  even  should  this  not  come  to  pass  you 
will  always  find  plenty  of  people  ready  to  accept  your 
liberality  ;  you  may  bequeath  the  money  to  whomsoever  it 
may  please  you  :  in  a  word  there  is  a  species  of  rashness  in 
incurring  the  risk  of  want  in  our  old  age,  it  this  risk  can  be 
avoided.  As  these  sentiments  are  not  mine  alone,  but  are 
shared  by  all  our  friends,  I  speak  in  the  common  name  when 
I  ask  you  to  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  importunate  and  to  that 
class  of  people  so  plentiful  in  the  world,  swindlers  and 
spongers.  Do  not  moreover  make  such  frequent  demands  on 
your  little  fund  with  M.  Gaussen  ;  it  is  nearly  all  invested 
and  brings  you  in  an  interest  not  to  be  despised.  We,  one 
and  all,  beseech  you  to  reflect  seriously  on  what  we  are 
suggesting,  and  to  let  us  know  your  ultimate  decision  in 
order  that  we  may  act  accordingly.  We  are  not  unmindful 
that  you  are  at  liberty  to  dispose  of  your  own  as  you  wish, 
and  we  have  no  desire  to  control  you — we  simply  advise. 
And  as  they  who  serve  the  Church  ought  to  live  by  the 
Church,  we  further  advise  you  to  accept  the  pension  which 
our  friends  at  present  can  and  are  willing  to  grant  you,  and 
leave  untouched  the  money  in  the  hands  of  M.  Gaussen  either 
to  be  invested  or  to  be  sunk  in  an  annuity.  I  have  heard  it 
said  more  than  once  that  M.  Maurice  received  last  vintage 
from  Messieurs  Picot  and  Closière  the  hundred  crowns  you 
intended  for  him.  All  your  friends  salute  you.  Salute  in 
turn  our  friends  in  London,  especially  Messieurs  Gaussen 
and  Serces,  and  believe  me,  Monsieur,  that  I  shall  be,  for  the 
remainder  of  my  days,  your  very  dear  friend  and  humble 
and  obedient  servant, 

"Vial  de  Beaumont." 


252  Formation  of  the  Committee  in  London. 

All  the  fears  of  Vial  de  Beaumont  were,  unfor- 
tunately, justified  by  the  event,  and  Du  Plan  was 
destined  to  experience  the  ingratitude  and  malice  of 
his  fellow  men. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 

IN    THE    MATTER    OF    DU    PLAN. 

In  1744  a  committee  in  connection  with  the  one 
at  Greneva  was  organised  in  London  for  the  purpose, 
amongst  other  things,  of  transmitting  to  Grenevra  the 
funds  collected  by  the  Deputy.  This  Committee 
was  composed  of  the  Pastor  Serces  (nominated  by 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbur}r)  and  Messieurs  Sehaub 
and  Vernon.  Scarcely  had  it  been  constituted  when 
the  personal  hostility  which  Serces  had  more  than 
once  manifested  towards  the  Deputy  of  the  Synods 
burst  forth  in  all  its  învy.  We  have  already  shown, 
by  a  letter  from  Vial  de  Beaumont  to  his  friend 
Du  Plan,  that  this  animosity  had  commenced  as  far 
back  as  the  year  1741.  Serces  conceiving  that  he 
was  now  set  in  authority  over  Du  Plan,  and  having 
vainly  endeavoured  to  drive  him  from  London, 
commenced  a  correspondenca  with  Greneva,  which 
was  nothing  but  one  incessant  defamation  of  his 
character,  the  object  of  Serces  being  to  induce  the 
committee  in  that  city  to  recall  the  Deputy,  perhaps 
with  the  secret  hope  that  he  himself  might  after- 
wards obtain  the  appointment.     Be  that  as  it  may, 


The  accusations  of  Screes  against  Du  Plan.       253 

Serces  scrupled  at  nothing  to  accomplish  his 
object. 

His  first  proceeding  was  to  accuse  Du  Plan 
of  associating  with  the  Inspired,  a  party  who 
received  but  little  either  of  sympathy  or  respect 
from  English  Protestants,  and  who  Avere  openly 
denounced  by  the  Consistory  of  one  of  the 
French  Churches  as  blasphemers  and  cheats.  So 
numerous  were  the  libellous  pamphlets  published  on 
the  subject,  that  at  last  the  Bishop  of  London  was 
compelled  to  interfere  and  put  a  stop  to  their  further 
issue.  But  in  spite  of  this  vehement  persecution  the 
Inspired  were  not  without  partisans,  and  obtained 
some  notoriety,  not  a  little  of  which  was  due  to  the 
countenance  afforded  them  by  Du  Plan.  The  Deputy 
of  the  Churches  had  omitted  to  observe  his  formal 
engagement  not  to  associate  with  them  during  his 
term  of  office,  and  it  was  this  more  than  anything 
else  that  lent  support  to  the  calumnies  of  his 
enemies,  and  helped  to  discredit  him  with  his  friends 
at  London  and  Geneva  and  in  France. 

The  opposition  which  the  Inspired  had  provoked 
recoiled  upon  the  Deputy,  and  was  made  by  Serces 
a  cause  of  complaint  in  his  letters  to  Geneva;  he 
said  that  Du  Plan,  by  his  intercourse  with  the 
Inspired,  had  ruined  his  own  influence  and  com- 
promised the  interests  of  the  Church,  that  his  pre- 
sence in  London  had  not  been  required  for  a  con- 
siderable time,  that  his  work  was  finished,  and  by 
remaining  there  he  was  only  incurring  unnecessary 
expense.      Serces  said  further  that  under  pretence 


254  A  Synod  appoints  Court  as  Deputy  of  the  Churches. 

of  having  to  attend  at  Court  and  associate  with 
distinguished  personages,  the  Deputy  lived  in  a 
large  house  and  made  a  display  which  was  not  by 
any  means  in  character  with  the  object  of  his  mission.  • 
Serces  went  so  far  as  to  insinuate  that  this  outlay 
came  from  the  proceeds  of  the  Deputy's  collections, 
to  the  great  loss  of  the  Churches. 

Still  further  to  injure  Du  Plan,  Serces  gave  a 
one-sided  account  of  the  scene  which  he  had  wit- 
nessed in  the  office  of  the  Minister,  while  with  much 
emphasis  he  repeated  the  absurd  prediction  of  the 
Inspired  that  Du  Plan  would  one  day  become  King, 
and  the  ridiculous  rumour  that  he  aspired  to  the 
hand  of  one  of  the  King's  daughters. 

The  Committee  at  Greneva,  though  sorely  per- 
plexed by  these  charges,  knew  enough  of  Du  Plan  to 
feel  sure  that  they  had  no  foundation  in  fact.  They 
were  aware  also  that  he  took  so  deep  personal 
interest  in  the  Churches  that  he  would  not,  either 
rightly  or  wrongly,  compromise  himself  in  the 
manner  and  to  the  extent  imputed  to  him.  Not- 
withstanding these  considerations,  however,  they 
allowed  themselves  to  be  overborne  by  the  impor- 
tunities of  Court,  who  was  the  monthpiece  of  a 
party,  and  recalled  the  Deputy. 

While  these  things  were  going  on  at  Greneva  a 
Synod  held  in  FraDce,  being  informed  of  what  was 
transpiring  in  London,  resolved  upon  replacing  Du 
Plan  by  Antoine  Court  in  the  office  of  Deputy. 
Court,  meantime  having  been  summoned  into  France 
in  order  to  settle  an  ecclesiastical  dispute,  happened 


Letter  of  Court  to  Du  Plan.  255 

to  be  present  at  the  Synod  which  decided  on  this 
important  measure.  He  perceived  that  this  time  it 
would  be  useless  to  attempt  to  stem  the  torrent  of 
opposition  directed  against  the  Deputy;  he  con- 
sented therefore,  sacrificed  his  friend,  and  yielding 
to  the  wishes  of  the  assembly  accepted  the  honor 
they  sought  to  confer  upon  him.  On  his  return  to 
Geneva  he  wrote  to  Du  Plan  announcing  this 
important  news: — 

"  Monsieur  and  dear  friend, 

"You  will  doubtless  be  surprised  to  hear  from  this  letter 
that  I  have  within  the  last  few  days  returned,  by  the  grace 
of  God,  from  Languedoc  after  a  stay  there  of  four  months. 

"  I  was  induced  to  make  this  journey  by  the  repeated 
and  pressing  solicitations  ot  the  principal  Churches  in  Lower 
Languedoc  and  the  Cevennes,  with  a  view  to  terminating 
certain  dissensions,  which  had  grown  to  such  a  height  as  to 
threaten  the  very  existence  of  the  Churches. 

"  The  Lord  in  His  great  goodness  has  blessed  my  labours 
beyond  my  most  sanguine  hopes,  and  I  am  glad  to  inform 
you  that  the  sad  differences  which  have  so  long  distracted 
the  Churches  have  been  brought  to  an  end,  and  that  through 
the  labours  of  the  arbitrators  appointed  by  the  contending 
parties  peace  has  been  happily  restored. 

u  The  excesses  into  which  the  disagreement  had  led  the 
Churches,  the  misfortunes  which  were  hanging  over  them, 
the  fearful  abysses  into  which  they  were  on  the  point  of 
falling — all  these  things  and  many  others,  Monsieur  and 
dear  friend,  are  too  numerous  to  be  condensed  into  this 
brief  letter. 

"  Amongst  various  other  objects  I  proposed  to  myself 
was  the  highly  necessary  one  of  concerting  effectual  mea- 
sure» for  confirming  our  co-religionists  in  their  loyalty  to 


256  Letter  of  Court  to  Du  Plan. 

the  King  and  his  Government,  under  the  critical  circumstances 
of  the  present  time,  and  to  establish  a  common  policy  among 
the  Churches  scattered  throughout  the  various  Provinces  of 
the  kingdom,  for  the  general  good  and  for  the  advancement 
of  religion.  I  reserve  a  description  of  all  that  I  have  to  tell' 
jn  this  regard  until  I  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you. 
Meanwhile  I  may  mention  that  religious  zeal  is  greatly 
revived  in  the  hearts  of  the  Protestants,  and  nothing  can  be 
more  worthy  of  admiration  than  the  enthusiasm  of  the 
thousands  of  the  faithful  when  gathered  in  their  assemblies, 
which  are  very  frequently  held  in  full  daylight,  notwith- 
standing the  efforts  I  made  during  my  stay  to  avoid 
such  risks. 

"  I  was  present  at  a  National  Synod,  which  lasted  from 
the  18th  to  the  '24th  of  August  inclusive,  and  which  was 
composed  of  Pastors  and  Deputies  from  the  Churches  of 
Normandy,  Upper  and  Lower  Poitou,  the  district  of  Aiinis*. 
Saintonge,  Comté  de  Foix,  Agenois,  Périgord,  Upper  and 
Lower  Guienne,  Upper  and  Lower  Languedoc,  the  Çevennes, 
Vivarais  and  Dauphiny.  This  honored  assembly  has  drawn 
up  a  code  of  rules  comprising  twenty  six  articles,  the  object 
ot  which  is  to  maintain  order  and  to  strengthen  the  Churches. 
One  of  the  rules  forbids  the  Pastors,  Elders,  and  Faithful  from 
entering  into  any  controversy  with  the  Catholics,  either  by 
word  of  mouth  or  by  writing,  exhorting  them  rather  to  bear 
with  patience  the  unavoidable  evils  of  their  lot.  They  are 
further  enjoined  not  to  give  offence  to  their  neighbours  by 
working  on  Catholic  holydays.  Another  rule  obliges  the 
Churches  which  have  the  most  Pastors  to  help  less  fortunate 
Churches,  until  it  shall  please  God  to  supply  the  wants  ot 
all.  But  you  can  understand,  Monsieur,  that  it  is  impossible 
in  this  letter  to  give  a  description  of  all  the  rules  adopted 
and  all  that  transpired  at  this  Synod,  a  more  numerously 
attended  and  more  influential  Synod  than  any  that  has  been 
held  since  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes,  I  limit 
myself  for  the  present  to  informing  you  that  the  proceedings 
were  conducted  throughout  with  conspicuous  ability  and 


Letter  of  Court  to  Du  Plan.  Î57 

prudence  to  the  end  that  the  Court  on  hearing  (as  doubtless 
it  will  hear)  of  what  took  place,  may  have  no  reasonable 
pretext  for  dissatisfaction,  and  that  we  may  obtain  the 
approval  of  the  foreigners  who  take  an  interest  in  the  welfare 
of  our  Churches. 

"But,  Monsieur  aud  dear  friend,  I  must  not  omit  to  tell 
you  that  the  Pastors  and  Deputies  at  this  National  Synod 
have  expressed  a  wish  that  you  should  be  more  within  reach 
ot  their  instructions,  in  order  that  they  may  be  enabled  to 
act  according  to  the  exigencies  of  the  situation  and  as 
circumstances  may  dictate.  In  other  words  it  would  appear 
that  all  who  have  the  control  in  matter's  of  religion,  either  in 
this  country  or  in  France,  are  of  opinion  that  for  many 
reasons  you  should  return  to  Geneva,  the  chief  of  these 
reasons  having  reference  to  the  present  crisis  arising  from 
the  war  now  existing  between  France  and  England,  and 
the  obligation  under  which  French  Protestants  are  placed  of 
so  conducting  themselves  as  to  give  no  pretexts  for 
imputations  on  their  loyalty  and  patriotism,  which  might  be 
the  case  were  they  to  continue  to  maintain  a  Deputy  in 
England. 

"It  is  probably  for  these  and  other  reasons  that  the 
Synod,  without  any  solicitation  on  my  part,  has  judged  it 
prudent  to  request  me,  while  in  no  way  mixing  myself  up  in 
other  matters,  simply  to  represent  the  interests  of  the 
Churches  abroad  ;  and  I  may  add  that,  since  my  return  here, 
the  most  influential  of  our  bdoved  friends  have  assured  me 
that  it  is  more  than  ever  necessary,  in  consequence  ot  the 
war,  that  the  loyalty  of  the  Protestants  should  be  above 
suspicion,  and  that  it  is  for  their  best  interests  that  you 
should  return  to  this  country  and  confer  with  our  brethren, 
tor  the  general  good,  in  reference  to  existing  and  possible 
circumstances,  as  the  same  may  arise. 

•'  These  views  appear  to  me  to  be  altogether  in  harmony 
with  the  sentiments  and  the  well  being  of  our  beloved 
Churches,  and  having  no  doubt  that  they  will  equally 
commend  themselves  to  your  approval,  I  venture  to  hope 

17 


258  Rupture  between  the  tiro  friends. 

that  you  will  not  delay  your  return  to  Geneva,  where  on 
your  arrival  you  will  receive  more  ample  information  than 
I  can  now  give  you,  and  where  it  will  be  my  duty  and  my 
pleasure  to  act  in  concert  with  you,  and  to  renew  the 
assurance  of  that  devoted  affection  with  which  I  have  the 
honor  to  remain,  Monsieur  and  dear  friend,  your  very  humble 
and  obedient  servant,  "A.  Court." 

"  Geneva,  the  12th  of  December  1744." 

This  cleverly  written  letter  was  destined  to  rouse 
the  susceptibilities  of  the  Deputy,  who,  correctly- 
surmising  the  reason  for  his  recall,  suspected  Antoine 
Court  of  desiring  to  supplant  him;  and  believing  his 
old  friend  to  have  been  guilty  of  unfair  dealing,  his 
resentment  was  kindled  and  he  refused  to  leave 
London. 

The  irritation  increasing,  the  two  former  friends 
exchanged  letters  that  are  painful  to  read,  and  in 
mournful  contrast  with  those  with  which  we  are 
already  acquainted.  Antoine  Court  having,  in  point 
of  fact,  been  elected  Deputy,  became  the  direct 
representative  of  the  Churches,  while  Serces  upheld 
in  London  the  interests  of  the  Geneva  Committee. 
As  for  Du  Plan,  he  took  this  occasion  to  unmask 
his  antagonist  and  succeeded  in  convicting  him  of 
calumny  and  falsehood. 

But  the  thing  that  most  deeply  touched  his 
feelings  as  a  gentleman  and  Christian  were  the 
imputations  cast  on  his  honor  and  integrity,  to  defend 
himself  from  which  he  appealed  to  ministers  of 
several  denominations  and  to  others  who  had  long 
known  him,  and  drew  from  them  the  following  state- 
ments.    These  he  then  placed  before  his  accusers 


(, 


The  calumnies  of  s,  259 

and  by  this  means  he  thoroughly  cleared  himself  from 
the  charges  with  which  it  had  been  sought  to  ruin 
his  reputation.  The  first  is  a  certificate  in  which 
the  accusations  of  Serces  are  briefly  recounted  by 
one  who  could  testily  to  their  character. 

"  London,  the  .iOth  of  July,  1751. 

"I,  the  undersigned,  certify  that  M.  Du  Plan,  desiring  to 
Te-establish  if  possible  a  good  understanding  between  himself 
and  M.  Serces,  Pastor,  in  the  hope  that  they  may  be  able 
to  act  together  for  the  common  good  of  the  Churches  of 
France  for  whom  M.  Du  Plau  acts  as  Deputy  at  the  Courts 
of  foreign  Protestant  Powers,  requested  me  to  accompany 
him  to  the  house  of  the  said  M.  Serces  in  order  that  I  might 
be  an  eye-witness  of  what  might  transpire.  After  the 
customary  salutations,  M.  Du  Plan  explained  to  M.  Serces 
the  object  of  his  visit,  and  asked  him  if  there  vvas  no  way 
of  arriving  at  an  agreement.  To  this  Sieur  Serces  indignantly 
replied,  'No.  I  neither  can  nor  will  have  any  intercourse 
with  you  ;  you  have  wasted  the  Churches'  money  ;  a  fanatic 
yourself,  your  dealings  are  almost  exclusively  with 
visionaries:  you  have  dared  to  aspire  to  the  hand  of  the 
Princess  Amelia,  and  are  therefore  virtually  guilty  of  high 
treason  :  and  finally,  inasmuch  as  your  constituents  have 
revoked  your  commission,  you  have  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  the  Churches  of  France.' 

"  I  further  certify  that  M.  Serces,  not  satisfied  with 
fabricating  these  stories  which  have  no  other  foundation  than 
his  own  imagination,  has  bruited  them  abroad,  not  as 
conjectures  merely  but  as  positive  facts,  and  that  owing 
thereto  I  have  had  considerable  difficulty  in  disabusing  the 
minds  of  certain  individuals  who  had  formed  false  estimates 
of  M.  Du  Plan's  character.  "Laval." 

Du  Plan  did  not  let  the  matter  rest  here.  He 
appealed  to  a  subsequent  .Synod   and  explanations 


260     A  new  Synod  maintains  Du  Plan  in  his  office. 

were  made  which  confounded  his  enemies.  On  the' 
11th  of  September,  1748,  at  a  Synod  assembled  in 
the  Cevennes,  the  following  question  was  discussed 
at  his  instance: — The  transfer  of  the  office  of  Deputy 
from  Du  Plan  to  Antoine  Court — was  the  purpose 
of  this  measure  to  cast  a  slur  on  the  character  of 
the  former,  and  if  so  what  motives  could  be  assigned 
for  such  a  proceeding  ?  Du  Plan,  not  unmindful  that 
he  was  almost  unknown  to  the  majority  of  the 
Pastors  composing  this  assembly — all  his  old  friends 
being  dead  or  in  exile — nevertheless  did  not  hesitate 
to  appeal  to  the  Synod,  and  calmly  and  with  a  clear 
conscience,  awaited  the  result.  His  expectations 
were  not  disappointed,  as  will  be  seen  from  the 
following  communication  which  he  received  through 
a  member  of  the  Synod  specially  delegated  for  that 
purpose: — 

"Lower  Languedoc,  May  5,  1749. 
"  Monsieur  and  honored  brother  in  Jesus  Christ, 

"The  delegates  of  the  Churches  of  this  kingdom  at  a 
National  Synod  held  in  the  Cevennes,  from  the  11th  to  the 
18th  of  September  last,  after  having  mentioned  you  and  your 
work  on  behalf  of  our  beloved  Churches  in  eulogistic  terms, 
have  adopted  certain  resolutions  in  regard  thereto  and  have 
conferred  upon  me  the  honor  of  communicating  them  to  you  ; 
but  not  knowing  your  address,  I  have  been  compelled  to 
defer  the  execution  of  this  pleasing  duty  until  the  present 
moment.  The  following,  then,  is  what  I  have  to  com- 
municate to  you  from  the  said  Synod. 

"1.  A  sincere  and  humble  acknowledgement  of  the 
important  services  you  havesoand  long  generously  rendered' 
and  still  render  to  the  Churches-. 


Certificate  from  Ministers  mi  London.  261 

■  :'.  That  yon  are  maintained  in  the  office  of  Deputy 
General  of  the  Protestant  Churches  of  the  kingdom. 

u  3.  That  by  the  appointment  of  M.  Court  to  a  like  office 
in  1744,  the  said  appointment  being:  hereby  confirmed,  it  was 
neither  then,  nor  is  it  now  intended  to  give  you  a  successor, 
but  simply  a  colleague  with  whom  you  may  act  in  concert 
and  on  terms  of  perfect  equality  for  the  one  sole  object — the 
good  of  the  Churches. 

"4.  That  all  points  in  dispute  regarding  yourself  be 
remitted  for  the  decision  of  friends  at  Geneva  who  are 
interested  in  the  affairs  of  our  Churches. 

"Such,  Monsieur  and  honored  brother,  is  the  duty  which 
has  been  entrusted  to  me  as  touching  yourself.  I  wish  I  had 
been  able  to  discharge  it  earlier  ;  the  delay,  however,  enables 
me  to  add  a  fifth  article  which,  though  not  committed  to 
paper,  was  none  the  less  adopted  by  the  Synod  ;  viz,  that 
you  should  be  exhorted  to  write  from  time  to  time  to  the 
Churches  in  order  to  keep  them  well  informed  of  the  state  of 
their  affairs,  both  past  and  present,  in  the  country  you  at 
present  occupy.  Your  silence  has  been  complained  of  by  all 
the  delegates." 

The  folloAving  statements  are  refutations  of  the 
calumnies  of  which  Du  Plan  was  the  object: — 

"  Monsieur  Du  Plan,  being  apprised  that  certain  evil  dis- 
posed persons  have  circulated  rumours  disparaging  to  his 
character,  and  our  attention  having  been  drawn  thereto,  we 
assert  that,  whatever  the  semblance  of  truth  in  which  they 
may  have  been  disguised,  they  cannot  impose  upon  the 
unbiassed  judgment  of  those  who  have  known  him,  since 
they  are  altogether  at  variance  with  his  former  conduct 
extending  over  a  great  many  years — conduct  uniformly  wise, 
upright,  and  disinterested — and  confirmed  by  the  testimony 
of  many  distinguished  persons  most  qualified  to  judge  and 
furthest  removed  from  prejudice. 

u  We  further  certify  that  for  fourteen  years  we  have  been 
on  terms  of  close  intimacy  with  M.  Du  Plan,  and  that  so  far 


262  Certificate  from  Ministers  in  London. 

from  his  conduct  amongst  us  having  been  such  as  in  any- 
way to  form  a  pretext  for  the  sinister  rumours  by  which  it  is 
now  in  a  manner  sought  to  tarnish  his  reputation,  it  has  been 
altogether  such,  both  according  to  our  own  knowledge  and 
the  authenticated  testimony  of  the  Churches,  as  to  demon- 
strate the  baseless  character  of  the  calumnies  in  question. 

"Finally,  the  majority  of  we,  the  undersigned,  having  had 
occasion  to  co-operate  with  Monsieur  Du  Plan  in  his  mission, 
and  having  thereby  been  brought  into  frequent  contact  with 
him,  are  convinced  ot  his  honesty,  as  well  as  of  his  care 
and  zeal  for  the  interests  committed  to  his  charge,  and  we 
conceive  that  these  qualities  are  incompatible  with  the 
damaging  reflections  which  have  been  cast  upon  his  good 
name,  with  a  view  to  diminish  the  value  of  his  services,  and 
to  render  them  useless  by  making  him  an  object  of  contempt. 

"In  belief  of  which  we  append  our  signatures  to  this 
certificate. 

"London,  August  1749. 

"  Pierre   Stehelin,    Minister  of  the   united 

Churches  of  Leicester  Fields,  the  Artillery 

and  the  Patent. 
"Paul   Covenent,    Minister  of   the    French 

Church  in  London. 
"  J.  J.  Majendie,  Minister  of  the  Savoy. 
"Jean  des  Champs,  Minister  of  the  Savoy. 
"  Etienne  Abel,  Laval,  Minister  of  the  united 

Chapels  of  Berwick  Street  and  Castle 

Street. 
"  Samuel  Codero,  one  of  the  Ministers  of  the 

Chapels  of  Berwick  Street  and  Castle 

Street. 
"  Cesar  De  Missy,  Minister  of  the  Savoy. 
"  G.   Cantier,    one   of  the   Ministers   of    the 

Chapels   of  Berwick  Street  and  Castle 

Street." 


a  second  certificate  from  Ministers  in  London.     863 

"  We,  the  undersigned,  taking  a  lively  interest  in  all  that 
concerns  the  Churches  of  France,  and  having  had  much  to 
do  with  two  of  the  best  and  most  distinguished  friends1  of 
those-Churches,  hereby  Certify  that  these  friends  remain  on 
good  terms  with  the  Deputy,  of  whom  they  appear  to  think 
very  highly,  and  they  believe  that,  so  far  from  having 
misappropriated  or  spent  upon  himself  funds  belonging  to 
the  Churches,  he  has  ruined  himself  by  his  efforts  on  their 
behalf.  They  are  further  of  opinion  that  the  only  doubt 
entertained  by  the  arbitrators  who  are  now  occupied  with 
his  case  refers  to  the  amount  of  compensation  which  ought 
to  be  awarded  to  him,  while  the  Deputy  himself,  although 
he  has  endeavoured  to  render  a  just  estimate  of  his  claims,  has, 
in  remitting  his  statement  tor  decision,  announced  that, 
whatever  amount  he  may  receive,  he  will  still  be  ready,  as 
he  always  has  been,  to  sacrifice  for  the  welfare  of  the  Churches 
anything  that  can  reasonably  be  demanded  of  him. 

"  We  further  certify  that  to  the  best  of  our  belief  our 
Royal  benefactor-  has  never  requested  the  Deputy  to  quit 
the  kingdom,  but  has  simply  intimated  to  him  that  his 
presence  is  no  longer  required  at  Court,  inasmuch  as  his 
arduous  labours  have  had  the  result  he  desired — that  of 
putting  the  whole  object  of  his  mission  on  a  solid  basis  since 
the  year  1748.  And  we  are  firmly  persuaded  from  our 
thorough  knowledge  of  the  facts  of  the  case  that  his  sojourn 
in  England  since  that  period  has  in  no  way  been  prejudicial 
to  the  interests  of  his  constituents,  seeing  that  he  has 
discontinued  exercising  his  former  duties,  and  that  while  his 
presence  here  has  been  absolutely  requisite  for  the  purpose 
of  preparing  his  case,  it  has  not  been  altogether  unserviceable 
in  various  ways  to  the  common  cause.  In  proof  of  which, 
under  a  sense  of  great  esteem  for  the  Deputy,  and  deeply 
impressed  with  the  recollection  of  the  important  services  he 
has  rendered  to  the  public  at  the  expense  of  nis  own  personal 


i.    Messieurs  Schaab  and  Vernon. 
•i.     Tin'  King  of  England. 


264     A  second  certificate  from  Ministers  in  London. 

interests,  we  consider  it  both  a  duty  and  a  pleasure  to  give 
him  this  certificate,  in  the  hope  that  it  may  be  of  use  to  him 
in  his  dealings  with  his  constituents  and  serve  as  a  shield 
to  protect  him  trom  the  attacks  of  his  enemies. 

"  Done  at  London,  this  10th  of  August,  1750. 

"J.  J.  Majendie,  Minister  of  the  Savoy  and 

Chaplain  to  the  Comte  de  Grantham. 
"Samuel  Coderc,   Minister  of  Castle  Street 

and  Berwick  Street. 
"Et.  Abel  Laval,  Minister  of  Castle  Street 
and  Berwick  Street. 
"I  consider  myself  in  duty  bound  personally  to  add,  after 
having  accompanied  the  Deputy  in  the  year  1748  into  the 
presence  of  the  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury,  that  we  were 
very  cordially  received  and  that,  after  having  pleaded  for  a 
renewal  ot  the  Royal  bounty,  we  were  told  that  it  was 
unnecessary  to  solicit    a  continuance  of  that    which  was 
already  assured  and  placed  on  a  solid  footing.  And  I  further 
affirm  that  neither  at  that  time  nor  subsequently  has  the 
conduct  of  the  Deputy,  or  the  Deputy  himself,  been  brought 
into  discredit  either  with  the  King  on  any  of  His  Majesty's 
Ministers. 

"J.  J.  Majendie." 

The  dispute  came  to  a  climax  when  Du  Plan, 
after  having  recounted  the  sacrifices  he  had  imposed 
upon  himself  for  the  good  of  his  brethren,  demanded 
to  he  compensated  for  his  labours,  and  to  have 
guaranteed  to  him  a  sum  sufficient  for  his  wants 
during  the  remainder  of  his  days.  What  demand 
could  be  fairer?  Had  he  not  willingly  given  up  his 
inheritance  and  sacrificed  the  best  part  of  his  life 
out  of  love  for  the  Churches?  Had  he  not  defrayed 
the  cost  of  his  numerous  journe}rs  out  of  the  scanty 


Du  Plan  claims  compensation.  265 

sum  saved  from  the  wreck  of  his  fortune  and  the 
residue  of  one  or  two  small  legacies  bequeathed  to 
him  by  his  relatives?  And  now,  when  he  had  been 
instrumental  in  enriching  the  fund  at  Geneva,  was 
it  right  that  a  servant  so  old  and  faithful  should  be 
allowed  to  sink  into  poverty? 

Du  Plan  claimed  what  he  considered  to  be  a 
fair  provision,  but  the  Committee  considering  his 
demand  excessive,  declined  to  pay  it,  basing  their 
refusal  on  his  reiterated  written  statements  that 
he  asked  nothing  of  the  Churches.  To  this  Du  Plan 
properly  replied  that  although  he  had  never  sought 
remuneration  from  the  Churches  which  with  diffi- 
culty maintained  themselves,  yet  it  did  not  follow 
therefrom  that  he  should  not  make  a  claim  upon  the 
French  Fund  at  Geneva,  a  fund  which,  through  his 
own  personal  exertions,  had  been  increased  to  the 
extent  of  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling.  He  declared 
that  he  was  justified  in  the  request  he  had  made  and 
appealed  for  support  to  the  testimony  of  Vial  de 
Beaumont  and  Polier. 

Although  at  Du  Plan's  instance  it  had  been 
agreed  in  the  year  1745  to  submit  the  matter  for 
arbitration,  judgment  was  not  finally  rendered  until 
1751.  Meanwhile  each  side  prepared  its  case. 
Serces  drew  up  an  exhaustive  indictment  in  which 
he  displayed  all  his  accustomed  spleen  against  the 
Deputy,  while  Antoine  Court  mixed  himself  up  in 
the  affair  b)7  publishing  his  famous  Statement  to  the 
Arbitrators.  Du  Plan  on  his  side  submitted  two 
separate    statements  —  certified    and    supported   by 


266  He  appeals  for  arbitration, 

accounts  and  vouchers — after  which  he  confidently 
awaited  the  decision  of  the  Arbitrators.  This 
tribunal  not  alone  completely  cleared  the  con- 
scientious Deputy  from  the  slanders  of  his  enemies, 
and  the  vindictive  calumnies  of  Serces,  but  awarded 
him  a  salary  of  one  hundred  pounds  per  annum 
from  the  year  1 7 '-3 1  to  1751,  an  immediate  payment 
of  three  hundred  pounds,  a  deferred  payment  of  four 
hundred,  and  for  the  future  a  yearly  pension  of  fifty 
pounds.  This  rendering,  which  entirety  exonerates 
Du  Plan  and  places  him  beyond  the  shadow  of 
suspicion,  is  too  important  to  be  passed  over  in 
silence. 


Judgment  of  the  Arbitrators. 

u  We,  the  undersigned  Arbitrators,  chosen  and  constituted 
by  the  Managers  of  the  French  Fund  on  the  one  part  and  by 
Monsieur  Du  Plan  on  the  other  part,  as  a  tribunal  for  the 
investigation  of  certain  differences  existing  between  them  as 
to  the  claims  of  M.  Du  Plan  on  the  French  Fund,  having 
thoroughly  examined  the  whole  affair  down  to  the  minutest 
detail  which  might  affect  the  subject,  having  also  duly  con- 
sidered all  the  various  allegations  brought  forward  by  the  one 
side  and  the  other,  and  desiring  to  terminate  the  controversy 
to  the  mutual  satisfaction  of  the  parties  concerned,  the  same 
having  pressingly  requested  as  wdl  as  fully  authorized  us 
so  to  do,  declare  our  judgment. 

"  1.  That  M.  Du  Plan  not  only  has  not  appropriated, 
but  that  it  was  out  of  his  power  to  appropriate  the  sums 
collected  for  the  Fund,  seeing  that  after  he  bad  solicited 
contributions  and  obtained  promises  he  did  not  himself 
receive  the  monies,  but  deputed  that  duty  to  persons  spe- 


Judgment  of  the  Arbitrators.  267 

dally  appointed  for  the  purpose  by  the  Managers,  and  that 
consequently  these  persons  appear  to  us  alone  responsible, 
as  M.  Du  Plan  had  power  to  deal  with  the  monies  only 
after  they  had  passed  through  the  hands  of  the  Managers 
or  with  the  previously  obtained  consent  or  subsequent  ap- 
proval of  the  latter,  the  whole  of  the  said  sums  being  duly 
accounted  for. 

"  2.  That  the  accounts  in  our  opinion  are  sufficiently 
complete  to  enable  us  to  arrive  at  a  decision  as  to  the  claim 
set  up  by  M.  Du  Plan,  the  nature  of  his  mission  being  such 
that  we  could  not  insist  upon  an  exact  statement  of  every  item 
of  his  expenditure,  and  we  have  the  greater  reason  to  be 
satisfied  with  his  accounts,  seeing  that  the  Managers  of  the 
Fund  cannot  produce  theirs,  and  that  apparently  their 
accounts,  could  they  be  produced,  would  show  an  amount  in 
excess  of  that  claimed  by  M.  Du  Plan. 

"  3.  That  owing  to  unforeseen  misfortunes,  M.  Du  Plan 
finds  himself  under  the  necessity  of  demanding  that  re- 
muneration to  which  he  was  entitled,  but  which  when  he  left 
Switzerland  he  had  no  intention  of  demanding,  having 
resolved  to  bring  his  outgoings  within  the  limits  of  his  private 
income,  and  only  to  make  a  claim,  if,  contrary  to  the  expecta- 
tion of  the  Managers,  he  should  be  successful  in  his  mission. 

"  4.  That,  owing  to  the  inevitable  expenses  and  inci- 
dental contingencies  of  his  long  journeys,  the  dearness  of 
everything  in  the  countries  where  he  sojurned,  the  extra 
outlay  unavoidable  in  places  of  whose  language  he  was 
ignorant,  the  heavy  disbursements  tor  his  correspondence  and 
for  the  relief  of  necessitous  refugees  whom  the  Managers  of 
the  French  Fund  had  commended  to  his  care,  the  serious 
illnesses  from  which  he  has  frequently  suffered  while 
travelling  and  some  of  which  were  the  results  of  hardships 
arising  from  the  narrowness  of  his  resources — in  view  of 
all  these  and  other  circumstances  of  like  character,  M.  Du 
Plan  shows  great  moderation  in  estimating  his  expenses, 
taking  one  year  with  another,  at  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds. 


268  Judgment  of  the  Arbitrators. 

"  5.  That  as  regards  the  number  of  years  for  which 
M.  Du  Plan  is  authorized  to  seek  compensation,  we  consi- 
dered him,  in  July  1750,  to  have  no  further  claim  beyond 
the  time  at  which  he  was  officially  notified  that  his  duties 
had  terminated,  that  is  to  say  after  March  1748,  inasmuch 
as  we  were  under  the  impression  that  he  remained  here  out  of 
perversci.ess  ;  but  being  since  convinced  that  he  had 
legitimate  objects  in  view  and  that  he  even  took  an  active 
interest  on  behalf  of  the  Fund,  we  consider  that  he  has  a 
right  to  count  on  compensation  from  1731  to  the  present 
moment  if  the  finances  will  admit  of  it,  abating  of  course 
the  sums  already  paid  to  him  by  the  Managers. 

"  On  this  basis  the  amount  due  to  M.  Du  Plan  for  a 
period  of  twenty  years  and  a  half  is  .£3075  which  with 
£222.3,  the  balance  of  account  for  advances  made  in  Copen- 
hagen as  drawn  up  by  M.  Henri  Guinand,  makes  £3297.3; 
from  this  sum  has  to  be  deducted  £1364.16.4  already  re- 
ceived by  M.  Du  Plan  from  the  Managers,  leaving  £1932.6.8 
as  balance  in  his  favour. 

"  But  considering  that  the  Fund  is  not  in  a  condition 
to  bear  so  heavy  a  claim,  and  that  M.  Du  Plan,  were  he  to 
insist  on  payment,  would  destroy  the.  work  of  his  own 
hands,  and  as  he  is  fully  aware  that  owing  to  his  zeal  and 
to  his  having  hitherto  refrained  from  making  any  claim  on 
the  Fund,  the  Managers  have  been  led  to  incur  a  greater 
outlay  than  they  otherwise  would  have  done,  devolving  upon 
them  as  upon  himself  the  necessity  of  seeking  indemnification, 
we  have  placed  ourselves  in  his  hands,  appealing  to  his 
disinterested  charity  and  zeal  to  reduce  his  claim,  so  far  as 
he  can,  to  the  measure  of  his  actual  wants,  to  which  appeal 
he  has  favorably  responded  by  making  the  following  solemn 
declaration. 

"  That,  satisfied  with  the  full  recognition  of  his  integrity 
of  purpose,  satisfied  also  with  our  acknowledgement  of  the 
success  with  which  his  disinterested  zeal  has  been  blessed, 
and  with  our  desire  to  meet  all  his  demands  so  far  as  the 
Fund  will  admit — his  honor  being  thus  vindicated  and  him- 


Judgment  of  the  Arbitrators*  '^69 

self  enabled  to  serve  the  cause  usefully — satisfied  also  that 
we  admit  his  right  to  a  payment  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  pounds  per  annum,  from  the  year  1731  to  the  present 
time,  in  compensation  for  the  capital  he  has  sacrified  and  the 
interest  he  would  have  drawn  and  would  be  now  receiving 
were  it  not  for  this  sacrifice,  he  is  willing  to  yield  every- 
thing in  his  power  and  has  consequently  consented  not 
merely  to  be  content  with  one  hundred  pounds  per  annum, 
but  to  relinquish  the  sum  of  two  hundred  and  seven  pounds 
allowed  to  him  from  the  proceeds  ot  his  collections.  He 
would  have  been  heartily  willing  also  to  have  given  up  the 
balance  of  seven  hundred  pounds  due  to  him  on  like  grounds, 
had  he  not  become  responsible  for  the  same  to  others  trom 
whom  he  had  borrowed  it  for  the  express  purpose  of  prose- 
cuting his  work  on  behalt  of  the  French  Fund  ;  under  these 
circumstances  he  is  reluctantly  compelled  to  ask  urgently 
for  a  sum  of  three  hundred  pounds  now  actually  due  by 
him  to  third  parties,  while  as  to  the  remaining  four  hundred 
pounds  he  hopes  his  creditors  will  give  him  time  and  accept 
instalments  of  fifty  pounds  per  annum  for  the  ensuing  eight 
years,  the  agreement  to  be  completed  by  his  executors  in 
case  of  death,  and  the  whole  to  be  secured  on  an  assignment 
through  M.  Pierre  Gaussen  ;  but  these  modifications  being 
effected,  and  the  amount  remaining  for  M.  Du  Plan  being 
so  far  diminished  as  simply  to  save  him  from  insolvency 
without  affording  him  means  of  support,  he  appeals  to 
our  sense  of  justice  and  humanity  to  grant  him  a  pension 
of  fifty  pounds  per  annum  to  commence  from  the  present 
moment,  trusting  that  his  claim  will  not  appear  exorbitant, 
and  that  the  Managers  of  the  Fund  will  not  be  injured  or 
inconvenienced,  at  all  events  as  long  as  the  Royal  grant  he 
has  obtained  shall  be  regularly  forthcoming. 

Impressed  with  the  liberal  spirit  shown  by  M.  Du  Plan 
in  these  proposals — written  and  signed  with  his  own  hand — 
we  consider  that  the  same  generous  impulse  which  animates 
him  should  constrain  us  to  grant  his  just  and  moderate 
demands.  In  faith  of  which  we  have  appended  our  signatures 


270    Du  Plan  and  Court  become  reconciled  to  each  other. 

to  this  deed  of  arbitration,  with  the  special  approval  of  His 
Grace  the  Lord  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  in  London,  this 
20th  of  October,  1751." 

"L.  SCHAUB." 

"S.  Vernon." 
Approved    ."  Cantuar." 

It  was  not  until  1752  that  Antoine  Court  and 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  became  once  more  reconciled 
after  an  estrangement  of  eight  years  duration. 
Antoine  Court  made  the  first  advances,  by  means  of 
a  statement  which  he  addressed  to  the  Arbitrators 
and  wherein  he  protested  the  sincerity  of  his 
affection  for  the  Deputy.  Du  Plan  at  once  replied 
in  a  long  letter,  acknowledging  that  he  had  been 
mistaken  as  to  the  sentiments  of  his  old  friend  and 
asking  him  to  forgive  and  forget  his  hastiness  and 
warmth.  Peace  was  thus  re-established  in  the  Church 
and  Du  Plan  continued  to  fill  the  office  of  Deput)r 
in  London. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

DU    PLAN    AND    THE    GREAT    PERSECUTION. 
1745—1752. 

Notwithstanding  the  trouble  and  annoyance 
created  for  him  by  his  adversaries,  Benjamin  Du 
Plan's  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the  Church  remained 
as  warm  as  ever,  and  although  the  Synod  adversely 
influenced  from  both  London  and  (ieneva  decided 


Du  Plan  and  the  great  persecution.  271 

in  1751  to  remove  him  from  the  office  of  Deputy,  he 
nevertheless  continued  his  relations  with  the  perse- 
cuted Pastors  in  his  native  country,  while  the)'  on 
their  part  testified  in  long  and  frequent  communi- 
cations full  of  sympathy  their  sincere  respect  for  his 
person  and  their  implicit  confidence  in  his  integrity. 
The  times  were  becoming  alarming;  thick  clouds  of 
darkness  were  gathering  over  the  heads  of  the  sorely 
tried  Protestants  of  his  Fatherland,  persecution  was 
breaking  out  with  redoubled  violence  and  the  Pastors 
knew  well  enough  that  if  they  were  compelled  to 
seek  refuge  in  a  foreign  land  they  would  find  in 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  not  a  protector  merely  but  a 
devoted  brother  and  friend,  for  had  not  his  courage 
and  fidelity  emerged  with  triumph  from  a  fierce  and 
fiery  ordeal?  But  apart  from  ulterior  considerations 
the  letters  of  Du  Plan  were  a  source  of  precious 
consolation  to  Ministers  of  the  gospel  who,  having 
scarcely  completed  their  studies  at  Lausamie,  were 
called  upon  to  undergo  severe  tribulation;  these 
young  recruits  in  the  Church  militant  were  well 
wortlnr  of  the  sympathy  of  the  veterans  whom  age, 
infirmities  or  the  progress  of  events  had  removed 
from  the  strife,  and  who  watched  from  a  distance 
with  justifiable  pride  the  courage  and  tenacity  of 
their  devoted  successors. 

The  Intendant  Le  Nain,  who  had  replaced 
Bernage,  in  1745,  in  Languedoc,  was  a  hard  and  cruel 
man,  and  the  style  of  his  administration  recalled 
that  of  Baville  of  sinister  memory.  The  Province 
was    covered   with  detachments    of  dragoons   who 


272  Persecutions  under  the  Intenclancy  of  Le  Nain  in  1745. 

were  instructed  to  show  no  mercy  to  refractory- 
Protestants.  Soldiers  were  encouraged  by  their 
officers  to  pillage  the  houses  of  the  suspected,  to 
despoil  them  of  their  goods,  break  open  their- 
cupboards,  tear  up  their  linen,  burst  into  their 
cellars,  start  their  wine  casks,  kill  their  beasts  and 
fowls,  and  destroy  everything  on  which  they  could 
lay  their  hands. 

Other  Provinces  were  treated  in  like  manneiv 
Gibbets  were  set  up  in  the  Huguenot  strongholds  of 
Dauphiny  and  Vivarais.  The  young  pastor,  Louis 
Ranc,  was  taken  and  hanged  at  Die  ;  the  illustrious 
and  respected  Jacques  Roger — the  apostle  of 
Dauphiny  and  the  friend  of  Du  Plan — despite  his 
four  score  years,  was  put  to  the  same  cruel  death  at 
Grenoble,  and  his  aged  body,  after  being  suspended 
for  twenty-four  hours  from  the  gibbet  was  dragged 
naked  through  the  streets  and  thrown  into  the  river 
Isère.  The  young  minister  Desubas  was  arrested 
at  Vernoux  and  taken  to  Montpellier.  During  his 
short  ministry  he  had  so  won  the  love  and  sympathy 
of  his  flock,  that  certain  of  the  faithful,  hearing  of 
his  imprisonment,  would  fain  have  rescued  him  on 
the  journey,  but  Paul  Rabaut,  pastor  of  Nismes, 
implored  them  to  abandon  an  attempt  that  could 
only  provoke  cruel  reprisals.  Désubas  died  with 
Christian  fortitude  at  the  age  of  twenty-six. 

About  the  year  1746,  the  persecution  suddenly 
abated.  France,  which  had  long  been  at  war  with 
England  had  begun  to  threaten  with  her  armies  the 
frontiers  of  Austria  and  Piedmont.     At  the  same 


//,   ia  succeeded  by  Saint-Priest  in  1750.  273 

time  the  Government  became  greatly  alarmed  by  a 
rumour  that  English  emissaries  were  traversing 
Languedoc  with  the  intention  to  instigate  a  revolt 
amongst  the  Protestant  population,  for  an  insur- 
rection in  the  interior  would  have  gravely  compli- 
cated a  situation  already  sufficiently  serious. 

The  alarm  attained  its  height  when  the  reverses 
that  had  befallen  our  arms  in  Italy  and  the  invasion 
of  Languedoc  by  forty  thousand  Austrian  troops 
were  made  known.  Le  Nain  received  official 
instructions  to  assure  himself  of  the  loyalty  of  the 
Huguenots  and  to  relax  the  se  verity  of  the  persecution 
he  had  directed  against  them.  For  a  short  time  this 
tolerant  policy  was  continued,  but  the  danger  once 
past,  the  persecution  recommenced  with  greater 
virulence  than  ever. 

In  1 750  Le  Nain  ceded  his  office  of  Intendant  of 
Languedoc  to  Saint-Priest,  who  having  been 
expressly  charged  rigorously  to  carry  out  the 
Declaration  of  172*1,  quickly  proved  himself  worthy 
of  his  instructions  and  as  pitiless  as  the  crudest  of 
his  predecessors.  Since  the  month  of  November 
detachments  of  military  had  traversed  the  country, 
dispersing  the  numerous  assemblies  which  were 
wont  to  meet  on  week  days  as  well  as  on  Sundays. 
The  gatherings,  as  a  natural  consequence,  became 
frequent  and  were  held  in  greater  secrecy, 
nevertheless  the  Tower  of  Feriïères,  the  Fort  of 
Brescou,  the  galleys  at  Marseilles,  and  the  Château 
D'lf  were  soon  crowded  with  prisoners.  This, 
however,  was  but  the  beginning.     In  1751  the  new 

18 


"274     He  enforces  the  re-baptism  of  Protestant  children. 

Intendant  of  the  Province  issued  an  edict  forbidding- 
Protestants  either  to  marry  or  to  baptise  their 
children  in  the  Desert.  The  decree  was  retrospective 
as  well  as  prospective,  a  delay  of  fifteen  days  only- 
being  granted  to  parents,  in  order  that  they  might 
have  their  children  re-baptised  in  the  parish  Churches 
according  to  the  Catholic  ritual.  At  the  expiration 
of  the  period  the  priests  were  instructed  to  send  to 
the  Intendant  a  list  of  the  refractory  who  were 
forthwith  mulcted  in  heavy  fines.  Every  town  and 
village  were  occupied  by  detachments  of  dragoons  or 
cavalry  troopers,  who  Avere  billeted  exclusively  upon 
the  householders  that  refused  to  submit;  the  latter 
were  further  ordered  to  pay  four  livres  per  diem  to 
each  soldier;  in  case  of  refusal  the  soldiers  were 
increased  in  number  and  remained  in  possession 
until  all  the  children  had  been  re-baptised  either  by 
fair  means  or  foul.  Many  of  the  older  children 
absolutely  refused  to  be  taken  to  the  Church  and 
had  to  be  dragged  thither  by  main  force;  others, 
patiently  accepting  their  fate,  showed  by  their 
passionate  grief  the  feelings  with  which  they  re- 
garded the  outrages  inflicted  upon  them,  while 
others  again  opposed  violence  to  violence,  and  made 
a  vigorous  resistance,  tearing  with  hands  and  finger- 
nails the  clothes  and  skin  of  their  captors. x 

In  order  to  strike  terror  into  the  hearts  of  the 
Protestants,  Saint-Priest  made  examples,  in  January 
1752,  of  two  preachers  named  François  Bénézet,  and 

1.    See  Memoir t  Historique,  page  6 J, 


The  attempted  assassination  of  Cures.  275 

Molines,  alias  Fléchier,  whom  he  had  caused  to  be 
arrested.  The  former  submitted  to  death  with  ad- 
mirable fortitude  at  Montpellier,  but  the  latter, 
unmanned  at  the  sight  of  the  scaffold,  made  feigned 
recantation,  and  was  taken  to  the  College  at  Viviers; 
after  a  time  he  was  set  at  liberty,  and  ultimately 
emigrating  to  Amsterdam,  he  was  received  into  the 
Church  and  allowed  a  pension  by  the  Consistory, 
but  suffered  for  the  remainder  of  his  life  poignant 
anguish  and  remorse.  A  Protestant  of  the  name  of 
Roques  of  Beauvoisin,  falsely  accused  of  having 
attempted  the  life  of  a  military  officer,  was  also 
executed. 

These  executions  spread  consternation  throughout 
the  Provinces  of  the  South;  the  villages  became  de- 
populated, men,  women  and  children  flying  before 
the  approach  of  the  dragoons,  until  at  last  harried 
and  persecuted  beyond  endurance,  some  of  the 
more  fiery  spirits  among  the  Huguenots  made 
reprisals  by  attempting  the  lives  of  the  priests, 
whom  they  regarded,  not  without  reason,  as  the 
chief  cause  of  their  troubles.  The  Prior  of  Ners, 
riding  towards  Vézénobres,  encountered  two  armed 
preachers.  He  had  hardly  passed  them  when  he  was 
struck  by  a  musket-ball  and  fell,  grievously  wounded, 
from  his  horse.  On  the  night  of  the  same  day  the 
Curé  of  Quillan  was  suddenly  roused  from  his  sleep 
by  repeated  knocking  at  his  door.  He  rose,  opened 
the  window,  and  looked  out,  when  he  was  hit  by  a 
bullet  and  mortally  wounded.  The  next  day  the 
-Curé  of  Logrian  returning  from  Quissac  was  stopped, 


276  The  Minister  Coste  and  Du  Flan. 

maltreated  and  left  for  dead,  his  assailants  being 
three  men,  who  had  been  lying  in  wait  for  him  in 
ambush.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  authors 
of  these  crimes  were  Protestants,  but  the  only  one 
of  them  who  was  identified  was  Coste,  the  man  who 
had  fired  at  the  Prior  of  Ners. 

When  these  occurrences  became  known  the 
Curés  of  the  Province  showed  great  alarm;  some 
left  their  homes  and  took  refuge  with  the  bishop,, 
while  priests  of  every  rank  magnified  these  isolated 
cases  for  the  purpose  of  creating  terror  and  inciting 
the  Catholic  populace  to  revenge. 

"  The  rebels,  six  hundred  in  number,  are  at  our  gates  ;  " 
wrote  the  Prior  of  Gajan  to  the  Indendant,  "  they  are  secreted 
in  the  wood  of  Saint-Bénézet,  and  their  leaders  are  Defferre 
and  Coste.  We  have  urgent  need  of  a  strong  force,  as  several 
Curés  have  been  either  killed  or  wounded.  Unless  you  send 
troops  to  Saint-Marnert,  Fons,  Gajan,  Bouvière  and  Mon- 
taignac,  and  augment  the  number  of  those  already  stationed 
at  Saint  Génies  and  La  Calmette,  all  the  priests  and 
Catholics  of  the  locality  will  share  the  same  fate."  1 

Saint-Priest  employed  Lédignan  to  hunt  the 
minister  Coste,  and  it  was  publicly  announced 
that  whosoever  gave  him  shelter  should  be  hung; 
but  in  vain  !  Coste  concealed  himself  for  some 
time,  and  finally  succseded  by  the  aid  of  his 
friends  in  escaping  to  England  where  he  was  re- 
ceived and  supported  by  Du  Plan.  The  Tribunal 
of  Nismes  tried  him  in  his  absence  and  condemned 


1.    Archives  of  Hérault,  C.  231. 


Paul  Rabaut  and  the  Marquis  De  Paulmy.       277 

him  by  default  to  be  broken  alive  od  the  wheel 
and  burnt  at  the  stake 

These  alarming  attempts,  and  the  still  more 
alarming  rumours  of  an  approaching  general  assas- 
sination of  priests,  greatly  affected  the  Govern- 
ment and  the  Intendant,  the  latter  of  whom  feared 
that  the  Huguenots  in  their  desperation  would  stop 
at  nothing.  Saint-Priest  besought  the  intervention  of 
Paul  Rabaut  with  a  view  to  calm  the  minds  of  the 
Protestants,  and  bring  them  back  to  their  obedience, 
while  at  the  same  time  the  military  relaxed  their 
rigorous  measures,  and  general  quiet  was  again 
restored. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  Duc  de 
Richelieu  arrived  in  Languedoc  to  take  command  of 
the  troops.  To  the  Surprise  of  the  Protestants  he 
began  his  official  career  by  a  displa}-  of  great 
toleration,  which  was  attributed  to  the  influence  of 
the  Marquis  De  Paulmy,  then  on  a  tour  in  Languedoc, 
in  order,  it  was  supposed,  to  ascertain  the  condition 
of  that  important  province.  The  Protestants, 
however,  were  mistaken,  for  the  object  of  Paulmy 
was  only  to  make  a  military  inspection  of  the 
defensive  works  of  the  south,  specially  those  situated 
on  the  Rhone  and  the  Var.  A  dramatic  incident 
which  marked  the  tour  of  the  Marquis  made  a  great 
sensation.  He  arrived  'at  Nismes  just  as  the  per- 
secution was  becoming  less  severe,  but  when  the 
country  was  still  deeply  agitated.  In  astonishment 
at  this  condition  of  affairs,  he  expressed  a  desire  to 
have  a  statement  of  the  same  submitted  to  him  by 


278  Respite  of  the  Persecution. 

the  Protestants  themselves.  Happening  shortly  after 
to  be  going  one  night  from  Nismes  to  Montpellier, 
his  travelling  carriage  was  stopped  by  some  men  on 
horse-back,  one  of  whom  approached  the  door  with 
a  respectful  demeanour  and  said  "I  am  Paul 
Rabaut."  He  then  handed  the  Marquis  a  long 
document  of  which  he  requested  his  perusal.  The 
old  soldier,  evidently  touched  by  the  display  of  so 
much  courage  and  confidence  on  the  part  of  the 
pastor,  accepted  the  statement  and  promised  to 
forward  it  to  the  King.  Shortly  afterwards  the 
persecution  entirely  ceased,  a  result  which  the  Pro- 
testants naturally  attributed  to  the  influence  of  the 
Marquis  De  Paulmy  with  the  Court.  Alas,  it  was 
nothing  of  the  kind  ! — the  true  reason  was  owing 
neither  to  pity  nor  to  mercy,  but  "to  paucity  of 
troops  to  enforce  the  laws  and  to  punish  those  who 
broke  them."  1 

This  persecution,  which  lasted  for  seven  years,  was 
the  longest  and  most  terrible  that  the  Huguenots 
had  yet  undergone.  The  respite  was  of  short 
duration — only  a  year — but  they  profited  by  it  to 
combine  and  organise  themselves  anew. 

Let  us  now  listen  to  the  plaintive  description  of 
the  sorrows  of  the  victims,  as  portrayed  in  the 
following  correspondence.  - 


1.    Histoire  de  l'Eglise  de  Montpellier,  by  M  Corbière.    Documentary 
evidence,  No. 41,  November,  1751. 


Letter  of  Cortiet  on  the  persecutions  of  17 50.      279 


Letter  fvom  Cortieg,  1750. 

"  Upper  Languedoc,  the  18th  of  May,  1750. 
"  Monsieur  and  dear  brother, 

u  I  received  with  true  pleasure  your  pious  letter  dated 

the  9th  of  April  last Since  your  departure  our 

Churches  have  considerably  increased  in  number  as  well  as 
in  influence;  they  have  been  organised  into  eight  separate 
Provinces,  namely  Dauphiny,  Vivarais,  Upper  and  Lower 
Cevennes,  Upper  and  Lower  Languedoc,  Upper  Guienne  and 
Comté  de  Foix,  Upper  and  Lower  Poitou,  Saintonge,  and 
Normandy.  Each  Province  embraces  about  the  same  extent 
of  country  as  it  did  before  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes;  it  has  its  Pastors,  Consistories,  Conferences  and 
Synods,  and  follows  out,  as  far  as  the  circumstances  of  the 
times  will  permit,  the  rules  and  regulations  established  by 
our  forefathers. 

"In  Dauphiny  during  the  last  few  years,  the  persecution 
has  been  very  severe  and  has  made  great  ravages,  but, 
blessed  be  God,  I  learn  that  latterly  it  has  somewhat 
abated 

"As  to  Vivarais,  you  have  doubtless  heard  of  the 
disastrous  events  that  took  place  on  the  occasion  of  the 
capture  of  the  lateM.  Desubas,  who  suffered  martyrdom  with 
a  faith  and  constancy  worthy  of  the  martyrs  of  the  primitive 
church,  and  with  a  patience  and  fortitude  extremely  edifying 
to  the  faithful.  But,  everlasting  praise  be  to  God,  these 
tribulations  were  not  of  long  duration;  the  assemblies, 
baptisms,  and  marriages  were  soon  resumed  as  formerly  and 
are  even  daily  increasing  in  number 

M  lu  Upper  and  Lower  Cevennes  and  in  Lower  Languedoc, 
things  are  in  a  much  healthier  condition.  There,  nearly  all 
the  Protestants  profess  their  religion  openly  without  fear  of 
molestation  ;  they  attend  with  great  regularity  the  frequent 
assemblies,  held  in  broad  daylight,  in  close  vicinity  to  cities, 


280      Letter  of  Cortiez  on  the  persecutions  of  1750. 

towns,  and  villages,  and  at  which  baptisms  are  performed 
and  marriages  solemnized. 

"In  Upper  Languedoc  numerous  assemblies  are  held, 
while  baptisms  and  marriages  are  frequent,  but  unfortunately 
everything  has  to  be  done  at  night  time,  heavy  fines  being 
imposed  in  case  of  discovery.  Some  Protestants,  in  conse- 
quence, cannot  be  prevailed  upon  to  make  open  profession 
of  their  faith 

"In  Upper  Guienne,  towards  the  end  of  1744  and  the 
commencement  of  1745,  the  assemblies  became  much  more 
frequent,  but  renewed  and  severe  persecution  soon  compelled 
their  discontinuance,  and  during  several  subsequent  years 
the  faithful  were  cruelly  oppressed  by  the  agents  of  the 
Government 

"  Owing,  however,  to  the  loviug  kindness  of  God  and  His 
ever  watchful  care  of  His  children,  the  bitterness  of  the 
persecution  is  now  over-past  and  the  much  tried  Huguenots  are 
beginning  to  enjoy  some  repose.  The  Pastor  tells  me  in  the 
last  letter  I  received  from  him  that  he  has  recently  baptized 
four  children  and  performed  several  marriages  without 
interruption  from  our  adversaries,  and  he  hopes  that  if  God 
favors  them  with  a  few  weeks  cessation  of  anxiety  he  may 
have  many  more  similar  duties  to  perform. 

"  In  the  Comté  de  Foix  the  people  of  God  have  suffered 
much  by  reason  of  many  fines  imposed  upon  them,  by 
imprisonment,  by  condemnation  to  servitude  on  the  galleys, 
by  the  carrying  away  of  young  girls  into  convents,  and  by 
the  compulsory  baptism  of  children  previously  baptised  in 
the  Desert. 

"  These  measures  caused  at  the  time  of  their  inception  a 
momentary  panic,  but  I  have  since  learned  with  indescribable 
satisfaction  that  their  stringency  has  abated  and  that 
baptisms  and  marriages  in  the  Desert  would  be  resumed 
when  a  Pastor  is  appointed,  which  will  soon  be  done. 

"In  Upper  and  Lower  Poitou.  Saintonge  and  Perigord 
the  persecution  of  last  year  created  some  trouble  and 
confusion,  but  it  was  not  of  long  duration,  and  tranquillity  is 


T.i  I  try  of  (forties  on  thé  persecutions  of  t750.      281 

iiiiw  restored.  An  unfortunate  schism  which  began  with  the 
chiefs  and  spread  amongst  the  flocks  has  been  repaired.  M. 
Du  Plan  has  informed  you  that  one  result  of  the  fourteen  or 
fifteen  marriages  in  the  Desert  in  Perigord  has  been  the 
condemnation  of  the  men  to  the  galleys  and  the  imprisonment 
of  the  women  for  life,  but  I  have  since  heard  that  these 
sentences  have  been  commuted  into  exile  for  a  term  of 
years. 

u  Touching  Normandy,  I  am  but  imperfectly  informed  as 
to  what  happens  there.  I  only  know  that  the  assemblies 
are  very  large,  that  Monsieur  Prëneuf,  who  was  the  Pastor, 
has  left  for  Jersey  where  he  has  been  made  sub-deacon 
according  to  the  rites  of  the  Anglican  Church,  and  that, 
previous  to  his  departure,  at  a  conference,  he  laid  hands  on 
a  certain  M.  Gautier,  formerly  a  monk,  and  who  is  well 
spoken  of. 

"You  have  without  doubt  heard  that  the  king  of  France 
has  thought  proper  to  impose  the  tax  known  as  the  vingtième 
upon  his  subjects.  This  proceeding  has  produced  considerable 
opposition  in  certain  Provinces,  but  especially  in  Languedoc, 
and  it  has  gone  to  such  lengths  that  the  King,  surprised  and 
indignant,  has  ordered  the  suppression  of  the  Provincial 
Assemblies  (états  provinciaux)  and  the  functions  formerly 
performed  by  these  bodies  are  now  assumed  by  the  agents 
of  the  crown. 

"The  payment  of  the  impost  in  question  has  been 
demanded  of  us  Protestants  by  the  Intendant,  and  we  have 
neither  the  right  nor  the  power  to  demur  to  the  request, 
though  we  know  perfectly  well  that  compliance  therewith 
will  brinff  us  into  conflict  with  the  clergy  and  draw  upon 
us  the  ill-will  of  many  of  our  neighbours  opposed  to  the 
constitution  of  the  Provincial  Councils,  and  the  sentiments  of 
the  Clergy  will  only  draw  down  upon  us  the  hatred  of  both. 
We  have  yielded,  for  obvious  reasons,  as  quietly  as  possible, 
and  our  acknowledgment  of  submission  has  been  well 
received,  as  we  learn  from  the  deputation  of  Elders  who 
were  appointed  to  convey  it  to  Monsieur  the  Intendant  :  we 


282  Letter  of  Le  Maréchal  to  Lu  Plan. 

understood,  besides,  that  as  a  result  of  the  interview  fines 
and  imprisonments  will  cease  to  be  imposed  upon  persons 
attending  the  assemblies  ;  at  all  events,  since  its  occurrence, 
fines  have  not  been  levied,  while  many  of  the  faithful  have 
been  let  out  of  prison.  We  have  also  forwarded  an  act  of 
submission  on  the  subject  of  (illegible)  to  M.  de  '  Saint 
Florentin,  whom  we  have  requested  to  make  the  King 
acquainted  with  our  real  sentiments.  God  grant  that  this 
proceeding  may  have  the  hoped-for  result,  and  that  the  cruel 
edicts  issued  against  us  may  be  revoked  ;  that  we  may  soon 
see  the  exiles  return  to  their  homes,  the  galley  slaves  (who 
notwithstanding  the  liberation  of  a  tew  are  still  numerous) 
set  free,  and  the  children  wrongfully  detained  in  convents 
restored  to  their  parents.  We  have,  however,  to  apprehend 
trouble  in  the  future,  seeing  that  we  are  in  such  a  minority, 
and  that  the  Clergy  are  constantly  working  against  us  and 
endeavouring  to  bring  about  our  ruin  ;  because  our  love 
for  God  and  zeal  for  His  service  are  at  such  a  low  ebb,  and 
because,  in  a  word,  our  sins  and  back-slidings  are  so  many 
and  so  great.  Considering  that  we  stand  in  pressing  need 
of  the  prayers  of  our  brethren  to  God,  and  their  intervention 
with  the  Protestant  Powers,  we  humbly  ask  them  both  for 
the  one  and  for  the  other  and  beseech  them  to  obtain  the 
assistance  of  all  who  are  able  to  render  us  service.  I  am 
very  sincerely,  Monsieur  and  dear  brother  in  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  your  very  humble  servant 

"Cortiez." 


Letter  from  Le  Maréchal  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  (1752). 

"  Monsieur  and  dear  Cousin, 

"Since  our  friend  Dubon  and  I  last  wrote  to  you,  some 
disastrous  events  have  transpired.  The  Government  farmer- 
generals  have  confiscated  all  the  property  belonging  to 
Protestant  refugees  now    abroad,    among  which    is    that 


Letter  of  Bedonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  1751.    283 

belonging  to  you  and  to  your  late  aunt,  as  well  as  the  house 
and  appurtenances  sold  by  you  to  our  friend  Dubon. 

"A  month  since,  persecution  recommenced  ;  the  men 
arrested  at  the  religious  assemblies  have  been  condemned  to 
the  galleys,  the  women  to  the  Tower  of  Constance  and  their 
goods  have  been  placed  under  confiscation.  In  certain 
localities  the  troops  have  been  ordered  to  compel  the 
re-baptism  of  children,  while  marriages  have  been  forcibly 
re-solemnized  by  the  priests. 

"M.  Bënézet,  a  student  lately  taken  by  the  dragoons  at 
Vigan,  was  put  to  death  on  the  26th  of  March  last,  at  Mont- 
pellier, glorifying  God  by  the  courage  and  firmness  with 
which  he  yielded  up  his  life.  About  the  same  time  Le  sieur 
Molines,  surnamed  Fléchier,  who  had  been  several  years  in 
the  ministry,  was  seized  at  Marsillargues  :  he  had  married  a 
Catholic  lady,  the  widow  of  an  officer,  and,  in  his  passionate 
love  for  this  woman,  had  shown  by  yielding  to  her  evil 
influence,  that  it  is  given  to  none  to  serve  both  God  and  the 
tlesh,  for  though  he  attended  mass  he  was  long  kept  a  pri- 
soner in  the  Citadel  of  Montpellier.  God  grant  us  grace  and 
strength  to  be  faithful  to  Him  unto  the  end.  I  present  to 
your  dear  wife  my  sincerest  respects,  and  of  her  as  well  as 
of  yourself  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  Monsieur  and  dear  cousin, 
your  very  humble  servant 

"Le  Maréchal." 

"14th  of  May,  1752.  " 


Letter  of  Bedonnel,  Pastor  of  Montpellier, 
to  Benjamin  Da  Plan  (1751). 

"Monsieur  and  honored  brother, 
"Although  several  months  have  elapsed  since  I  wrote  to 
you  very  fully,  during  which  time  I  have  received  no  reply 
to  my  letter,  I  address  you  again  in  order  to  assure  you  that 
in  addition  to  the  constant  and  earnest  prayers  I  offer  to 
God  on  your  behalf,  I  have  not  failed  to  renew  them  at  the 


284     Letter  of  Bedonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  1751. 

commencement  of  this  new  year,  to  the  end  that  if  it  please 
God  He  may  bestow  upon  you  everything  that  is  desirable, 
both  for  this  life  and  for  that  which  is  to  come;  and  not 
alone  as  an  evidence  of  the  high  estimation  which  I  entertain 
for  you,  but  also  with  a^view  to  inform  you  of  everything 
that  has  transpired  here  respecting  us  in  the  meantime. 

"  Towards  the  end  of  the  month  of  October  last,  two 
Protestants  of  Faugères  were  apprehended  for  having  refused 
to  allow  the  priest  to  bury  their  children,  they  having 
meanwhile  buried  the  children  in  their  own  grounds.  A  few 
months'  imprisonment  and  payment  of  twenty  five  or  thirty 
pistoles  was  the  penalty  imposed  for  this  affair.  Some  time 
afterwards,  Monsieur  the  sub-delegate  of  Béziers,  appointed 
for  the  purpose  by  the  Intendant,  went  at  the  head  of  a 
brigade  of  mounted  police  to  the  aforesaid  Faugères,  also  to 
Bédarieux  and  Graissessac,  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining 
the  names  of  those  who  had  been  married  or  had  had  their 
children  baptized  in  the  Desert,  and  of  taking  away  from 
them  the  certificates  of  such  marriages  and  baptisms.  This 
measure,  following  the  publication  of  the  decree  of  which 
I  spoke  in  my  last  letter,  so  alarmed  the  faithful  as  to  make 
them  fear  that  they  would  at  once  be  condemned  to  the 
prisons  and  the  galleys,  but  most  of  all  they  feared  that  the 
marriages  performed  by  their  own  legitimate  pastors  would 
be  held  void,  and  re-solemnization  as  well  as  re-baptism  at  the 
hands  of  the  priests  be  enforced  by  the  authorities.  I  had 
just  returned  from  a  visit  to  the  Churches  when  I  heard  this 
news,  and  appreciating  their  anxiety  I  wrote  them  two  letters 
(being  unable  either  to  go  back  myself  or  to  send  any  one 
else)  in  order  to  encourage  them,  as  well  as  to  exhort  them 
to  persevere  in  the  faith  and  to  lose  and  suffer  all  things 
rather  than  to  commit  any  act  incompatible  with  their  duty 
or  to  the  prejudice  of  their  salvation.  I  have  since  heard 
from  one  who  has  visited  them  that  our  adversaries  have 
made  no  further  demonstration,  and  that  tranquillity  is  now 
restored. 

"  While  these  things  were  going  on  in  the  outskirts  of  the 


Letter  <>/'  Redonne!  on  the  persecutions  of  1751. 


285 


Province  where  no  troops  are  stationed,  assemblies  in  the 
interior  were  constantly  assailed  by  the  many  armed 
detachments  appointed  for  that  purpose.  All  our  gatherings 
on  one  day  were  attacked  and  dispersed  by  the  united 
forces  from  all  the  garrisons  of  the  Province.  Not  a  single 
prisoner,  however,  was  taken  at  any  place  with  the 
exception  of  Uzes,  where  the  number  was  so  great  that  it 
seemed  large  enough  for  all  the  others  put  together. 

"The  following  are  the  particulars.  The  Assembly 
connected  with  the  Church  met  together  at  the  usual  trysting 
place,  which  is  barely  a  league  from  the  town.  The 
Commandant  of  the  garrison  and  the  sub-delegate,  bribed 
and  led  on  by  the  bishop,  who  is  extremely  bigoted  and 
cruel,  had  laid  a  plan  for  surprising  the  worshippers  and 
taking  as  many  of  them  prisoners  as  possible,  and,  above 
all  M.  Pradel,  alias  Vernezobre  the  Pastor.  The  sub-delegate 
having  ordered  a  brigade  of  mounted  police  stationed  at 
Remoulin  to  muster  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Uzes,  but  not 
until  the  Sunday  morning,  in  order  to  avoid  attracting  atten- 
tion, put  himself  at  their  head,  and  in  company  with  the  foot 
police  drew  near  to  the  meeting,  after  having  first  provided 
the  men  with  cords  and  manacles  wherewith  to  bind  the 
minister  whom  he  hoped  to  capture. 

"The  Commandant  on  the  other  hand,  in  order  the  better 
to  put  the  assembly  off  its  guard,  ordered  the  garrison  out 
on  to  the  Esplanade  as  if  for  ordinary  drill,  having  mean- 
while adopted  the  treacherous  device  of  sending  his  valet- 
de-chambre  to  the  meeting  to  watch  the  Pastor,  and  ascertain 
what  became  of  him  on  the  approach  of  the  detachment, 
in  order  to  insure  his  capture.  The  admission  of  the  valet- 
de-chambre  to  the  assembly  ought  not  to  surprise  you, 
neither  ought  it  to  be  regarded  as  an  imprudent  act  on  the 
part  of  the  Church.  For  the  last  ten  years  our  gatherings 
have  taken  place  in  the  day-time  without  concealment,  and 
not  only  have  many  Catholics,  but  soldiers  and  police  officers 
also,  attended  them  out  of  curiosity  or  other  motives,  and 
notwithstanding  the  opposition  of  the  bishops,  priests  and 


286     Letter  of  Redonne!  on  the  persecutions  of  1751. 

commandants  these  procedings  have  not  been  entirely  dis- 
continued. Moreover  the  Spaniards,  so  many  of  whom  have 
been  spending  the  winter  in  the  Province,  have  attended  the 
assemblies  in  crowds,  and  though  for  the  most  part  they 
understand  very  little  French  they  have  so  greatly  admired 
the  reading  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  the  sermons,  the  singing 
of  the  Psalms,  and  above  all  our  liturgies,  our  adminstration 
of  the  ordinances  of  baptism,  and  the  Lord's  Supper,  that  at 
Uzes  several  officers  who  attended  an  assembly  one  Sunday 
occupied  seats  in  the  enclosure  with  the  Consistory,  in  order 
the  better  to  see  the  baptisms  and  hear  the  minister.  They 
were  so  impressed  that  they  afterwards  exclaimed  with 
delight  that  we  baptised  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  the  Son, 
and  the  Holy  Ghost  and  that  we  were  Christians  like  them- 
selves. Their  attention  to,  and  respect  for  the  worship  were 
redoubled,  and  they  knelt  and  covered  their  heads  like  the 
faithful,  while  I  am  able  to  assure  you  that  the  few  who 
have  returned  into  Spain  are  very  different  from  what  they 
were  when  they  came  away,  preferring  generally  communion 
with  our  body  to  communion  with  the  Catholics  and  our 
preachings  to  their  masses.  Some  have  gone  so  far  as  to 
denounce  the  priests,  and  especially  the  monks,  charging  them 
with  improper  conduct,  and  this  without  producing  any 
disturbance  in  our  assemblies.  I  have  gone  somewhat  at 
length  into  these  matters  in  the  belief  that  the  incident  of  the 
valet-de-chambre  and  the  particulars  about  the  Spaniards, 
—the  two  subjects  being  somewhat  connected, — may  not 
improbably  afford  you  as  much  pleasure  as  they  have 
afforded  us. 

u  To  return  to  the  traitor  valet  and  the  assembly.  So  far 
from  any  one  objecting  to  his  presence  the  worshippers 
seemed  to  derive  pleasure  in  procuring  him  a  good  place,  the 
better  to  see  and  hear  what  should  happen.  The  project  of 
the  Bishop  had  not  been  arranged  with  such  secrecy  that 
the  Church  did  not  suspect  what  was  going  on,  the  artifice 
of  exercising  the  men  being  well  understood.  On  coming 
together  two  precautions  were  taken;   one  was  that  the 


Letter  of  Reêonnel  0)i  the  persecutions  of  1751.     287 

Pastor  dispensed  with  his  robes  in  order  that  he  might  be 
the  better  able  to  escape  from  the  troops — simply  wearing 
the  ecclesiastical  bands,  as  he  had  to  baptise  three  infants — 
the  other  was  to  place  certain  of  the  faithful  in  the  town  as 
scouts  to  warn  the  assembly  of  the  approach  of  the  soldiers. 
This,  however,  was  a  useless  proceeding,  for  while  the  troops 
were  apparently  engaged  in  their  manœuvres,  the  Comman- 
dant by  a  pre-arranged  plan  caused  them  to  proceed  rapidly 
or  to  run  in  companies  of  fourteen  (eight  or  nine  in  number) 
towards  the  assembled  worshippers.  The  faithful,  who  were 
on  the  look-out  observing  what  was  going  on,  ran  also,  and 
with  the  greatest  speed  possible,  but  the  soldiers — and  the 
mounted  police  who  joined  them  on  the  way — made  such 
progress  that  all  arrived  nearly  at  the  same  time  ;  and  before 
it  was  possible  to  give  the  signal  of  danger,  the  assembly 
was  in  this  way  invested  by  a  cordon  of  troops,  which 
contracted  its  area  until  there  was  left  only  one  small 
opening,  and  this  a  few  grenadiers  tried  to  close  up.  To 
the  honor  of  the  Church  let  it  be  said  that  the  startled  flock, 
disregarding  the  impending  peril,  made  the  safety  of  its 
Pastor  and  a  young  preacher  who  had  just  recovered  from 
a  severe  illness,  and  was  still  only  convalescent,  its  sole 
concern.  The  latter  fainted  away  and  was  with  difficulty 
mounted  on  horseback  behind  the  Pastor,  who  endeavoured 
to  make  his  escape  through  the  small  opening  in  question. 
One  of  the  most  striking  instances  afforded  us  in  ecclesiastical 
history  of  the  attachment  of  people  for  their  Pastor  is  shown 
in  the  fact  that  when  these  persecuted  ones  saw  that  the 
grenadiers  were  about  to  attain  their  object  they  threw  them- 
selves into  the  hands  of  the  soldiers  in  order  to  distract 
their  attention  and  give  the  Pastor  a  chance  to  get  away. 
The  plan  was  completely  successful,  and  for  once  we  see  the 
sheep  not  only  giving  their  property  and  their  liberty,  but 
also  their  lives  for  the  shepherd  who  thus,  through  the  special 
intervention  of  Providence  for  which  we  ever  desire  to 
return  thanks,  made  his  escape.  It  was  not  so  with  the 
faithful,  for,  although  the  greater  part  saved  themselves, 


288    Letter  of  Bedonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  1751. 

a  large  number  were  exposed  for  three  hours  to  the  ill- 
usage  and  insolence  ot  the  soldiers  and  police,  as  well  as  to 
that  of  the  Commandant,  who  by  his  example  and  exhortation 
encouraged  his  subordinates  to  inflict  upon  their  unhappy 
victims  the  most  outrageous  insults  and  the  roughest  treat1 
ment.  Amongst  the  victims  was  an  old  man  of  seventy,  of 
the  name  of  Audiger,  and  another,  called  Espérandieu,  both 
of  Montaren  who,  when  felled  to  the  ground  by  heavy  blows 
from  the  fists  of  their  oppressors,  contented  themselves  with 
protesting  against  this  brutality  by  the  simple  exclamation, 
"Be  merciful  to  us  for  the  sake  of  God,  for  we  have  done 
you  no  injury  !  "  At  this  moment,  a  soldier  who  had  injured 
his  gun,  probably  by  letting  it  fall  on  a  rock  of  which  there 
are  many  in  the  locality,  drew  the  attention  of  the  Comman- 
dant (who  happened  to  be  passing)  to  the  circumstance  and 
accused  one  of  the  poor  old  men  of  having  done  the  mischief. 
The  Commandant  who  saw  his  helpless  and  aged  victim  lying 
prostrate  on  the  ground  covered  with  bruises  and  half  dead, 
could  scarcely  have  believed  such  a  story  :  nevertheless  he 
replied  with  an  oath  that  the  old  man  ought  to  be  killed,  and 
having  kicked  him  on  the  chest  with  his  heavy  boot  ordered 
him  to  be  confined  with  the  other  prisoners. 

u  You  will  no  doubt  wonder  what  became  of  the  valet-de- 
chambre.  On  the  approach  of  his  master  he  attempted,  but 
without  success,  to  point  out  the  Pastor  in  order  that  he 
might  claim  the  thousand  crowns  reward  offered  for  his 
capture.  God  meanwhile  had  ordained  the  seizure  of  a  man 
who  resembled  the  former;  and  the  Commandant,  under  the 
belief  that  he  had  his  man  safe  in  his  custody,  took  no  further 
steps.  The  Pastor  thus  made  his  escape  in  company  with 
the  others,  who  were  followed  for  about  a  mile  by  the  troops. 

"As  it  was  winter  time  and  the  days  were  short,  the 
troops  were  soon  recalled  from  the  chase.  In  their  eagerness 
to  pursue,  capture  and  ill-treat  the  Huguenots,  many  of  them 
had  dispersed  through  the  woods  and  among  the  mountains, 
and  they  now  returned  with  the  unfortunates  whom  they  had 
succeeded  in  taking  prisoners.     The  number  of  the  unhappy 


Letter  of  Bedonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  1751. 

captives  now  was  so  great  that,  not  only  was  there  a  diffi- 
culty in  guarding  them,  but  it  was  feared  that,  an  attempt  at 
resistance  would  be  made,  and  that  those  of  their  brethren 
who  had  made  their  escape  might  come  to  their  rescue. 
God  had  caused  our  adversaries  to  believe  that  we  should 
be  more  resentful  than  we  really  were,  and  to  this  ap- 
prehension, which  was  rather  servicable  to  us  than  otherwise, 
is  to  be  attributed  two  incidents  that  greatly  surprised  the 
assembly  at  the  time  of  their  occurrence  and  which  I  have 
omitted  previously  to  notice.  One  was  the  beating  of  the 
drum,  and  the  other  the  firing  of  a  few  blank  cartridges  in 
the  air,  apparently  with  the  object  of  so  frightening  us  as  to 
induce  the  strong  and  vigorous  to  effect  their  escape,  while 
the  Pastor,  the  women  and  the  old  people  were  made  an 
easy  prey.  The  stratagem,  however,  did  not  succeed,  and  the 
troops  were  encumbered  with  such  a  multitude  of  prisoners 
that  many  of  them  easily  got  away,  whilst  others  bribed  the 
soldiers  with  money  and  jewellery  to  allow  them  to  escape. 
On  approaching  the  town,  the  Commandant,  either  simply 
from  fear  and  a  desire  to  irritate  the  Catholics  against  us 
by  inducing  them  to  believe  that  we  were  likely  to  give 
trouble,  or  else  with  a  view  to  secure  the  prisoners,  of  whom 
many  were  constantly  escaping,  and  to  render  his  success 
the  more  striking,  ordered  out  the  remainder  of  the  garrison 
under  arms.  Be  this  as  it  may,  he  entered  the  town  at  the 
head  of  the  reinforcement,  escorting  by  the  light  of  torches 
about  two  hundred  Huguenots  whom  he  conducted  to  the 
prison.  You  may  judge  from  this  fact  the  enormous  number 
that  might  have  been  secured.  Two  ladies  of  quality  were 
especially  distinguished  by  their  gentle  and  resolute  bearing. 
I  am  acquainted  with  the  name  of  one  only,  the  pious 
Mada"-  d'Aubessargues.  It  is  with  little  pleasure  that 
I  recount  to  you  the  impression  which  this  sad  spectacle 
made  on  the  minds  and  hearts  of  nearly  all  the  inhabitants, 
whether  Protestants  or  Catholics.  There  were  but  few 
respectable  people  who  could  not  reckon  among  the  pri- 
soners  some   relative,    acquaintance,   neighbour   or  friend, 

19 


290    Letter  of  Medonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  1751. 

and  the  lamentations  were  not  limited  to  a  section  of  the 
community  as,  possibly,  the  Commandant  had  anticipated, 
but  were  reinforced  by  the  maledictions  of  the  Catholics 
who  in  this  made  common  cause  with  their  oppressed 
neighbours. 

"  As  the  prisons  of  Uzès  were  not  sufficient  to  contain  so 
many  persons  at  one  time,  and  as  no  preparations  had  been 
previously  made  or  could  now  be  made  at  so  short  notice, 
the  wretched  accomodation  received  by  these  poor,  hungry, 
cold,  tired  and  maltreated  people  added  not  a  little  to  their 
already  sufficiently  severe  sufferings.  Amongst  them  were 
five  women  with  infants  at  the  breast,  who  were  not  allowed, 
even  under  guard,  to  go  to  their  homes,  and  only  permitted 
by  special  favor  to  receive  their  infants  in  the  prison. 
Madame  D'Aubessargues  begged  (under  the  guarantee  of  a 
Catholic,  who  had  tendered  his  help)  that  she  might  be 
allowed  to  be  kept  prisoner  in  a  private  house — watched  by 
as  many  soldiers  as  should  be  deemed  necessary,  and  whom 
she  herself  offered  to  pay.  This  was  granted,  and  soon 
afterwards  she  was  permitted  to  occupy  her  own  Château, 
on  condition  that  she  provided  sureties  and  paid  the  guard. 
The  most  notable  of  the  other  prisoners  also  obtained  their 
freedom,  under  recognisances,  for  reasons  which  you  will 
be  pleased  to  hear  and  for  which  we  cannot  fail  to  admire 
the  workings  of  Providence.  I  will  confine  myself  to  two 
of  the  principal  cases. 

"God,  who  never  abandons  those  whom  He  loves,  so 
over-ruled  events  that  M.  de  la  Fareille,  Commandant  of 
Uzès,  happened  to  be  absent  at  the  time  when  this  affair 
occurred,  and  vexed  to  find  that  the  troops  had  been  ordered 
out  without  his  authority,  shewed  his  displeasure  in  a  very 
marked  manner  to  the  sub-Delegate  and  the  officer  in 
command,  as  well,  perhaps,  as  to  some  others.  This  alone 
was  very  much  in  our  favor,  and  coupled  with  it  was  the 
fact  that  M.  the  Duke  d'Uzès,  so  far  from  regarding  the 
imprisonment  favorably,  seriously  regretted  it.  It  is 
asserted  that,  on  the  day  following,  when  the  sub-Delegate 


Letter  of  Redonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  1151.    '_;'.»1 

called  upon  him — possibly  for  the  purpose  of  justifying  his 
conduct — the  Seigneur  angrily  demanded  whether  he  wished 
him  to  be  deprived  of  his  vassals.  He  also  ordered  the  sub- 
Delegate  to  quit  the  Duchy  at  once  and  never  to  re-enter  it 
under  pain  of  the  lash,  and  concluded  by  expressing  surprise 
t hut  he  had  not  already  lost  his  life.  Thus,  no  doubt,  it  is 
in  great  measure  owing  to  the  favor  of  this  nobleman  that 
our  brethren  at  Uzès  are  indebted  for  the  amelioration  of 
their  misfortunes,  if  it  be  permitted  to  speak  thus  of  sufferings 
endured  for  righteousness  sake. 

"The  above  named  considerations  have  not  operated  so 
favorably  as  regards  the  poorer  prisoners,  and  especially 
those  who  have  to  maintain  themselves  and  their  families 
by  their  own  industry.  The  hope  of  inducing  them  to  violate 
their  consciences  through  the  weariness  and  misery  incidental 
to  a  sojourn  in  prison  and  the  wants  of  their  families,  has 
encouraged  our  enemies  to  keep  them  in  close  confinement; 
and  the  Church  of  Uzès,  fearing  the  consequences  of  a  design 
so  nefarious  and  cruel,  has  done  everything  in  its  power  to 
avert  the  evil  by  ministering  to  the  wants  both  of  the 
prisoners  and  their  families.  With  so  many  mouths  to  feed, 
however,  and  especially  after  the  late  disastrous  affair,  it  has 
been  compelled  to  appeal  for  assistance  to  other  Churches, 
and  the  appeal  has  been  met  by  Nismes  sending  two  hundred 
livres,  Montpellier  one  hundred  and  fifty,  with  a  promise  of 
more  if  required,  and  I  know  not  what  the  other  Churches 
have  done. 

"Bad  as  this  is,  however,  it  is  not  the  worst.  Many  who 
had  been  released  under  bail  have  been  recalled,  and  handed 
over  to  the  tender  mercies  of  their  enemies,  greatly  to  the 
disgrace  of  several  persons  in  high  places  who  had  pledged 
their  word  for  their  safety.  Monsieur  the  Intendant,  who  died 
on  the  28th  of  last  month,  signalised  his  departure  from  the 
world  by  condemning  five  of  these  unfortunates  to  the  galleys, 
two  to  the  Tower  of  Constance,  and  thirty-five  to  the  prisons 
of  Nismes  for  six  months.  As  to  the  fate  of  the  others  we 
are   ignorant,    but   we   do   know   that   the  chief  of  police 


292     Letter  of  Redonne!  on  the  persecutions  of  1752. 

pronounced  these  sentences  on  parting  with  his  confessor 
and  before  receiving  the  communion.  Can  any  greater 
service  be  rendered  to  humanity  than  to  convert  them  from 
a  religion  dishonoring  alike  Christianity  and  mankind? 
What  an  inducement  is  offered  to  those  who  love  the  Lord 
to  engage  in  efforts  for  the  utter  extinction  of  Popery! 

"Many  other  facts  could  I  communicate,  but  observing 
from  one  of  your  letters  that  M.  Viala  will  probably  call 
upon  me  and,  knowing  that  you  desire  lull  details  of  all  that 
happens  here,  I  will  ask  you  to  excuse  me  saying  more  at 
present,  especially  as  I  have  filled  my  sheet  of  paper.  I  will 
continue  to  send  you  all  the  news.  I  forward  to  the  Upper 
and  Lower  Cevennes,  to  Vivarais  and  Daliphiny  in  accordance 
with  the  request  of  M.  Viala,  the  announcement  of  his  pro- 
posed visit.  While  thanking  you  for  your  letter  I  conclude 
by  commending  our  flocks,  my  colleagues  and  myself  to 
your  devout  prayers,  and  to  the  prayers  of  all  who  interest 
themselves  on  our  behalf,  assuring  you  that  I  am  with  all 
my  heart,  Monsieur  and  honored  brother,  your  very  humble, 
obedient,  and  devoted  servant 

"Kedonnel." 

"P.  S.  My  colleagues,  with  whom  I  have  been  in  com- 
pany recently,  humbly  salute  you  and  thank  you  for  the 
marks  of  good-will  displayed  towards  them  in  the  letter 
brought  to  me  by  Michel.  If  Monsieur  Gaussen  would  oblige 
us  by  sending  your  letters  through  the  hands  of  his  nephew 
at  Montpellier,  the  transit  would  be  a  very  safe  one.  I 
beseech  you  to  present  to  him  my  respects." 


Another  letter  from  Bedonnel  to  Du  Plan. 

"  29th  of  June,  1752. 
"Monsieur  and  honored  brother  in  Jesus  Christ, 
u  A  few  days  have  elapsed  since  I  received  from  Monsieur 
pastor  Polier  a  letter  containing  the  same  intelligence  that 


Letter  of  Bedonnel  on  the  persecutions  of  it:<l'.    293 

you  communicated  to  me  Borne  months  ago,  and  although 
the  daily  increasing  misfortunes  wliicli  afflict  us  so 
engross  my  attention  that  1  can  scarcely  think  of  anything 
else,  yet  I  must  not  omit  to  thank  you  for  jour  exhortations 
to  us  to  be  at  peace  with  one  another.  Monsieur,  the  pastor 
follows  in  your  steps  and  goes  still  further,  endeavouring  to 
remove  all  the  obstacles  hitherto  encountered  in  our  efforts 
for  the  attainment  of  so  desirable  a  consummation,  by  declaring 
that  he  no  longer  holds  to  his  former  views,  but  that  he 
acquiesces  in  the  favorable  judgment  which  has  been 
rendered  in  your  case.1  How  much  troublesome  litigation 
and  discord  might  have  been  avoided  if  matters  could  have 
been  arranged  amicably!  Buc  such  is  human  nature,  it  is 
only  to  be  convinced  after  long  and  diligent  enquiry.  The 
termination  of  the  dispute  fills  me  with  joy  and  consolation, 
and  gratitude  to  (rod,  for  I  can  assure  you,  Monsieur,  that 
neither  you  nor  our  other  friends  are  aware  of  the  sorrow 
with  which  it  has  been  regarded  by  my  colleagues  and 
myself,  nor  can  you  realize  the  earnestness  of  our  efforts  to 
restore  peace  and,  unity.  To  this  good  end  we  would  try  to 
forget  all  that  has  happened,  all  uncharitable  thoughts  and 
unkind  words,  and  we  entreat  you  to  do  the  same:  and 
knowing  as  you  do  our  anxiety  on  this  score  (as  to  which 
your  last  letter  affords  convincing  testimony),  we  say  no 
more,  feeling  assured  that  all  impartial  people  who  know  us 
well  will  render  on  this  occasion  the  justice  due  to  our 
integrity  of  purpose. 

"  I  will  now  inform  you  of  what  is  taking  place  here. 
Our  faithful  are  still  urged  to  have  their  children  re-baptized, 
unfortunately  with  only  too  much  success,  and  although 
imprisonment  is  not  threatened — as  this  would  frighten  the 
people  out  of  the  country — yet  if,  after  the  lapse  of  three 
days,  the  ceremony  has  not  been  performed,  troopers  are 
billetted  on  the  recusants;  and  the  latter,  besides  having  to 
maintain  both  soldiers  and  horses,  are  mulcted  in  the  sum  ot 

1.    Allusion  ia  here  made  to  the  Arbitration  ca 


294    Letter  of  Redorinel  on  the  persecutions  of  1752. 

four  litres  each  per  diem.  Those  who  endeavour  to  evade 
the  law  by  not  presenting  themselves,  or  their  wives  and 
children,  have  their  goods  confiscated,  and,  arbitrary  as  this- 
proceeding  is,  it  is  not  the  worst  that  they  have  to  undergo, 
for  they  are  constantly  exposed  to  the  whiles  and  seductions 
of  the  cowardly  as  well  as  to  the  stratagems  of  Papists  and 
satellites  of  the  priests.  The  latter,  under  cover  of  the- 
authority  of  their  chiefs,  are  the  most  insolent  and 
unscrupulous  creatures  it  is  possible  to  imagine,  and,  united 
with  the  rest,  they  constitute  a  force  with  which  it  is  almost 
impossible  for  our  terrified  faithful  successfully  to  contend 
for  the  protection  of  their  children.  One  of  my  colleagues, 
who  is  an  eye  witness,  tells  me,  in  order  to  afford  an  idea 
of  the  pressure  exercised,  that  the  devil  himself  would  have 
to  submit  to  re-baptism  if  such  was  their  wish.  In  three 
districts  Desert-married  couples  have  had  to  suffer  re- 
marriage at  the  hands  of  the  priests,  and  to  undergo  the 
tests  ordained  by  the  bishops,  who,  profiting  by  the  restraint 
thus  imposed  have  neglected  nothing  to  enforce  full  obser- 
vance of  all  the  obligations  ot  their  rejigion.  Nismes, 
although  hitherto  free  from  these  troubles,  is  daily  expecting 
to  suffer,  but  Sommières,  Calvisson,  and  the  neighbourhood, 
have  been  attacked,  and  the  inhabitants,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  who  have  elected  to  surrender  their  property,  were 
forced  to  succumb.  Our  flocks,  save  a  few  worldlings,  have 
seriously  contemplated  expatriating  themselves,  but  alas» 
even  this  resource  is  not  now  open  to  them!  seven  persons 
were  arrested  about  two  or  three  weeks  since,  a  day'? 
journey  from  Nismes,  and  conducted  to  the  dungeons  of  the 
fort,  while  twenty-one  were,  at  the  same  time,  imprisoned  in 
the  Fort  of  Grenoble,  and  their  fate  remains  unknown.  We 
are  assured  that  all  the  frontiers  of  the  kingdom  are 
rigorously  guarded  and  that  it  is  useless  to  attempt  to 
escape.  If  this  be  true  what  is  to  become  of  us?  Who  is- 
to  save  us  from  the  imminent  peril  which  menaces  us  and 
our  beloved  flocks  from  all  quarters  ?     Can  anything  be 


Letter  of  Redonne!  on  the  persecutions  of  1752.    295 

more    fearful?     They    will    neither    allow    us    to  remain 
unmolested  nor  let  us  depart. 

u  Another  circumstance  still  more  striking  and  grievous 
was  the  execution,  last  Friday  at  Niâmes,  of  a  man  named 
Roque  from  Beau  voisin,  a  place  situated  about  two  leagues 
from  that  town.  This  unfortunate  man  was  accused  of 
having  attacked  singlehanded  a  detachment  of  forty  or 
fifty  soldiers  as  they  were  escorting  seven  prisoners  who  had 
been  captured  at  an  assembly,  and  he  was  charged  further 
with  attempting  the  life  of  the  Commandant.  False  and 
destitute  of  all  semblance  of  reality  as  was  this  accusation, 
Roque  was  thrown  into  prison,  and  after  a  detention  at 
Nismes  or  Montpellier  of  four  months,  was  brought  up  for 
trial  last  Thursday  at  Nismes,  manacled  with  thirty  pounds' 
weight  of  iron  fetters  on  his  neck  and  wrists.  He  asserted 
his  innocence,  reproached  his  judges  with  injustice  and 
threatened  them  with  the  vengeance  of  the  Almighty,  but 
deaf  alike  to  remonstrance  and  menace  they  sentenced  him 
to  be  hanged  on  the  following  day.  No  fewer  than  eighteen 
priests  went  in  a  body  to  endeavour  to  prevail  on  the  con- 
demned man  to  recant.  He  sternly  refused  to  hear  them. 
The  abbot  Bouira,  more  ardent  in  the  cause  than  his 
companions,  seized  the  prisoner  by  the  collar  and  besought 
him  to  reflect  that  in  two  hours  he  would  have  to  appear 
before  God,  assuring  him  at  the  same  time  that  if  he  quitted 
the  world  a  heretic  he  could  expect  no  other  fate  than  to  be 
cast  into  hell.  'Ah  Monsieur!'  replied  Roque  in  patois, 
'if  you  believed  there  to  be  a  hell  in  the  next  world,  you 
would  not  persecute  me  as  you  are  doing  in  this!'  These 
words,  which  coming  from  a  poor  peasant  were  regarded  as 
something  monstrous  and  portentous,  struck  terror  into  th« 
whole  assemblage,  and  they  shortly  afterwards  retired,  but 
only  to  give  place  to  two  Jesuits,  one  of  whom  (Father  Gout) 
had  come  specially  from  Montpellier.  The  victim  put  these 
new  tormentors  also  to  confusion  by  exclaiming  :  '  Oh,  how 
can  I  believe  your  religion  to  be  true  while  I  daily  see  you 
steeping  your  hands  in  Christian  blood?'     A  dozen  priests 


296     Letter  of  Redonne}  on  the  prosecutions  of  1752. 

then  came  up  to  the  charge,  but  he  refused  their  services, 
dismissing  them  with  these  words.  'Leave  me  alone  to 
prepare  for  death,  I  have  no  need  of  consolation  from  you; 
unfortunately  those  who  could  give  me  comfort  are  not  per- 
mitted to  come  here.'  The  fatal  moment  having  arrived, 
two  Jesuits  volunteered  to  accompany  the  prisoner,  and  from 
time  to  time  on  his  way  to  the  scaffold  they  endeavonred  to 
address  him,  but  their  efforts  were  useless  ;  Roque  heeded 
them  not,  and,  turning  his  back,  refused  in  strong  terms  to 
give  ear  to  their  exhortations.  During  the  short  intervals  in 
which  he  was  left  to  himself  he  never  ceased  to  cry  to  God, 
exclaiming,  'Be  merciful  to  me,  be  merciful  to  me!'  When 
the  cortege  had  passed  out  of  the  little  gate  of  Saint-Gilles, 
and  came  in  sight  of  the  gallows,  Roque  increased  his  pace, 
and  on  arriving  implored  the  executioner  to  do  his  work 
quickly.  While  mounting  the  ladder  he  sang  the  fifty-first 
Psalm,  and  after  he  had  refused  to  kiss  the  crucifix  offered 
to  him  by  a  Jesuit,  the  drums  were  sounded  and  the  drop  fell. 
"  Let  us  adore  the  hand  of  Providence  as  shewn  in  this 
instance  of  self  sacrifice  for  the  truth  by  Roque,  which  seems 
all  the  greater  beside  the  unworthy  conduct  of  his  pastor 
(Molines)  who,  as  I  have  already  explained  to  you,  saved 
his  life  at  the  expense  of  his  conscience.  What  a  humiliating 
example  ot  wisdom  without  piety  !  Roque  was  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  leaves  behind  him  a  widow  and  a  little 
child  three  or  four  years  old,  besides  an  aged  mother,  all  of 
whom  were  at  Nismes  on  that  sad  but  glorious  day.  In 
the  absence  of  the  pastors,  who  were  obliged  to  conceal 
themselves,  the  family  received  the  ministrations  of  the 
deacons  and  deaconesses  who  ably  supplied  their  places. 
The  incident  has  seriously  increased  the  alarm  of  the  resi- 
dents in  Nismes  and  the  neighbourhood,  an  alarm  which 
was  already  only  too  great;  and  meanwhile  the  animosity 
manifested  towards  us  by  the  priests  and  those  in  authority 
over  them  shows  no  signs  of  abatement.  They  who  are 
apparently  the  most  forbearing  do  not  scruple  to  act  as  spies 
and  to  inform  against  us,  and  how  many  are  there  who  fail 


Letter  of  Pomaret  on  the  prosecutions  of  t752.     297 

to  take  pleasure  in  joining  the  hue  and  cry?     Such  is  the 
disastrous  result  of  this  Catholic  Jubilee! 

UI  forgot  to  mention  that  when  Roque  was  being  led 
from  the  Fort  to  the  Court  of  Justice  an  enthusiastic  Huguenot 
addressing  him,  cried  out,  'Courage,  my  dear  brother,  you 
will  shortly  be  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord.  '  No  sooner  was 
the  body  of  the  martyr  hung  in  chains  than  it  was  carried 
off.  Proceedings  have  been  instituted  against  those  who 
were  concerned  in  its  removal.  Two  sick  Protestants 
— one  at  (anion,  a  small  village  near  Bédarieux,  and  the 
other  at  Pézénaa — after  having  been  vainly  entreated  b}*  the 
priests  to  abjure  their  religion,  died,  when  their  bodies  were 
dragged  through  the  streets  and  thrown  into  the  common 
sewer.  You  may  judge  from  these  circumstances  what  is 
our  present  condition  and  the  nature  of  the  people  with 
whom  we  have  to  deal. 

"Excuse  all  imperfections  in  my  letter:  I  have  written  it 
hastily,  and  time  fails  me  to  add  more.  I  beseech  you  to 
remember  me  in  your  prayers,  and  likewise  to  solicit  tor  me 
theprayers  of  your  friends.  Believe  me,  Monsieur,  and  honored 
brother,  with  tender  and  respectful  affection,  your  very 
humble  and  obedient  servant. 

"•Redonnel." 


Lettrr  from    "Pomaret,   J'astny  of  (innçiex  to 
Benjamin  Du  Plan  (1752). 

"  Monsieur  and  honored  brother, 
"  Had  I  not  been  already  convinced  of  your  zeal  for  the 
welfare  of  our  oppressed  Churches  and  of  your  sympathy 
for  us  in  our  misfortunes,  the  letter  you  have  done  me  the 
honor  to  write  would  have  hilly  reassured  me.  I  received  it 
with  all  the  greater  pleasure,  as,  since  receiving  my  appoint- 
ment to  the  holy  ministry,  I  have  earnestly  desired  to 
maintain  a  correspondence  with  you.  being  persuaded  that 


298     Letter  of  Pomaret  on  the  persecutions  of  1752. 

for  a  man  like  myself,  fulfilling  a  career  beset  with  so  many 
difficulties,  nothing1  could  be  more  encouraging.  Favour  me, 
I  beg  of  you,  with  the  benefit  of  your  frequent  counsel  ;  it 
affords  me  inexpressible  satisfaction,  and  the  consolation 
I  derive  therefrom  inspires  me  with  a  lively  sense  of 
gratitude. 

"  The  prophecies  of  which  you  speak,  and  whose  teachings 
your  pen  so  faithfully  and  so  forcibly  renders,  have  been  the 
frequent  subject  of  my  meditations  and  have  given  me  the 
hope  of  one  day  witnessing  the  deliverance  of  our  Jerusalem, 
a  deliverance  that  may  be  accomplished  perhaps  sooner  than 
many  have  anticipated.  But  whether  these,  our  hopes,  be 
realized  or  not,  I  am  confident  that  the  cause  for  which  we 
contend  will  not  be  less  dear  to  our  hearts,  and  that  the 
greater  our  sufferings  tor  righteousness'  sake  in  this  kingdom 
where  so  great  efforts  are  made  for  its  utter  destruction 
the  more  glorious  will  it  be  for  us  in  that  day  when  God 
shall  reward  the  labours  of  his'  beloved  servants. 

"  These  thoughts  have  so  impressed  my  mind,  and  so- 
influenced  my  whole  course  of  action,  that,  notwithstanding 
the  late  violent  persecutions — so  severe  in  my  own  district 
— I  should  if  possible  have  been  only  more  mindful  of  my 
flock,  if  the  devices  adopted  for  my  protection  from  the 
incessant  pursuit  of  the  soldiers  had  not  suddenly  and 
unexpectedly  failed,  and  even  then  I  only  withdrew  from 
my  labours  in  the  Church  until  the  violence  of  our  enemies 
seemed  somewhat  to  have  abated.  I  say  '  seemed  to  have 
abated,'  for,  in  spite  of  the  tranquillity  enjoyed  by  our 
brethren  and  countrymen  elsewhere,  my  district,  comprizing 
the  village  and  neighbourhood  of  Ganges,  is  constantly 
exposed  to  attack.  On  the  fifth  of  la&t  month,  an  assembly 
presided  over  by  one  of  m)'  assistants  was  surprised  by  a 
detachment  of  thirty  soldiers,  and  several  of  the  worshippers 
Avere  captured,  although  they  were  shortly  afterwards  re- 
leased. On  the  twenty-seventh,  another  detachment,  num- 
bering about  eighty  men,  set  out  for  the  purpose  of  attacking 
one  of  my  assemblies,  but  fortunately  they  did  not  succeed 


Letter  of  Pomaret  o><  the  persecutions  of  1752.     299 

in  discovering  our  place  of  meeting,  thanks  to  the  measures 
I  had  taken  to  provide  against  snares  and  betrayals. 

u  The  reasons,  my  dear  Sir,  why  my  Hock  does  not  enjoy 
such  tranquillity  as  is  nearly  everywhere  else  enjoyed,  are, 
in  the  first  place,  that  my  parish  is  in  the  diocese  of  the 
Bishop  ot  Montpellier,  a  prelate  who  is  described  as  extremely 
bigoted  and  badly  disposed  towards  the  Protestants  :  se- 
condly, that  the  troops  at  Ganges  are  commanded  by  a  man 
who  appears  to  take  a  malicious  delight  in  annoying  us  ; 
and  thirdly,  that  the  Protestants  of  Ganges  were  so  weak  as 
to  yield  at  once  to  the  demand  of  the  priests  to  have  their 
children  re-baptized,  thus  placing  themselves  under  a  yoke 
from  which  I  had  been  instrumental  in  freeing  them.  I  had 
emphatically  warned  them  of  the  evil  consequences  which 
their  falling  away  would  entail,  but  the  menaces  of  our 
enemies  prevailed  over  my  censures  and  entreaties.  The 
misfortunes  which  I  had  foreseen  would  happen  if  they  did 
not  remain  firm  in  their  faith  have  come  to  pass,  and  I  am 
constrained  to  apply  to  them  the  words  of  the  Prophet 
Hosea  Ch.  V,  v.  11,  '■Ephraini  is  oppressed  and  broken  in 
judgment  because  he  willingly  walked  after  the  commandment  ' 
of  Jeroboam,  Omri,  and  Ahab.  This  they  believe,  and 
believing  they  lament. 

"  If  you  should  honour  me  with  further  letters,  I  pray  you 
to  enlarge  somewhat  on  the  sin  committed  by  the  Pro- 
testants amongst  us  who  permit  their  children  to  be  baptised 
and  their  marriages  to  be  solemnised  by  priests  of  the 
Roman  Communion,  and  upon  the  obligation  under  which 
they  lay  to  have  those  rites  celebrated  by  ministers  of  their 
own  religion.  You  will  confer  an  additional  favor  if  you  will- 
mention  that  on  this  point  you  are  in  full  accord  with  the 
pastors  of  London.  I  have  very  little  doubt  that  such  is  the 
case  at  least  as  regards  the  majority  of  them,  more 
especially  since  we  received  the  eloquent  letter  that 
M.  Bourdillon  was  good  enough  to  send  us,  and  which, 
when  I  read  it  in  the  presence  of  ray  assemblies,  produced 
an  excédent  effect.     This  which  I  ask  of  you,  and  whose 


300     Letter  of  Pomaret  on  the  'persecutions  of  1752. 

purport  I  shall  make  known  to  my  flock,  will  help  me 
to  strengthen  the  wavering  faith  of  some  and  rekindle  the 
lukewarmnes8  of  others,  for  counsel  that  comes  to  us  from 
foreign  lands  is  received  by  our  people  with  marked  respect. 
"  I  have  been  for  some  time  acquainted  with  the  high 
qualities  of  M.  Buscarlet,  to  whom  kindly  offer  my  respectful 
compliments.  My  recollections  of  the  faithful  Arnaud  are  of 
the  pleasantest,  and  I  am  delighted  to  know  that  he  is  in  a 
free  country.     Give  him,  I  pray,  my  kind  regards,  etc. 

"  Pomaret." 
"  December  1st,  1752. " 

"  The  address  of  M.  Fontane,  citizen  of  Anduze,  is 
to  be  relied  upon,  and  you  maj^  sately  use  it. 

u  I  have  this  moment  been  informed  that  soldiers  were 
yesterday  in  ambush  near  a  place  at  which  I  preached  at  nine 
o'clock  the  same  evening.  A  few  minutes  later  and  I  should 
have  been  arrested.  " 


Another  letter  from   Pomaret  to  Benjamin  du  Plan  (1572). 

"  Monsieur, 

u  M.  Buscarlet's  letter  has  reached  me  here  in  the 
Cevennes,  where  I  have  been  staying  for  about  a  month. 
The  sentiments  therein  expressed  are  very  flattering  to  me 
and  do  me  too  much  honour.  I  am  deeply  sensible  of  your 
kindness  in  sending  your  address.  I  have  desired  it  too 
earnestly  to  neglect  seizing  the  first  opportunity  after  receiving 
it  to  write  to  you. 

"It  is  rare,  Monsieur,  to  find  such  patriotism  as  that  which 
is  displayed  by  you.  Your  anxious  labours  for  the  main- 
tenance and  advancement  of  our  oppressed  Churches  are  of 
a  sort  never  to  be  effaced  from  our  memories.  It  is  unneces- 
sary to  reiterate  my  assurance  of  the  profound  respect  which 
I  entertain  for  you  personally,  or  to  insist  upon  the  happiness 
it  would  «afford  me  to  have  an  opportunity  of  serving  you. 


Letter  of  Pomaret  on  the  persecutions  of  1752.      301 

"  The  attacks  which,  during  the  last  few  years,  have  beeu 
made  on  us  have  increased  in  violence,  and  the  evils  inflicted 
on  us  have  become  more  intolerable.  Besides  the  grave 
risks  that  we  have  run  and  still  run,  we  have  seen  our  flocks 
overwhelmed  with  fines,  exactions  and  penalties.  You  must 
have  heard  of  our  misfortunes,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  you, 
and  ell  compassionate  souls  who  live  in  happier  lands  than 
ours,  extend  to  us  their  warmest  sympathy.  Latterly, 
however,  our  brethren  have  not  been  harassed  by  legal 
proceedings  or  exposed  to  ill  usage.  Humanly  speaking 
this  immunity  is  due  to  the  fear  felt  by  the  curés  of  these 
parts,  owing  to  the  action  of  certain  Protestants  who  (in 
the  mouth  of  August  last)  being  driven  to  desperation,  laid 
violent  hands  on  some  of  the  priests  who  had  been  most 
hostile  to  us.  It  is  also  considered  to  be  partly  the  result 
of  the  influence  exercised  on  the  Government  by  Monsieur  the 
Count  De  Paulmy,  who  on  his  journey  through  thi3  district 
was  much  affected  by  the  way  in  which  we  were  treated  ; 
and,  furthermore,  this  forbearance  is  probably  in  a  measure 
owing  to  a  memorial — which  has  been  addressed  to  the 
Court  by  the  Protestants,  moved  thereto  by  a  Catholic 
nobleman — in  which  is  detailed  the  various  oppressive 
proceedings  to  which  we  have  been  subjected  since  the 
year  1740.  As  we  are  assured  that  this  memorial  has 
received  the  attention  it  deserves,  and  that  our  evil  plight 
has  excited  compassion,  it  has  occurred  to  me  that  you  might 
like  to  know  something  of  its  character  and  purport. 
I  therefore  give  you  the  particulars  which  I  myself  furnished 
respecting  my  own  Church  at  Ganges.  Ganges  is  a  small 
village  of  the  Cevennes  principally  inhabited  by  Protestants, 
who  are  devotedly  loyal  to  the  throne  and  remarkable  for 
their  industry  and  thrift.  These  good  qualities,  however,  do 
not  prevent  them  from  suffering  many  annoyances,  as  the 
following  authentic  facts  sufficiently  prove. 

•  In  the  year  1746,  the  Protestants  were  mulcted  in  a 
fine  of  2,313  livres  by  the  late  M.  Le  Nain,  Intendant  of 
Languedoc,  on  the  ground  that  they  had  met  together  for 


302     Letter  of  Pomctret  on  the  persecutions  of  1152. 

the  worship  of  God.  The  money  was  paid  to  Sicur  Olivier, 
collector  of  taxes  in  Ganges. 

"In  1747  they  were  further  fined  in  the  sum  of  2,272  livres 
by  the  same  M.  Le  Nain.  This  time  the  amount  was  collected 
by  Sieur  Boudon,  receiver  of  taxes. 

"In  174y,  Françoise  Granger,  a  Protestant  midwife  of 
Ganges,  was  arrested  and  kept  in  prison  at  Montpellier  four 
years,  simply  for  having  followed  her  calling  contrary  to 
the  commands  of  M.  Martin,  Curé  of  Ganges,  notwithstanding 
that  she  had  no  other  way  of  earning  her  living. 

"In  1751,  Jean  Kouland,  and  Pierre  Puech  were  accused 
of  having  baptised  their  children  according  to  the  rites  of 
their  own  communion.  The  former  was  condemned  to  pay 
100  livres  fine  and  the  latter  200,  and  both  were  imprisoned 
at  Montpellier,  besides  being  compelled  to  have  their  children 
re-baptised  by  the  Cure  of  Ganges. 

"In  1752  the  inhabitants  of  the  same  village  were  made 
to  pay  1500  livres  at  the  instance  of  M.  Saint-Priest, 
Intendant  ot  Languedoc,  for  having  met  in  an  Assembly. 
Sieur  Coularou  ot  Ganges  was  on  this  occasion  the  collector 
of  the  impost. 

"Besides  fines  and  imprisonments,  the  Protestants  of 
Ganges  have  frequently  troops  quartered  upon  them,  who 
under  pretext  of  dispersing  the  assemblies,  overrun  fields 
and  vineyards,  the  owners  of  which  do  not  dare  to  make 
remonstrances  against  these  proceedings. 

''  The  Protestants  of  the  town  of  Ganges,  equally  with 
those  of  the  Province  of  Languedoc,  are  too  firmly  convinced 
ot  the  benevolence  of  his  gracious  Majesty  to  believe  that 
the  evils  from  which  they  suffer  are  inflicted  by  his  command. 
Their  misfortunes  are  solely  attributable  to  the  influence  of 
thebisnops  and  curés  with  the  Intendants,  who  prevail  on  the 
latter  to  tyrannize  over  the  consciences  of,  and  to  overwhelm 
with  fines  and  penalties,  those  who  are  obnoxious  to  the 
Church.  But  be  the  origin  of  the  trouble  what  it  may,  it  is 
none  the  less  ruinous  to  the  Hugenots,  numbers  of  whom 
have  been  compelled  to  leave  France  for  neighbouring  and 


r  of  Pâmaret  on  the  persecutions  of  n~>2.     303 

more  friendly  countries.  Those  who  still  remain,  and  who 
constitute  the  majority  of  the  population,  trust  that  his 
Majesty  will  ere  long  make  himself  acquainted  with  their 
miseries,  and  that  he  will  take  steps  to  ameliorate  their  sad 
condition,  by  placing  them  beyond  the  reach  ot  a  tyrannical 
and  ambitions  clergy  who  are  ever  bent  upon  increasing  their 
sufferings.  In  the  hope  of  this  happy  consummation  they 
offer  their  earnest  and  fervent  prayers  on  behalf  of  his 
Majesty's  august  person  and  his  whole  realm. 

"From  the  particulars  I  now  send,  you  may  judge, 
Monsieur,  of  the  character  of  the  petitions  prepared  in  the 
neighbouring  towns  where  the  inhabitants  endured  consi- 
derably more  annoyance  than  the  people  of  Ganges,  but 
whatever  hopes  we  may  indulge  in,  as  the  result  of  these 
memorials,  we  have  reason  to  apprehend  fresh  onslaughts, 
as  the  clergy  only  wait  a  favorable  opportunity  for  this 
purpose. 

"  We  shall  be  agreeably  disappointed  to  find  that  our 
troubles  are  at  an  end,  or  that  they  are  even  mitigated  in 
their  severity  ;  nevertheless  such  a  happy  issue  is  greatly 
to  be  desired,  as  it  is  feared  that  if  our  brethren  are  exposed 
to  further  troubles  they  will  resort  to  retaliatory  measures, 
especially  against  the  cruel  and  bloodthirsty  priests  who  are 
regarded  as  the  primary  cause  of  their  misfortunes.  Though 
it  is  difficult  to  restrain  those  feelings  of  resentment  which 
find  a  place  in  the  minds  of  the  greater  part  of  our  flock, 
we  do  our  best  to  point  out  to  them  their  duty  and  enforce 
patience,  even  though  they  are  neither  permitted  to  live  in 
peace  at  home  nor  to  emigrate  to  lands  of  liberty  abroad. 

"As  day  succeeds  day  we  pine  away  in  our  sadness,  yet 
not  without  alternating  hopes  and  fears.  Placed  as  you  are 
in  happier  circumstances,  may  you  enjoy  that  long  life  and 
freedom  from  misfortune  so  essential  to  the  well-beiûg 
of  our  Churches  and  so  much  desired  for  you  by  your 
warmest  friends. 

"If  the  persecution  should  become  so  severe  as  to  compel 
Aie  to  seek  an  asylum  abroad,  may  I  hope  for  the  honor  of 


304  Abatement  of  the  persecution  in  1753. 

your  protection?  Without,  I  trust,  being  deemed  pre- 
sumptious  I  may  consider  myself  worthy  of  it,  in  virtue  of 
the  esteem  that  I  entertain  for  you  and  with  which  I  have 
the  honor  to  remain,  Monsieur,  very  sincerely  your  humble 
and  obedient  servant. 

"Pomaret,  Pastor  of  the  Lower  Cevennes." 

"My  address  is,  to  the  care  of  M.  Jonvals,  either  at  his 
private  house,  or  to  the  address  on  the  envelope  ;  also  to  the 
care  of  M.  Louis  Fontanes,  citizen  of  Anduze,  in  the  Cevennes.  " 

The  year  1753  was  one  of  blessing  to  the  Pro- 
testants, who  Avent  about  and  held  assemblies  in  the 
Desert  without  let  or  hindrance.  This  was  especially 
the  case  in  Languedoc,  where  the  assemblies  were 
held  in  the  day  time.  The  discipline  of  the  Church 
was  enforced  with  greater  regularity  and  more 
strictly  so  against  those  apostates  who  through 
interested  motives  or  through  fear,  had  renounced 
the  faith  and  made  open  profession  of  Catholicism, 
and  who  now  returned  repentant  and  ashamed  and 
full  of  good  resolutions  for  the  future.  The  pastors 
took  fresh  courage  and  occupied  themselves  in 
gathering  together  their  dispersed  flocks.  The 
following  correspondence  describes  their  anxiety 
and  zeal  on  this  score. 

Letter  from  Franc  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  (1753). 

17th  December  1753. 

"  Monsieur  and  honored  brother  in  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord, 

u  Many  engagements  quickly  following  one  another  have 

hitherto  prevented  me  from  replying  to  the  last  letter  with 

which  you  have  honored  me.  I  beseech  you  to  rest  assured 


Letter  <>f  Franc  on  the  condition  of  (he  Church  in  nr,3.  305 

that  this  is  the  sole  reason  for  iuy  long  silence.  The 
remarkable  tranquillity  we  have  enjoyed  during  the  past 
year  has  multiplied  our  labours  without  increasing  our 
resources.  New  converts  seeking  tor  instruction,  back-sliders 
desiring  to  return  into  the  right  path  and  asking  for  our 
assistance  in  their  laudable  design,  the  dead  in  trespasses 
and  sins  awakening  to  the  light  of  life  in  Jesus  Christ  our 
Lord,  all  demand  our  unceasing  solicitude.  To  these  cares 
has  been  superadded  the  grief  ot  witnessing  the  defection 
of  my  flock  and  the  weight  of  another  charge,  part  of 
that  formerly  belonging  to  Sieur  Fléchier,  in  my  immediate 
neighbourhood,  and  for  whom  no  substitute  could  be  tound. 
Thus  my  work,  already  sufficiently  heavy,  far  from 
diminishing  becomes  every  day  heavier,  blessed  be  God. 
I  nevertheless  put  aside  everything  in  order  that  I  may 
gratify  my  ardent  wish  to  resume  our  correspondence,  for  my 
neglect  of  which  I  have  a  score  of  times  reproached  myself. 

u  And,  first  of  all,  let  me  hasten  to  acknowledge  your 
warm  expressions  of  esteem  and  friendship  and  to  say  how 
deeply  sensible  I  am  of  your  goodness  as  well  as  how 
desirous  I  am  of  reciprocating  your  sentiments.  Others  may 
be  more  worthy  of  your  eulogiums,  but  none  can  more  value 
your  counsel,  or  more  earnestly  desire  your  good  opinion 
and  friendship  than  myself. 

-  But  to  speak  of  other  things.  It  seems  as  if  God  had 
ordained  that  our  afflictions  should  never  be  stayed.  The 
affair  of  M.  Coste,  as  you  are  aware,  has  occasioned  us  con- 
siderable disquiet  and  has  gone  far  to  mar  the  tranquillity 
which  the  forbearance  of  our  enemies  had  placed  within  our 
reach.  He  was  supported  by  the  majority  of  the  faithful  as 
well  as  by  several  of  our  principal  men,  who  refused  to  lend 
themselves  to  any  arrangement  at  all  compatible  with  the 
honour  of  the  Church  or  the  pastorate,  and  we  had  therefore 
reason  to  fear  another  schism.  In  order  to  avoid  such  an 
eventuality  we  postponed  the  assembling  of  the  Synod,  but 
in  spite  of  all  our  precautions  the  rupture  would  have 
occurred,  had  not  the  Almighty  afflicted  M.  Coste  with  a 

20 


306  Letter  of  Franc  on  tlie  condition  of  the  Church  in  1753. 

species  of  melancholy,  owing  to  which  he  lost  hope,  was 
prevented  from  discharging  the  functions  of  his  ministry 
and  failed  to  receive  further  countenance  from  his  friends. 

"Thus  again  have  our  Churches  by  God's  mercy 
been  preserved  from  impending  division,  and  grievous  as 
are  the  means  bj'  which  this  blessing  has  been  brought 
about,  yet  if  we  acknowledge  in  them  the  workings  ot 
Providence  we  may  be  enabled  to  bear  the  cross  with 
patience  and  resignation. 

"After  this  occurrence  the  Synod  was  immediately  con- 
voked tor  the  twenty-seventh  of  last  month,  with  the  view  of 
adopting  measures  meet  for  this  occasion,  and  to  make  such 
others  as  the  state  of  the  Province  rendered  necessary.  All  the 
pastors,  with  the  exception  of  M.  Coste,  took  part  in  the 
discussions,  which  were  remarkable  for  their  harmony  and 
for  the  manitestions  of  mutual  confidence  and  esteem  by 
which  they  were  characterised.  Twenty  resolutions  were 
passed,  several  of  which  related  to  the  ordination  to  the  holy 
ministry  of  nine  students  who  had  been  nominated  tor 
examination  by  five  pastors,  selected  for  the  purpose.  The 
remainder  of  the  business  had  regard  either  to  personal  mat- 
ters or  to  measures  which  were  considered  necessary  for  the 
future  conduct  of  affairs  with  greater  order  and  propriety. 

"The  resolution  in  the  case  of  M.  Coste  created  the 
greatest  interest  and  was  couched  in  the  following  terms  : 
•'  That,  having  taken  into  consideration  the  reports 
circulated  respecting  Sieur  Coste  and  the  sentence  pro- 
nounced against  him  by  the  tribunal  of  Nisnies;  having  also 
demanded  of  the  Deputy  from  Ners  why  his  Church  had 
made  no  communications  on  the  subject,  and  the  Deputy 
having  explained  that  this  was  due  to  the  troubles  then 
prevalent  in  the  country  and  to  the  sudden  and  unexpected 
arrival  of  troops — this  assembly,  while  lamenting  the  mis- 
fortunes of  the  times,  urges  him  to  produce  the  required 
information  with  all  possible  despatch.  ' 

"  One  word  more  concerning  ourselves.  The  whole 
province  is  over-run  with  soldiers.     We  are  authoritatively 


Lrth  >■  of Màbaui  on  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  t753.  307 

informed  that  there  are  several  more  squadrons  this  year 
than  last,  but  it  is  less  their  numbers  than  the  character  of 
their  proceedings  that  causes  us  so  much  uneasiness.  There  is 
scarcely  a  village,  be  it  Protestant  or  Catholic,  however  poor, 
insignificant  or  remote,  in  which  troops  are  not  quartered. 
Many  persons  are  apprehensive  that  the  object  of  these 
measures  is  the  enforcement  of  Catholic  marriage  and  baptism, 
and,  above  all,  the  removal  of  pastors  in  order  that  the 
flocks  may  be  the  more  easily  controlled.  We  continue, 
however,  to  receive  emphatic  assurances  to  the  contrary. 
God  grant  that  our  misgivings  may  not  be  realized  !  But  we 
cannot  conceal  from  ourselves  that  we  have  much  to  fear, 
especially  as  at  this  season  of  the  year  it  is  not  possible,  as 
in  summer,  to  sleep  out  of  doors,  and  because  we  so  often 
find,  according  to  the  proverb,  '  l'occasion  a  fait  le  larron.' 
The  priests  have  won  over  the  officers,  and  though  this  has 
come  to  pass  without  any  orders  from  head  quarters,  it  is 
none  the  less  unfortunate  for  us.  But  what  can  men  do 
against  those  who  are  protected  of  God?  In  Him  we  put  our 
trust,  we  believe  that  in  His  infinite  compassion  He  will  not 
suffer  our  hopes  to  be  disappointed,  and  that,  in  sending  us 
trials  and  troubles,  He  will  give  us  also  strength  to  bear 
them,  and  that  by  His  gracious  help  we  shall  come  victorious 
out  of  the  fight  which  is  before  us  .  .  . 

"Franc." 


Letter  from  Paul  Unbuilt  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan 
(1753). 

"Monsieur  and  much  honored  brother  in  Jesus  Christ, 

"  I  have  received  with  real  pleasure  and  many  thanks  the 
letter  you  have  done  me  the  honor  to  address  to  me,  and 
I  accept  heartily  your  proposal  that  we  should  maintain 
a  regular  correspondence.  I  am  aware  with  what  deep 
interest  you    have    followed  the  sad  vicissitudes  of   our 


308  Letter  of  Rabaut  on  the  condition  of  the  Church  inl753~. 

defenceless  Churchçs,  and  how  you  have  laboured  to- 
strengthen  them  in  the  faith.  Your  disinterested  efforts 
have  not  been  resultless  and  I  feel  sure  that  you  have 
experienced  a  lively  satisfaction  in  knowing  how  effectually 
you  have  contributed  to  rekindle  that  lamp  that  had  begun' 
to  burn  with  so  feeble  light,  yet  which  we  trust  will  now 
become  a  radiant  flame,  illuminating  not  alone  those  who 
are  of  the  household  but  those  even  who  have  the  mis- 
fortune to  be  aliens.  May  our  united  efforts  be  crowned 
with  the  fullest  success,  and  to  this  end,  Monsieur  and  honored 
brother,  let  us  strenuously  labour,  remembering  that  'in  due 
season  we  shall  reap  if  we  faint  not.' 

"  It  appears,  Monsieur,  from  the  contents  of  your  letter 
that  you  have  been  informed  that  I  have  been  studying  the 
Prophets  of  the  old  Testament.  This  study  has  afforded 
me  great  pleasure  and  I  have  derived  from  it  both 
encouragement  and  consolation.  I  know  well  enough  that 
it  is  no  easy  matter  to  understand  the  figurative  language  so 
frequently  made  use  of  by  the  Prophets,  especially  if  we  are 
not  familiar  with  their  style  ;  but  when  we  have  overcome 
this  difficulty  and  have  given  due  attention  to  the  ex- 
planations they  themselves  afford  of  their  symbols  and 
metaphors,  the  shadows  partially  vanish  and  light 
appears.  Theologians  have  too  much  neglected  this  study, 
the  great  utility  of  which  could  be  easily  demonstrated  if  it 
was  our  object  to  do  so.  They  have  spiritualized  beyond 
measure  those  promises  that  undoubtedly  refer  to  temporal 
matters,  a  mistake  which  constitutes  one  of  the  obstacles  to 
the  conversion  of  the  Jews  ;  what  more  forcible  instance  can 
be  adduced  than  the  explanation  commonly  given  of  the 
prediction  in  the  sixty-fifth  chapter  of  Isaiah  concerning  the 
new  heavens  and  the  new  earth?  It  is  sufficient  to  read 
the  passage  to  discover  that  it  refers  neither  to  the  Jews 
after  their  return  from  captivity,  nor  to  the  victorious 
Christians  of  to-day,  for  neither  the  one  nor  the  other  have 
ever  enjoyed  that  perfect  peace  which  the  Lord  there  pro- 
mises to  His  people.     On  the  other  hand  it  cannot  be  said 


Letter  of  Rabaut  on  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  it:>;>\  309 

to  refer  to  the  bliss  of  heaven,  because  it  is  expressly  stated 
that  the  promised  rejoicing  shall  take  place  upon  the  earth 
indeed  it  can  scarcely  be  elsewhere  than  on  the  earth  that 
houses  are  to  be  built  and  children  begotten,  etc.  But  if 
we  apply  the  prophecy  to  the  Millennium,  when  the  Messiah 
shall  descend  and  commence  His  reign  upon  the  earth,  when 
the  Ancient  of  Days  shall  bestow  upon  Him  dominion  and 
honour  and  power,  so  that  all  people,  nations  and  languages 
shall  serve  Him,  this  magnificent  promise  is  altogether  on  a 
different  basis,  and  without  doing  it  any  violence  the  whole 
context  explains  itself.  For  confirmation  of  these  views, 
read  Micah  Ch.  IV,  v.  1-4  ;  Isaiah  Ch.  II,  v.  2-4  ;  Ch.  XXXII, 
v.  1  and  17  :  Ch.  LIV,  v.  1,  3,  7,  8,  9,  14;  Ch.  LX,  v.  1,  2,  3, 
4,  5,  10,  11,  12,  15,  21,  22;  Ch.  LXII,  especially  verses  8  and 
9  ;  Ch.  LXVI,  v.  12;  Jeremiah,  Ch.  Ill,  v.  17. 

"In  accordance  with  the  glorious  promises  of  God  I 
trust  He  will  in  the  end  have  compassion  on  His  Church 
and  makeit  renowned  throughout  the  earth.  Although  I  maj- 
scarcely  venture  to  specify  the  time  of  its  deliverance,  yet  if 
the  saying  be  true,  as  I  presume  it  is,  that  the  captivity  of 
the  Jews  in  Babylon  is  a  type  of  our  own,  the  end  of  our 
troubles  cannot  be  far  off,  seeing  that  we  are  now  in  the 
sixty-eighth  year.  Be  that  as  it  may,  the  Lord  iu  His  anger 
does  not  forget  to  be  merciful  or  to  grant  us  from  time  to 
time  some  l'espite  from  our  sufferings. 

u  For  several  months  past  we  have  enjoyed  a  great  calm 
throughout  the  province  of  Languedoc.  We  are  baptising 
and  marrying  without  the  slightest  interference,  and  our 
assemblies,  which  are  very  numerous,  are  not  molested. 
The  one  over  which  I  preside  is  held  about  half  a  league 
from  the  town,  and  on  Sunday  last,  a  fast  day,  I  had,  without 
any  exaggeration,  at  least  ten  thousand  auditors,  all  of  them 
inhabitants  of  Nismes.  About  the  commencement  of  the 
month  of  December  last  the  Protestants  of  Gardonnenque 
were  accused  of  coming  together  under  arms,  but  this  charge 
was  proved  to  be  a  vile  and  baseless  calumny  and  therefore, 
thank  God,  it  «fc^s  produced  no  evil    consequences.      Not- 


310  Letter  of  Rabaut  on  the  condition  of  the  Church  in  1753. 

withstanding  the  persistent  cruelty  and  evil  insinuations  of 
the  clergy,  the  Government,  as  we  are  credibly  informed, 
appears  to  be  favorably  disposed  towards  us  ;  yet  there  are 
many  of  our  brethren  and  sisters  still  suffering  either  in  the 
prisons  or  un  the  galleys.  May  it  please  God  soon  to  break' 
their  chains  and  set  them  at  liberty,  and  while  awaiting  this 
issue,  may  He  support  them  by  the  power  of  His  Holy 
Spirit  ! 

"  You  will  very  much  oblige  me,  Monsieur  and  honored 
brother,  if  you  will  furnish  me  with  your  views  respecting 
the  doctrines  of  the  Moravians.  I  have  held  conversations 
with  some  members  of  this  society,  besides  having  read 
several  of  their  books,  and  the  result  is  to  convince  me 
that  their  teachings  are  both  good  and  bad.  I  entirely 
agree  with  them  in  thinking  that  Christ  crucified  ought  to 
be  the  common  theme  of  our  speech,  discourses  and  medi- 
tations, inasmuch  as  this  blessed  sacrifice  is  the  basis  of 
our  salvation,  the  foundation  of  our  hope,  and  the  source 
of  our  consolation  ;  but  to  preach  Christ  and  Him  crucified 
is  not  alone  to  show  forth  His  death,  but  to  proclaim  the 
truths  of  the  Gospel  and  the  obligations  of  morality.  I 
read  in  the  New  Testament  that  Jesus  Christ  and  His 
apostles  laid  great  stress  on  the  vices  we  should  shun  and 
the  virtues  we  should  practise.  I  also  meet  with  numerous 
precepts  and  examples  which  unmistakably  prove  that,  as  a. 
rule,  our  prayers  ought  to  be  addressed  to  God  through  the 
intercession  of  Jesus  Christ.  Our  brethren,  however, 
follow  a  totally  different  course,  they  almost  always 
address  their  petitions  to  the  Son  and  rarely  to  the  Father,, 
though  it  is  to  be  feared  that  by  ignoring  the  mysterious 
doctrine  ot  the  Trinity,  we  may  peradventure  lose  sight  ot 
the  teachings  of  the  Gospel,  which  are  my  only  rule  and 
compass,  to  guide  me  on  my  way  and  give  me  hope  of  an 
answer  when  my  petitions  are  offered  to  the  Father  through 
the  Son. 

"  I  take  the  liberty,  Monsieur,  of  referring  you  to  the 
enclosed.     After  having   read  it  and  well  considered  the 


Persecution  recommences  in  17:>I.  311 

subject  to  which  it  relates,  please  supply  the  address,  seal 
up  the  letter  and  forward  it  to  its  destination.  If,  at  the 
same  time,  you  can  add  anything  to  further  the  object  in 
view  you  will  be  doing  a  good  work.  I  hear  that  the  elder 
Roquet  used  to  live  in  the  district  of  Peterstields  ;  I  have 
no  doubt  you  can  easily  discover  in  what  University  the 
son  pursues  his  studies.  Please  offer  my  humble  salutations 
to  Messieurs  Viala,  Dunière  and  Cler.  I  trust  you  will 
excuse  all  mistakes  in  my  letter,  as  I  have  been  compelled 
to  write  it  in  great  haste.  I  have  communicated  your 
message  to  Monsieur  Redonnel  ;  he  is  well  and  is  at  present 
at  Montpellier.  1  have  the  honor  to  remain,  Monsieur  and 
much  honored  brother,  your  very  humble  and  obedient 
servant 

"Paul  Rabaut." 
9th  of  March,  175:3. 


Unfortunately  the  respite  from  persecution  was 
of  short  duration.  The  Duke  De  Richelieu  had 
ordered  the  persecution  to  cease,  less  from  any  idea 
of  toleration  than  from  inability  to  carry  it  out 
effectually,  and  now  that  his  forces  were  augmented 
he  proceeded  to  the  best  of  his  ability  to  carry  out 
the  behests  of  the  bishops,  and  in  particular  of  the 
Bishop  of  Alais.  Before  returning  to  Paris  he 
issued  his  commands  to  the  Protestants,  for  which 
purpose  he  visited  Nismes,  Alais,  and  Uzès,  where, 
having  summoned  before  him  the  leaders  of  the 
Huguenots,  he  forbade  their  assemblies  in  the  Desert 
under  pain  of  the  expulsion  of  the  pastors.  So  soon 
as  he  left  the  Province,  he  ordered  thirty  battalions 
to  occupy  the  towns  and  villages,  and  detachments 
of  them  to  patrol  the  country  night  and  day;  in  order 


312    Proposed  imprisonment  of  the  wives  of  preachers. 

that  all  attempts  to  hold  meetings  might  be  rendered 
impossible. 

"It  is  first  of  all  necessary  to  drive  away  the 
preachers,"  said  the  Abbot  De  Caveirac,  "for  it  is 
they  who  encourage  our  fellow  citizens  to  disobey 
the  laws,  hy  inviting  them  to  attend  the  assemblies, 
by  solemnizing  baptisms  and  marriages  in  the 
Desert  and  by  the  doctrines  which  they  teach.  So 
long  as  they  remain  in  France  all  our  efforts  are 
useless."  A  thousand  crowns  reward  was  offered 
for  the  capture  of  any  one  of  them,  and  although 
the  promised  remuneration  naturally  called  into 
existence  a  host  of  spies  and  traitors,  the  preachers 
with  only  one  exception  succeeded  in  evading  their 
wiles  as  well  as  escaping  the  pursuit  of  the  soldiers. 
The  younger  Tessier,  known  as  Lafage,  was 
surprised  in  the  dead  of  night  in  the  Mas  de  Novis 
situated  in  the  diocese  of  Alais.  On  attempting  to 
escape  by  the  roof,  his  arm  was  broken  by  a  bullet 
from  the  gun  of  a  soldier  and,  a  few  days  afterwards, 
he  was  captured.  He  died  with  great  heroism  on 
the  gibbet  at  Montpellier. 

At  length  it  was  discovered  that  the  surest  and 
most  expeditious  way  of  getting  rid  of  these  "  public- 
pests  "  was  that  so  successfully  adopted  in  the  case 
of  Antoine  Court,  and  again  suggested  by  some 
miscreant  in  a  memoir  submitted  to  the  Government 
in  1750.  The  plan  proposed  was  to  imprison  the 
wives  and  children  of  the  preachers  and  to  permit 
their  liberation  only  when  the  preachers  themselves 
should  have  quitted  the  country.     Upon  its  being 


Letter  of  Franc  to  Benjamin   JJtt  Plan  I7.',i.      313 

put  into  execution,  the  wife  of  Rabaut,  who  expected 
to  become  an  early  victim,  left  her  home  and 
wandered  into  the  Desert,  whilst  others,  less 
fortunate,  were  summarily  arrested. 

Amongst  Du  Plan's  correspondence  we  find 
several  letters  from  his  preacher-friends  descriptive 
of  the  condition  of  Protestantism  in  1754.  These 
we  proceed  to  quote. 


•  Letter  from  Franc  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan. 

"Lower  Languedoc,  the  26th  of  July,  1754. 

u  Our  affairs  remain  much  in  the  same  state  as  in  February 
last,  when  M.  le  Maréchal  issued  his  ban  against  us. 
Although  the  troops  are  ordered  out  less  frequently  on  week 
days,  there  is  no  relaxation  in  this  respect  on  Sundays  and 
fête  days.  On  the  slightest  provocation,  a  detachment  of 
three  hundred  infantry  and  a  troop  of  cavalry  are  quickly 
on  foot,  while  at  other  times  smaller  bodies  are  stationed  in 
ambush  along  the  roads  where  we  are  expected  to  pass.  So 
great  vigilance,  however,  has  only  been  displayed  in  the 
four  episcopal  seats  of  Alais,  Uzès,  Nismes  and  Montpellier. 
In  the  villages  and  country  districts — except  in  places  where 
the  commandant  is  inclined  for  persecution — a  less  strenuous 
vigilance  is  observed. 

"Of  this  circumstance  advantage  is  from  time  to  time 
taken  to  hold  assemblies.  One  was  summoned  to  meet  on 
the  fifth  of  this  month  about  a  league  and  a  half  from  the 
the  town,  on  the  occasion  of  the  mustering  in  the  town,  of 
the  garrisons  of  several  neighbouring  villages.  We  availed 
ourselves  of  what  we  rightly  conceived  to  be  this  favorable 
opportunity  to  celebrate  the  Lord's  supper  and  were  not 
molested,  although  the  purpose  for  which  we  were  meeting 
was  well  known. 


314      Letter  of  Franc  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  1754. 

"  The  brethren  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Saint-Hippolyte- 
de-Caton  who  held  a  meeting  last  Whitsuntide  were  not  so 
fortunate.  At  the  very  moment  they  were  dispersing,  the 
garrison  of  Saint-Jean-de-Ceyrargues  sallied  forth,  pursued 
and  put  them  to  flight,  capturing  three  men  and  five  women 
with  three  infants  who  had  been  brought  to  be  baptised. 
The  five  women  were  reconducted  by  the  soldiers  to  the 
town  of  Saint-Maurice  to  which  they  belonged  and  taken  to 
the  Church  where  the  prior  forthwith  baptised  the  three 
infants.  The  women  were  then  permitted  to  go  to  their  own 
houses,  on  a  written  statement  from  the  prior  to  the  sergeant 
that  they  had  only  been  visiting  their  relations  and  not 
attending  the  assembly. 

"However,  two  days  afterwards  Sieur  Chambon,  sub- 
delegate  of  the  Intendant  of  Uzès,  on  visiting  the  town  with 
a  troop  of  horse  soldiers,  had  them  arrested,  put  two  of 
them  into  prison  at  Uzès  and  allowed  the  other  three  to  stay 
in  their  houses  on  condition  that  their  husbands  should  be 
produced  whenever  they  were  required.  The  three  men,  of 
whom  two  belonged  to  Saint-Césaire  and  the  other  to  Ners, 
were  imprisoned  at  Saint-Jean  but  were  removed  to  the  Fort 
of  Alais  on  the  following  day.  Two  were  liberated  some 
days  ago  but  the  third  still  remains  in  confinement. 

"  A  letter  received  from  M.  Gibert,  a  Pastor  in  the  Lower 
Périgord,  apprises  me  that  on  the  night  of  the  18th  and  19th 
of  last  month,  just  as  he  had  dismissed  an  assembly  held  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Sainte-Foy,  sixty  dragoons  suddenly 
appeared  and  fired  thirty  musket  shots  at  the  worshippers, 
wounded  one  man  with  the  bayonet  and  took  forty-four 
prisoners.  A  relative  of  the  Pastor,  an  aspirant  to  the  holy 
ministry,  who  happened  to  be  present  and  who  was  captured 
and  cast  into  prison,  fortunately  made  his  escape  or  he 
would  have  fallen  a  victim  to  the  Jesuits.  M.  Gibert  also 
informs  me  that  thirty  troopers  have  been  ravaging  the 
Churches  of  the  Saintonge,  compelling  by  threats  the 
baptism  of  children  who  had  already  been  baptised  by  our 
ministers  and  making  prisoners  of  men  who  had  not  alone 


Letter  of  Franc  to  Benjamin  l>a  Plan  I7~,i.      315 

iiover  attended  the  assemblies  but  who  had  never  even 
countenanced  them.  A  friend  living  in  the  same  neigh- 
bourhood states  that  four  of  his  kinsfolk  having  been 
exiled  one  of  them  tried  to  prevail  on  the  judges  to  reconsider 
the  sentence,  but  in  vain.  These  proscriptions  are  supposed 
to  be  the  result  of  some  other  raid,  as  in  Saintonge  there 
were  only  three  captures  effected — if  we  except  the  faint- 
hearted who  surrendered  at  discretion — whilst  the  prisoners 
taken  at  Saint-Foy  could  not  have  been  so  soon  brought  to 
judgment.  In  tact,  it  is  said,  that  shortly  before  the 
meeting  of  the  assembly  that  terminated  so  disastrously, 
there  had  been  several  well-known  persons  arrested  in  this 
locality.  The  same  friend,  in  confirming  the  account  of  the 
attack  ot  the  dragoons,  tells  me  that  there  were  five  or  six 
killed,  fourteen  or  fifteen  wounded,  and  forty-five  prisoners 
taken.  I  hardly  know  whether  I  ought  to  consider  him 
better  informed  than  the  pastor  as  to  the  number  of  killed 
and  wounded,  but  as  touching  the  prisoners  there  is  virtually 
no  difference  in  the  two  statements,  it  being  evident  that  the 
pastor  at  the  time  he  wrote  no  longer  took  any  account  of 
the  kinsman  who  had  made  his  escape. 

"  Towards  the  end  of  the  same  month  a  small  assembly 
convoked  at  Saint-Ambroix  in  the  Cevennes,  to  take  part  in 
a  baptismal  service,  was  dispersed  by  the  soldiers,  and  two 
of  the  worshippers — according  to  some  statements  three — 
were  captured,  as  well  as  one  of  the  infant  candidates  tor 
baptism.     They  are  still  in  prison. 

u  A  correspondent  at  Montpellier  tells  me  that  on  the 
17th  inst.  an  officer  was  arrested  near  Castres  in  Albigeois 
and  that  five  other  persons  rrom  the  same  locality  were 
seized  and  searched.  It  is  not  known  for  what  reason  ;  some 
say  for  having  summoned  an  assembly,  others,  that  they 
had  taken  part  in  a  wedding  ceremony  in  the  Desert. 
The  officer  had  gone  to  Montpellier  to  speak  to  the  Inten- 
dant, but  the  latter  refusing  to  listen  to  him,  ordered  him  at 
once  to  quit  the  building,  if  he  did  not  wish  to  be  arrested. 
After  he  had  left,  the  Intendant  ordered  his  yeomanry  guard 


316     Letter  of  Pomaret  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  1754. 

to  follow  him  and  seize  him,  and  conduct  him  to  the  citadel, 
where  he  still  remains.  I  hear  that  some  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Cournonsec,  near  Montpellier,  for  refusing  to  decorate  the 
fronts  of  their  houses  in  honor  of  the  holy  day  stylod  Fête- 
Dieu,  have  been  mulcted  in  heavy  fines,  and  that  the  Inten- 
dant has  ordered  them  to  be  confined  in  the  dungeons  of  the 
palace  of  M.  André,  until  the  money  is  forthcoming  which 
condition  is  not  yet  complied  with. 

u  These  facts,  Monsieur  and  honored  brother,  are  eloquent 
as  to  the  external  condition  of  our  Churches  both  in  this  and 
neighbouring  provinces,  but,  so  far  from  being  made  better 
by  these  chastenings,  it  would  appear  that  iniquity  and 
unbelief  the  more  abound,  a  misfortune  that  gives  me 
greater  sorrow  than  all  our  other  troubles  and  makes  me 
apprehensive  of  severe  visitations  of  Providence.  Oh,  that 
our  Churches,  strong  in  a  living  faith  and  filled  with  the 
Holy  Spirit,  could  look  forward  with  patience  to  the  advent 
of  their  celestial  spouse  !  I  should  then  hope  for  a  happier 
future  ;  otherwise  my  anticipations  are  of  the  gloomiest.  .  .  . 

"Franc." 


Letter  from  Pomaret  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  (1754). 

"  I  fully  appreciate  the  earnestness  of  your  exhortations 
and  shall  not  fail  to  apply  them  personally.  Although  I  am 
aware  of  the  importance  of  remaining  with  our  flocks  and 
doing  our  best  to  protect  them  from  the  attacks  of  the  cruel 
vultures  who  seek  to  devour  them,  yet  circumstances  have 
suddenly  assumed  so  alarming  a  form  that  we  can  scarcely 
avoid  retreating  until  the  excitment  shall  have  abated.  I  am 
throughly  acquainted  with  the  past  history  of  our  Churches, 
and  the  various  expedients  that  have  been  devised  for  their 
extinction,  yet  never  have  I  seen  them  more  adroitly 
attacked  than  at  this  present  time.  They  are  molested 
on  all  sides,  and  unless  providentially  sustained  they  will 


Letter  of  Pomarei  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  i~.~<i.    31Ï 

bave  much  to  do  to  withstand  the  storm.  Possibly  God 
may  come  to  their  assistance  sooner  than  wi:  anticipate, 
at  all  events  let  us  hope  and  pray  without  ceasing  that  it 
may  be  so. 

u  Every  province  of  the  Kingdom  in  which  the  Pro- 
testants have  sought  to  conceal  their  principles  has  been 
occupied  by  troops  ;  and  as  barracks  are  being  built  in  the 
most  refractory  villages  and  great  expenses  are  being 
incurred  for  furnishing  the  garrisons  with  beds,  etc. — which 
would  not  be  done  if  it  were  intended  to  make  but  a  tem- 
porary stay — we  have  reason  to  fear  that  it  is  in  contem- 
plation to  attempt  the  utter  extinction  ot  our  belief.  A 
night  sortie  took  place  on  the  fourth  inst.  when  a  great  many 
houses  both  in  town  and  country  were  ransacked  by  the 
soldiers.  One  ot  my  comrades,  known  by  the  name  of 
Lafage,  who  has  been  connected  with  the  holy  ministry  for 
two  years,  and  who  was  surprised  in  his  house  and  had  the 
bad  luck  to  be  hit  by  a  musket  ball  in  the  arm,  was  after- 
wards made  prisoner,  together  with  all  his  family.  He  was 
taken  to  Montpellier  where  he  will  have  to  submit  to  the 
fate  of  his  predecessors  in  his  sad  but  glorious  calling.  May 
God  strengthen  him  to  endure  the  trial  ! 

"  Had  it  not  been  for  a  Catholic  friend  I  should  also  have 
been  captured,  for  I  had  scarcely  quitted  my  hiding  place 
when  it  was  surrounded  by  a  numerous  detachment  and 
preparations  were  made  for  a  thorough  search.  Since  that 
disastrous  time,  I  have  adopted  the  expedient  of  turning 
night  into  day,  and  my  people,  seeing  to  what  danger  I  am 
exposed  through  the  fury  of  our  enemies  who  are  constantly 
on  the  look-out  for  me,  have  earnestly  besought  me  to  yield 
to  circumstances  and  retire  into  Switzerland  for  a  few  months, 
as  the  consternation  is  so  widespread  that  they  can  no 
longer  offer  me  an  asylum.  I  shall  therefore  be  under  the 
necessity  of  going  away  until  the  return  ot  happier  days  ; 
but  as  our  flocks  are  paralized  with  the  heavy  imposts  and  the 
annoyances  to  which  they  are  subjected,  and  as  it  is  impossible 
for  me  unassisted  to  maintain  myself  in  my  place  of  refuge, 


318    Letter  of  Pomaret  to  Benjamin  Du  Plan  1754. 

I  shall  be  particularly  obliged  if  you  will  interest  yourselt 
on  my  behalt,  especially  as  I  know  that  any  pains  you  may 
take  to  procure  me  assistance  will  certainly  be  successful. 

"  Should  I  be  forced  to  go  away  I  need  hardly  describe 
to  you  the  sorrow  I  shall  experience  ;  my  flock,  however, 
will  only  become  still  more  dear  to  me,  and  I  shall  leave 
with  the  firm  resolution  to  rejoin  them  so  soon  as  circum- 
stances will  permit.  I  consider  that  the  interests  of  his  flock 
should  be  the  object  most  dear  to  the  heart  of  every  true 
pastor;  and  for  this  we  have  the  example  of  the  Apostles 
and  the  Fathers  ot  the  Primitive  Church.  One  thing  I 
especially  ask  of  God  is  that  Desert  baptisms  and  marriages 
shall  not  be  interfered  with,  for  I  fear  that  if  the  hands  of 
our  cruel  enemies  are  not  arrested,  this  is  a  calamity  to 
which  we  shall  ere  long  be  exposed.  We  have  good  reason 
to  apprehend  danger  as  you  will  perceive  from  the  letter 
written  by  the  Bishop  of  Alais  to  the  curés  of  his  diocese, 
and  my  rejoinder  thereto,  which  I  will  enclose  if  it  does  not 
make  my  packet  too  heavy.  If  our  illustrious  friends  of  your 
city,  whom  I  take  the  liberty  respectfully  to  salute,  could  in 
any  manner  help  to  ameliorate  the  sad  condition  of  our 
faithful,  what  a  work  of  charity  would  it  be!  I  wish  you 
all  prosperity  and  beseech  you  to  believe  me  with  the 
sincerest  respect, 

"  POMAKET." 

In  1755  the  Duke  De  Richelieu  surrendered  the 
office  of  governor  of  the  Province  of  Languedoc  to 
the  Duke  De  Mirepoix,  who  at  first  continued  to 
carry  ont  the  policy  of  his  predecessor;  but  on 
becoming  better  acquainted  with  the  Protestants  he 
gradually  relaxed  the  severity  of  his  measures,  and 
at  length  entered  into  personal  relations  with  the 
preachers  themselves.  The  dragonnades  were  dis- 
continued, the  assemblies  were  no  longer  molested, 


Toleration  of  the  Intendant  Mirepoix.  319 

and  the  conferences  were  permitted  to  meet  and 
deliberate.  In  certain  towns,  for  instance  Saint - 
G-eniès,  SommièreSj  Yauvert,  Montaren,  and  Saint - 
Ambroix,  the  Churches  were  so  emboldened  as  to 
contemplate  the  rebuilding  of  their  demolished 
temples.  This,  however,  Avas  more  than  Mirepoix 
Avoiild  suffer,  and  he  ordered  the  soldiers  to  destroy 
the  already  partially  constructed  walls.  None  the 
less  did  this  bo  wide-spread  toleration  excite  the  anger 
of  the  clergy,  and  at  an  extraordinary  general 
assembly  which  met  in  Paris  in  1758  the}'  manifested 
great  indignation.  Monsieur  the  Count  De  Saint- 
Florentin,  to  whom  their  remonstrances  were 
addressed,  assured  them,  in  the  name  of  the  King,  of 
his  firm  resolve  to  enforce  compliance  with  the 
edicts.  But  the  Government  was  embarrassed;  all 
its  forces  were  engaged  in  the  war,  and  it  feared  that 
a  continuance  of  persecution  might  only  create  fresh 
internal  danger  by  inciting  the  Protestants  to 
rebellion. 

The  death  of  Mirepoix,  which  occurred  towards 
the  end  of  1757,  simplified  the  situation.  AYith  a 
view  to  appease  the  clergy  the  Marshal  De  Thomond, 
who  had  distinguished  himself  by  his  ardent  opposi- 
tion to  the  Huguenots  in  Gfuienne,  was  appointed  to 
succeed  Mirepoix.  As  a  counterpoise,  and  to 
propitiate  the  Protestants,  the  King  desired  the 
.Marshal  Lo  display  consideration  and  tact  in  his 
dealings  with  them.  "  You  must/"  said  his  Majesty, 
"hold  them  in  check  rather  than  provoke  them  to 
rebellion,    affect    some    degree    of   ignorance,     use. 


320  Marshall  De  Thomond  succeeds  Mirepoix  in  1757. 

without  compromising  your  authorit}^  threaten 
rather  than  punish,  and  in  a  word  recur  to  the 
measures  adopted  during  the  late  war,  and  the 
wisdom  of  which  was  fully  confirmed  hy  the  event." 
By  this  astute  policy  the  Court  hoped  to  maintain 
friendly  terms  as  well  Avith  the  Protestants  as  the 
clergy. 

Marshal  De  Thomond  complied  with  these 
instructions,  and  Languedoc  enjoyed,  until  1760, 
an  unwonted  tranquillity. 

There  were  of  course  some  isolated  cases  of  fine 
and  imprisonment,  but  the  object  of  these  proceedings 
was  rather  to  check  the  over  zealous,  and  make  a 
show  of  enforcing  the  law,  than  to  rekindle  persecu- 
tion. This  policy  had  further  the  effect  of  satisfying 
the  clergy  without  embarrassing  the  Government. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE    CLOSING    YEAES    OF    BENJAMIN    DU    PLAN. 
1751—1763. 

The  long  and  troublesome  litigation  forced  upon 
Du  Plan  by  the  Committee  at  Geneva  darkened  the 
latter  years  of  his  life.  He  remembered  now,  though 
too  late,  the  warning  and  advice  given  to  him  by  his 
true  friends,  M.  Turrettin  and  M.  Vial  de  Beaumont.1 
His  services  on  behalf  of  the  Churches  in  travelling 
and  in  various  other  ways  had  entailed  the  sacrifice 

l.    See  page  230. 


Du  Plan's  integrity  of  character  is  questioned.     321 

of  his  entire  fortune  which  consisted  of  the  residue 
of  his  paternal  inheritance,  and  the  legacies  left  to 
him  hy  his  aunt,  his  sister  and  his  foster-mother. 1 
At  the  end  of  his  long  career,  and  after  all  the 
sacrifices  he  had  made,  which,  however,  were  as 
nothing  compared  with  the  time  and  the  labour  he 
had  lavished  on  the  cause,  he  found  himself  under 
the  painful  necessity  of  attempting  to  force  from 
those  whom  his  exertions  had  enriched  the  means  of 
making  his  declining  years  comfortable.  The  pro- 
vision which  he  claimed  had  to  be  torn  piece-meal 
from  the  hands  of  men  who  showed  greater  anxiety 
to  preserve  the  Churches'  pence  than  to  recompense 
the  services  of  her  devoted  ministers.  His  modest 
request  was  stigmatized  as  unjust,  exaggerated  and 
exorbitant,  and  the  aged  Deputy  was  forced  to  the 
humiliation  of  calling  in  experts  and  arbitrators  to 
weigh  and  value  and  estimate  and  cheapen  his  toil, 
his  zeal  and  his  sacrifices.  In  this  ignoble  struggle 
one  of  his  opponents,  moved  by  jealousy  and  spite, 
dared  even  to  cast  doubts  on  the  purity  of  Du  Plan's 
motives  and  question  the  integrity  of  his  character, 
while  the  accuser  himself,  a  spendthrift  and  a 
prodigal,  was  living  at  the  expense  of  his  neigh- 
bours and  throwing  away  in  lavish  profusion  the 
Churches'  funds.  The  French  noble  was  deeply 
indignant  at  these  imputations  on  his  good  faith, 
while    the    Christian  —  the    story    of    whose    life 

1.    The  foster-mother  of  Du  Plan  was  Jeanne  Dumas;  she  died  at 
Geneva  in  1740  and  bequeathed  to  him  her  little  property, 


322  His  health  in  consequence  suffers. 

alone  ought  to  have  been  a  sufficient  safe- 
guard against  the  shafts  of  calumny — was  com- 
pelled to  defend  himself,  to  produce  his  accounts, 
to  justify  his  pretensions,  and,  for  the  first  time 
in  his  life,  to  tell  his  left  hand  that  which  had  been 
done  by  his  right.  For  a  moment  even  he  believed 
himself  abandoned  and  betrayed  by  his  most  faithful 
friend,  and  sacrificed  by  those  who  for  thirty  years 
he  had  unstintingly  served.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered 
at  that,  under  these  circumstances,  his  letters  should 
show  considerable  warmth  and  that,  alike  in  attack 
and  defence,  he  was  occasionally  led  to  use 
expressions  somewhat  too  passionate.  Yet,  though 
for  these  indiscretions  he  could  plead  many  excuses 
and  almost  unendurable  provocations,  he  was  the 
first  to  acknowledge  and  deplore  the  intemperate 
expressions  in  which  his  lacerated  feelings  and 
momentary  anger  had  caused  him  to  indulge. 

The  trouble,  annoyance  and  weariness  he  under- 
went in  the  defence  of  his  honor  and  his  rights  (it  is 
from  himself  that  we  learn  these  details)  so  affected 
his  sight  that  he  nearly  lost  the  use  of  his  right  eye, 
besides  almost  consummating  the  ruin  of  his  already 
too  delicate  health.  It  was  at  this  time  of  bitter 
trial  and  while  afflicted  with  a  dangerous  illness, 
that  Providence  took  pity  on  him  and  sent  to  his 
relief  a  guardian  angel — a  widow,  Madame  Denman l 
— who  solaced  his  broken  spirit  and  reconciled  him 
to  life;  and  who,  touched  with  compassion  at  his  sad 

1.    She  was  the  daughter  of  Monsieur  Du  Passage  De  Voutrou, 
a  French  Refugee  noble,  of  La  Rochelle. 


HXs  marriage.  323 

and  lonely  condition,  offered  him  a  refuge  in  her 
own  house  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London.  The 
careful  nursing  of  this  kind-hearted  and  devottd 
woman,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  preserved  his 
life  and  restored  him  to  health.  Du  Plan,  as  a  proof 
of  his  attachment,  and  moved  with  gratitude,  offered 
Ber  his  hand,  which  she  accepted,  and  they  were 
married  on  the  fourth  of  November,  1751,  by  the 
Rev.  J.  J.  Majendie  in  the  French  Church,  Spring 
Gardens,  London.1  Du  Plan's  witnesses  on  the 
occasion  were  his  old  and  faithful  friends  Pierre 
Gaussen,  De  Polier,  De  Bottens  and  André  Bousquet. 

Two  children,  a  daughterandason,  soon  appeared 
on  the  scene  to  brighten  the  home  of  this  faithful 
servant  of  the  Church  and  to  efface  from  his  memory 
the  ingratitude  and  depravity  from  which  he  had  so 
cruelly  suffered.  In  this  happy  home,  sanctified  by 
the  love  of  a  pious  wife  and  gladdened  by  the 
presence  of  his  little  ones,  his  heart  expanded  with 
happiness  and  his  life  was  sufficiently  prolonged 
to  see  the  children  of  his  old  age  grow  up  and 
develop  under  his  paternal  care. 

It  was  from  this  blessed  haven  of  rest,  reserved 
for  him  by  Providence,  that  Du  Plan  watched 
the  progress  of  the  storm  which  still  raged  in 
his  fatherland.  From  time  to  time  some  of  his 
fellow  countrymen — saved  from  the  wreck,  but 
destitute  of  all — arrived  in  London.  They  never 
failed  to  find  their  way  to  his  house,  for  was  he  not 

1,    Du  Plan  was  ased  63  years,  Madame  Deninan  about  40  years. 


324         His  generosity  towards  his  fellow  refugees. 

the  Churches'  Deputy  and  the  faithful  friend  of 
unhappy  refugees?  His  home,  which  was  open  to 
all,  soon  become  a  centre  for  information  and  a 
place  of  call,  for  even  when  sick  and  infirm  he 
helped,  in  one  way  or  another,  everyone  who 
appealed  to  him,  and  never  hesitated  to  use  his 
influence  with  his  many  friends  on  behalf  of  all  who* 
solicited  his  services. 

Among  the  first  to  receive  tokens  of  his  sym- 
pathy and  protection  were  his  former  companions 
in  the  service  of  the  Churches,  those  who  with  him 
had  grasped  the  helm  during  the  storm,  and  like 
shipwrecked  waifs  past  work,  were  now  cast 
helpless  on  a  foreign  strand — Cortiez,  Chapel,  Roux 
— though  all,  whether  pastors,  laymen  or  widows  of 
the  confessors,  were  alike  welcomed. 

The  following  is  a  note  found  amongst  the  papers 
of  the  aged  Deputy.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a  minute 
and  was  no  doubt  addressed  to  some  eminent  per- 
sonage. The  document  bears  date,  November,  1756. 

"Amongst  the  persons  who  call  forth  our  esteem  and 
admiration,  and  demand  our  aid,  it  appears  to  me  that  we 
should  place  first  those  who  are  actually  suffering  on  the 
galleys  for  the  sake  of  the  Gospel. 

"  In  the  second  rank  should  be  placed  those  who  have 
endured  hardship  for  the  truth,  but  who  at  present  enjoy 
liberty  of  conscience,  partially  deprived  though  they  may  be 
of  the  means  of  subsistence. 

"  While,  lastly,  should  come  they  who  have  abandoned 
both  possessions  and  country  in  order  that  they  may  enjoy 
liberty  of  conscience,  who  are  poor  or  whom  age  and 
infirmity  have  rendered  incapable  of  earning  their  living. 

"The  Apostle  Paul  exhorts  us  to  do  good  unto  all  men, 


His  generosity  towards  his  fellow  re/ty  325 

especially  unto  them  who  are  ot  the  household  of  faith,  and 
in  obedience  to  this  exhortation  it  is  our  duty  to  weigh  the 
claims  of  every  one  and  the  special  circumstances  in  which 
each  is  placed. 

UI  would  range  in  three  classes  those  who  are  at  present 
free  to  exercise  liberty  ot  conscience,  naming  amongst  the 
first  Monsieur  Pierre  Cortiez,  Minister  of  the  Gospel,  a 
refugee  at  Zurich,  and  Monsieur  Jean  Chapel,  a  refugee  at 
the  Hague.  The  former  has  served  the  Churches  of  France 
during  a  period  of  thirty  years  and  has  been  largely 
instrumental  in  their  re-establishment,  though  he  has 
endured  much  tribulation.  It  is  true  that  he  is  now  the 
recipient  of  an  annuity  from  their  Excellencies  the  Magistrates 
of  Zurich,  but  besides  being  old  and  infirm  he  has  dependent 
upon  him  the  little  children  of  a  daughter  who  has  recently 
died,  besides  two  invalid  sisters-in-law,  sufferers  for 
religion,  one  of  whom  is  a  recent  refugee.  Monsieur 
Chapel  for  twenty  years  has  faithfully  ministered  to  the 
Churches  and,  by  his  earnest  exhortations,  has  materially 
contributed  to  their  prosperity.  For  seven  years  he  was 
a  prisoner  on  the  galleys.  Although  receiving  a  pension  of 
two  hundred  and  fifty  florins  from  Holland,  he  is  in  debt 
through  expenses  incurred  in  the  maintenance  of  an  extensive 
correspondence  with  his  brethren  in  France  and  through 
having  been  frequently  deceived  by  men  on  whose  behalf 
he  had  solicited  charity. 

"In  the  second  class  I  instance  Monsieur  Roux,  a  refugee 
at  Lausanne,  and  a  servant  of  the  Churches  under  the  Cross 
for  twenty-five  years.  The  small  pension  he  receives  is  far 
from  sufficient,  as  he  has  to  share  it  with  a  sister  who  attends 
upon  him  and  they  both,  owing  to  their  age  and  infirmity, 
require  additional  comforts. 

UI  put  in  the  third  class  Monsieur  Bel  and  Sieur 
Beaumes,1  former  prisoners  on  the  galleys  for  the  faith; 
Sieur  David  David,  now  an  invalid  and  in  declining  years, 

1.  Siear  Beaumes  was  a  native  of  Alais;  Du  Plan  prior  to  liis 
marriage  bad  lodged  at  the  house  •  > f  his  fellow  citizen. 


326  Especially  towards  Cortiez. 

but  in  his  younger  days  a  prisoner  for  the  cause  or 
Protestantism;  Madame  Viala,  the  widow  of  a  Minister  who 
did  much  to  strengthen  the  Reformed  Churches  of  France  in 
the  faith,  and  Madame  Serre,  the  aged  widow  of  a  Confessor, 
deserving  much  compassionate  sympathy.  The  same  ought 
also  to  be  extended  to  Monsieur  De  Faure,  who  abandoned 
a  good  position  for  righteousness'  sake  and  who  is  now 
without  property,  pension  or  employment.  I  could  name 
many  other  similar  cases,  but  God  will  provide  for  them  in 
His  own  good  time." 

The  most  striking  circumstance  disclosed  in  the 
foregoing  recital  is  the  generosity  of  the  Deputy 
towards  Cortiez.  The  difficulties  and  annoyance» 
which  the  latter  had  occasioned  him  are  well 
known,  but  Du  Plan  had  long  since  forgiven  and 
forgotten  all.  He  treated  his  implacable  adversary, 
Serces,  with  equal  magnanimity,  was  the  first  to 
make  advances  to  him  and  to  propose  reconciliation 
and  a  resumption  of  friendly  relations. 

Those  who  were  still  fighting  the  good  fight  in 
France  had  the  warmest  sympathy  of  the  aged 
Deputy.  The  young  recruits  in  the  cause  showed 
themselves  worthy  of  their  veteran  predecessors, 
and  though  few  of  the  pastors  of  this  time  were 
acquainted  personally  with  Du  Plan,  yet  they  all 
admired  his  character  and  submitted  to  his  influence. 
Of  this,  the  correspondence  we  have  already  cited 
affords  convincing  proof.  When  he  heard  of  tin3  re- 
commencement of  that  severe  persecution  which  lasted 
from  1744  to  1752  and  which  wehavebeenrecountingr 
he  took  up  his  pen  and  from  his  land  of  exile  ad- 
dressed the  following  eloquent  petition  to  Louis  XV. 


Da  Plan  addresses  a  petition  to  Loais  XV.       327 

a  Sire, 

u  The  King  of  Kings  allows  the  weak  and  unhappy  to 
confide  in  Him  their  griefs,  and  promises  to  soothe  their 
sorrows  and  lighten  their  burdens.  May  we  not  then  hope 
that  your  Majesty,  who  is  the  earthly  type  of  the  Lord  ot  the 
Universe,  will  deign  to  lend  an  attentive  ear  to  the  voice  of 
our  supplications  ? 

u  We,  Sire,  who  throw  ourselves  at  your  Majesty's  feet, 
with  reverence  and  deep  humility,  beseeching  your  Majesty 
to  look  with  compassion  on  our  deplorable  state,  are  your 
Majesty's  Protestant  subjects  of  Lower  Languedoc,  who 
are  emboldened  to  think  that  we  shall  receive  that  consi- 
deration which  is  due  to  our  earnest  determination  to  uphold 
the  throne  of  your  Majesty  at  the  sacrifice  of  everything  we 
hold  most  precious  in  this  world. 

"  Our  adversaries,  Sire,  spare  no  pains  to  disparage  us 
in  the  estimation  of  your  Majesty,  under  pretext  that  it  is 
out  of  perverse  opposition  to  your  Majesty's  interests  we 
assemble  ourselves  together  for  the  worship  of  God,  and  for 
the  celebration  by  our  pastors  of  the  ordinances  of  mar- 
riage and  baptism  ;  and  this  object  is  the  more  easily  gained, 
inasmuch  as  it  is  forbidden  to  us  to  defend  ourselves, 
although  we  trust  that  in  approaching  the  throne  as  we 
now  do  to  make  known  our  grievances,  we  shall  receive  a 
hearing  from  your  Majesty  and  shall  be  justly  and  generously 
dealt  with. 

a  In  the  first  place,  Sire,  we  protest  before  God,  who 
knows  the  hearts  of  all  men,  that  it  is  in  no  spirit  of  revolt 
or  independence  that  we  hold  our  religious  assemblies,  but 
simply  because  we  consider  it  to  be  absolutely  essential  to 
render  public  worship  to  that  Supreme  Being  who  has  it 
in  His  power  to  confer  upon  His  creatures  eternal  happiness 
or  everlasting  misery.  We  do  not  consider  it  necessary 
to  set  forth  the  reasons  which  prove  the  necessity  of  this 
worship,  because  it  is  evident  that  not  only  are  all  Christian 
communities — whatever  be  their  differences  in  creed — at  one 


328       Du  Plan  addresses  a  petition  to  Louis  XV. 

on  this  point,  but  that  the  early  Christians  chose  rather  to 
submit  to  all  kinds  of  suffering  than  to  neglect  so  important 
a  duty. 

"Furthermore,  Sire,  we  take  the  liberty  of  asserting  that 
it  is  to  the  direct  advantage  of  your  Majesty  and  of  the 
State  that  Protestants  should  enjoy  the  free  exercise  of  their 
religion,  for  it  is  by  the  teaching  of  their  ministers  that  they 
learn  their  duty  to  God,  to  your  Majesty,  and  to  their 
country;  by  this  means,  too,  ignorance  is  conquered,  infi- 
delity opposed,  and  superstition  and  fanaticism — the  primary 
causes  of  all  the  most  serious  disturbances — rooted  out. 
With  regard  to  our  marriages,  what,  we  ask,  would  your 
Majesty  think  of  us  if  we  were  capable  of  solemnizing  them 
according  to  the  requirements  of  the  priests?  Can  we  hypo- 
critically renounce  a  religion  that  we  believe  to  be  true 
without  proving  ourselves  to  be  dishonest,  profane,  and 
devoid  of  conscience?  Who  knows  how  much  the  solid 
foundations  of  your  Majesty's  throne  are  dependent  on 
truth  and  honesty,  for  if  a  man  believe  not  in  God  can  he 
be  loyal  to  his  King?  , 

"  And  lastly,  Sire,  we  cannot  conscientiously  allow  our 
children  to  be  baptised  by  the  priests,  inasmuch  as  baptism 
implies  an  acceptance  of  the  communion  into  which  the 
children  are  received,  apart  from  the  engagements  made  by 
their  father  and  sponsors  to  bring  them  up  in  the  Roman 
Catholic  faith,  and  this  is  an  abjuration  of  our  own  religion. 

"  This,  in  a  few  words,  Sire,  is  our  case.  Were  we  less 
scrupulous,  were  we  resolved  to  disregard  the  voice  of 
conscience,  were  we  without  religion,  and  had  we  not  the 
fear  of  God  before  our  eyes,  we  should  be  under  the  pro- 
tection of  the  law  ;  but  because  we  honor  our  Creator  and 
fear  to  offend  Him,  we  are  treated  as  if  we  were  enemies  of 
the  State,  we  are  hunted  down  in  the  Desert  like  wild 
beasts,  our  goods  are  seized,  our  children  are  taken  from  us, 
we  are  shut  up  in  prisons,  we  are  sent  to  the  galleys;  and, 
though  our  ministers  daily  exhort  us  to  fulfil  our  duties  as 
good  citizens  and  faithful  subjects,  a  price  is  put  upon  their 


T)u  Plan  addresses  <<  petition  to  Louis  XV.      32t> 

heads,  and  when  they  are  captured  it  is  only  that  they  may 
suffer  execution. 

"  Great  King,  whose  predominant  characteristic  is  that  of 
beneficence,  shall  we  alone  be  deprived  of  your  clemency? 
Father  of  your  other  subjects  will  you  not  extend  your  soli- 
citude also  to  us  ?  Will  you,  Sire,  suffer  to  be  thus  maltreated 
a  community  who  are  devotedly  loyal  to  the  Throne,  and 
whose  only  reproach  is  that  they  are  too  firmly  attached  to 
their  religion  ?  Oh,  Sire,  let  those  who  take  pleasure  in 
calumniating,  say  what  they  may,  be  assured  that  yon  have 
no  truer  or  more  obedient  subjects  than  the  Protestants.  Is 
it  a  question  of  paying  the  poll  tax  or  other  dues  required 
by  the  State — who  more  ready  than  we  to  meet  the  demand? 
If  exorbitant  and  ruinous  fineB  are  imposed  upon  us  are  they 
not  promptly  met?  And  when  your  Majesty  found  it 
necessary  to  establish  the  vingtième*  did  not  the  Protestants 
at  once  assent  to  it,  though  they  clearly  perceived  that  the 
clergy  would  view  the  act  with  displeasure  and  spare  no  pains 
to  consummate  the  ruin  of  the  Protestants.  Had  the  suppliants 
of  your  Majesty  been  animated  by  that  rebellious  spirit  which 
has  been  talsely  imputed  to  them  by  their  enemies,  they 
would  not  have  acted  as  they  did  when  the  Province  was 
invaded  by  the  Austrians,  for  neither  the  approach  ot  the 
army,  through  whose  intervention  the  Huguenots  might  have 
obtained  relief  from  their  sufferings,  nor  the  flattering  hope 
of  being  able  to  serve  God  freely,  was  able  to  shake  their 
loyalty.  As  to  the  latter  point,  our  ministers  did  themselves 
the  honor  of  writing  to  Monsieur  the  Intendant,  who  testified 
his  satisfaction  with  the  sentiments  and  conduct  of  the 
flocks. 

"Imagine,  Sire,  our  grief  when  we  learned  that  your 
Majesty  was  ill  at  Metz.  How  fervent  were  our  prayers  for 
your  Majesty's  recovery,  and  on  the  happy  restoration  to 
health  how  great  was  our  joy  !  Nothing  can  exceed  our 
devoted  affection  for  your  Majesty's  person,  or  our  grief  at 

l.    See  page  281. 


330  Du  Plan's  interest  in  the  Confessors. 

being  denied  all  opportunity  for  the  manifestation  of  our 
loyalty  to  the  throne  ! 

"Deign  then,  Sire,  to  have  pity  on  a  people  who  have 
been  so  severely  tried  and  whose  highest  happiness  it  would 
be  to  convince  your  Majesty  of  cheir  obedience  and  fidelity. 
Do  not  compel  us  to  exhibit  our  mistortunes  and  misery  in 
foreign  countries,  where  their  disclosure  could  only  tend  to 
the  discredit  of  your  Majesty's  realm.  We  throw  ourselves, 
illustrious  Prince,  on  your  clemency,  and  we  venture  to  hope 
that  the  punishment  of  death  will  no  longer  be  inflicted  on 
our  pastors,  that  the  bonds  which  bind  our  brethren  may 
be  loosened  and  their  prison  doors  unbarred,  that  our 
children  may  no  more  be  torn  from  our  arms,  that  the 
necessity  of  acting  contrary  to  our  convictions  may  cease  to 
be  imposed  on  us,  and  that  we  be  not  for  the  future  forbidden 
the  public  profession  of  that  religion  in  the  absence  of  which 
life  itself  were  but  a  prolonged  death. 

"It  is  because,  Sire,  we  are  so  firmly  convinced  of  your 
Majesty's  goodness,  as  well  as  desire  to  ameliorate  our  hard 
lot,  that  we  make  bold  to  lay  before  your  Majesty  this  humble 
petition,  in  the  full  confidence  that  we  shall  receive  a 
favorable  hearing;  at  the  same  time  we  will  address  to  the 
King  of  Kings  the  most  earnest  prayers  for  the  preservation 
of  your  Majesty's  sacred  person,  the  prosperity  of  your 
Majesty's  reign  and  the  happiness  of  your  Majesty  ]s  subjects. 

While  awaiting  the  blessing  of  Providence  on 
the  measures  taken  in  the  hope  of  turning  away  the 
wrath  of  the  persecutors,  Du  Plan  continued  his 
efforts  on  behalf  of  their  victims.  His  thoughts  were 
constantly  directed  to  the  noble  confessors,  chained 
with  criminals  on  the  King's  galleys,  and  to  the 
women  immured  as  in  a  living  tomb  in  the  Tower 
of  Constance.  Rendered  incapable  by  his  infirmities 
of  pleading  in  person,  as  he  had  been  wont  to   do, 


He  writes  an  appeal  on  (heir  behalf  331 

with  the  great  and  powerful,  the  cause  of  those  so 
dear  to  his  heart,  he  sought  to  reconstitute  a  society 
he  had  founded  in  London  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
curing them  succour,  and  with  this  view  he  published 
amongst  the  French  refugees  and  his  co-religionists 
in  England  the  following  touching  appeal: — 

"Twenty-five  years  since  a  few  pious  persons,  most 
of  whom  had  come  out  of  great  tribulation  and  who  were 
consequently  deeply  concerned  in  the  froissure  de  Joseph,1 
constituted  themselves  into  a  Society  with  the  object  of 
relieving  those  who,  in  prisons  and  on  the  galleys,  were 
suffering  in  the  cause  of  religion.  This  society  was  supported 
for  several  years  by  the  voluntary  efforts  of  several  pastors 
and  elders,  who,  not  confining  their  good  deeds  to  their  own 
flocks,  helped  generously  and  frequently  other  members  of 
the  mystical  body  of  Jesus  Christ  who  were  suffering  in 
places  where  persecution  prevailed. 

u  But  beside  the  fact  that,  with  the  lapse  of  time,  death  has 
removed  the  greater  number  of  the  members  of  this  bene- 
volent society,  a  variety  of  circumstances  has  for  several 
years  hindered  the  gathering  of  contributions  for  the 
illustrious  unfortunates,  whose  numbers  renewed  perse- 
cutions have  so  greatly  increased.  Sensible  as  we  ought  to 
be  of  the  evils  with  which  our  brethren  are  afflicted,  and  of 
the  obligation  laid  upon  us  to  plead  for  them  with  those  of 
other  lands  upon  whom  God  has  bestowed  the  priceless» 
blessing  of  liberty  of  conscience,  we  address  ourselves  with 
confidence  to  all  that  do  not  regard  the  noble  name  of 
Christian  as  a  meaningless  title,  and  to  all  that  are  animated 
by  the  spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  our  merciful  Saviour,  who 
voluntarily  left  the  glory  of  His  Father's  throne,  took  upon 
Himself  our  nature  with  all  its  infirmities,  and  suffered  and 
died  for  our  salvation.  It  is  to  earnest  and  faithful  Christians 

1 .    See  page  235. 


332  He  writes  an  appeal  on  their  behalf. 

who  like  their  Master  suffer  in  sympathy  with  their  brethren, 
who  languish  with  them  in  prison,  and  labour  with  them  on 
the  galleys,  that  we  confidently  appeal  for  that  assistance 
they  will  regard  it  as  a  privilege  to  afford  as  the  Lord  has 
blessed  them. 

"  Useless  were  it  to  appeal  to  men  of  the  world  and 
members  ot  the  Church,  whose  charity  is  less  than  the  charity 
of  the  Samaritan  of  the  Gospel  or  ot  heathens  who  have  not 
renounced  their  humanity. 

"  Neither  do  we  expect  sympathy  or  help  from  those 
whose  only  solicitude  is  for  themselves,  or  at  the  most  for 
those  of  their  own  circle,  from  whom  they  hope  to  receive 
similar  if  not  largely  augmented  services  in  return. 

"  That,  however,  which  gives  us  the  greatest  concern  is 
to  hear  the  grave  and  authoritative  condemnation  passed  by 
misinformed  persons,  whom  we  nevertheless  esteem,  not 
alone  on  the  Protestant  Churches  of  France,  on  the  assemblies 
which  meet  for  public  worship  in  the  country  where  per- 
secution is  rife,  and  on  the  faithful  who  are  suffering  on 
galleys  and  in  prisons  for  having  served  God  according  to 
the  promptings  of  their  consciences,  but  also  on  those  heroic 
pastors,  who  after  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  apostles, 
the  prophets  and  many  of  our  reformers,  have  nobly  sealed 
with  their  blood  the  truths  proclaimed  by  them,  amid  dangers 
the  most  formidable  and  fatigues  the  most  severe. 

"  The  passage  from  the  Bible  which  is  quoted  as  an 
authority  for  the  disparagement  of  the  confessors  and 
martyrs  of  our  day,  is  this,  '  When  they  persecute  you  in  this 
city  flee  ye  into  another,'  and  it  is  asserted  that  this 
injunction  is  sufficient  authority  to  justify  the  faithful  in 
running  from  their  country  to  avoid  persecution.  But  are 
we  warranted  in  making  so  sweeping  an  induction?  Would 
not  desertion  from  the  standard  of  the  faith  by  the  early 
Christians — so  renowned  and  so  worthy  of  all  praise  for 
their  piety  and  zeal — have  been  considered  base  and 
cowardly?  Do  we  not  read  that  the  Apostles  returned 
into  countries   where  they  had  been  ill-treated,  and   are 


//<    writes  an  appeal  on  their  behalf.  333 

we  not  aware  that  in  so  doing  they  only  followed  the 
example  of  their  Master,  who  though  He  sometimes  passed 
through  the  midst  ot  the  people  unobserved  and  at  other 
times  hid  Himself,  yet  never  abandoned  the  battle-field  until 
by  His  sufferings  and  death  he  had  fulfilled  His  ministry  and 
consummated  our  salvation  ? 

"  Furthermore,  it  is  satisfactory  to  know  that  God, 
though  permitting  certain  kingdoms  of  the  world  to  remain 
in  the  darkness  of  ignorance,  superstition  and  idolatry,  yet 
wills  that,  in  spite  of  its  enemies,  the  Light  of  the  Gospel 
shall  shine  out  in  greater  splendour,  until,  according  to  the 
predictions  both  of  the  Old  Testament  and  the  New,  it  shall 
convert  all  nations  to  a  knowledge  ot  Himself. 

"  Never  was  the  Church  more  pure  than  during  the  first 
three  centuries  of  the  Christian  era,  a  time  when  believers 
were  exposed  to  constant  persecution.  Never  were  Pro- 
testants more  steadfast  than  in  the  early  days  of  the  Refor- 
mation, when  scaffolds  were  erected  and  fires  kindled  for 
those  who  made  a  profession  of  the  true  Gospel.  Why 
then  denounce  the  Protestant  Churches  of  to-day,  which 
have  come  into  existence  through  a  furnace  of  tribulation 
and  which  the  Almighty  in  His  mercy,  by  a  miracle,  has 
caused  to  flourish  in  the  midst  of  their  enemies  ? 

"  Can  we  withhold  our  respect  from  those  who  have 
abandoned  property  and  country  for  the  free  worship  of 
God  in  foreign  lands  ?  And  are  they  in  any  whit  behind 
those  who,  following  the  example  of  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
apostles  and  martyrs  whose  memory  we  revere,  have 
sacrificed  not  alone  goods,  but  liberty,  aye  even  life  itself, 
for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  the  Church  ? 

u  We  ask  of  the  children  of  God  who  are  blessed  with 
liberty  of  conscience  and  worldly  prosperity,  neither  the 
sacrifice  of  their  lives,  their  liberty,  nor  even  ot  the  whole 
of  their  property  for  the  deliverance  or  relief  of  their  suffering 
brethren  who  are  in  captivity  ;  we  only  ask  of  their  charity 
so  much  of  their  substance  as  their  circumstances  will  afford, 
though  we  do  expect  that  whatsoever  they  give,  it  shall  be 


334  He  ivrites  an  appeal  on  their  behalf. 

given  willingly,  for  charity  ought  to  be  free  and  to  come 
unconstrained  from  the  heart.  That  which  is  bestowed 
reluctantly  or  from  motives  of  vanity  or  self-interest  can 
never  be  acceptable  in  God's  sight. 

"  But  how  ungrudgingly  soever  charity  may  be  dispensed, 
it  by  no  means  follows  that  a  Christian  ought  to  regard 
himself  as  the  absolute  owner  of  his  wordly  possessions  ;  he 
is  simply  a  steward,  he  is  not,  it  is  true,  obliged  to  give  an 
account  of  his  stewardship  to  his  fellow  men,  but  to  God  he 
must  account,  for  to  Him  we  all  belong  more  completely  than 
the  slave  belongs  to  the  master  who  has  purchased  him  and 
who  keeps  him  ;  it  is  God  who  has  created  us-,  and  redeemed 
us  through  the  precious  blood  of  His  dear  Son,  and  without 
the  protection  of  Providence  we  could  not  exist  for  a  single 
moment. 

"  A  Christian  who  does  not  look  upon  himself  as  pro- 
prietor, but  only  as  trustee  of  the  goods  that  he  enjoys, 
studies  how  to  please  by  his  able  management  the  master 
who  has  confided  them  to  his  care,  in  order  that  he  may 
render  himself  worthy  of  an  eternal  inheritance. 

"  God,  who  has  bestowed  upon  all  men  for  their  own 
salvation  and  for  the  good  of  their  neighbours  different 
degrees  of  talent,  has  not  told  them  when  he  will  call  upon 
them  to  give  an  account  of  their  stewardship.  They  are 
but  depositaries  of  the  talents,  the  property,  and  even  the 
life  that  God  has  entrusted  to  them,  and  of  which  it  may 
please  Him  at  any  moment  to  deprive  them. 

"  Although  these  truths  meet  with  general  acceptance, 
and  our  daily  experience  brings  them  forcibly  before  us, 
they  have  far  too  little  influence  over  our  conduct.  The 
majority  of  men,  instead  of  preparing  themselves  to  meet 
their  God  to  render  to  Him  with  confidence  an  account  of 
their  deeds  done  in  the  flesh,  are  given  over  to  the  cares 
and  pleasures  of  this  life  or  to  worldly  occupations  by 
which  their  thoughts  are  exclusively  engrossed. 

"It  were  useless  for  us  (unless  a  miracle  of  Providence 
should  be  performed  in  our  favour)  to  appeal  to  persons  of 


He  addresses  a  distinguished  personage  in  Denmark.    335 

this  sort  on  behalf  ot  our  brethren  who,  for  having  served 
God  according  to  their  consciences,  are  supporting  a  miser- 
able existence  in  prisons  or  under  bonds  on  the  galleys. 
But  we  address  ourselves  with  confidence  to  those  who  know 
and  trul)'  love  the  Lord,  who  are  conscious  of  the  evils  to 
which  the  Church  is  exposed,  who  suffer  with  the  mystical 
body  of  Christ's  Church,  and  who  love  their  neighbour  as 
themselves.  We  appeal  to  them  with  confidence,  for  we  feel 
persuaded  that  they  only  need  to  be  informed  that  certain 
respectable  and  trustworthy  persons  have  undertaken  to 
collect  money  for  the  relief  of  the  persecuted  and  to  apply  it 
faithfully  according  to  the  wishes  of  the  donors;  we  are, 
I  say,  persuaded  that  our  brethren  will  gladly  contribute 
according  to  their  means  to  so  righteous  a  cause,  the  doing 
which  will  bring  them  earthly  and  heavenly  blessings  in 
ever  increasing  abundance,  for  we  know  that  to  him  who 
makes  good  use  of  that  which  he  has  more  shall  be  given, 
whilst  from  him  who  is  wanting  in  charity  shall  be  taken  the 
possessions  that  he  deems  his  own. 

u  We  offer  to  God  our  sincere  and  earnest  prayers  on 
behalf  of  those  who  have  hitherto  contributed  or  who  may 
yet  contribute  to  the  advancement  of  the  reign  of  Jesus 
Christ  or  the  relief  of  the  sufferers  for  righteousness'  sake. 
May  God  in  His  mercy  convert  those  who  are  given  over  to 
the  vanities  ot  the  world  and  to  the  things  that  perish,  and 
give  them  grace  that  they  neglect  not  until  their  last  days 
the  work  of  preparing  for  Eternity  ! 


We  have  found  amongst  the  papers  of  Du  Plan 
a  letter  written  by  him  to  a  great  personage  at  the 
Royal  Court  of  Denmark,  in  which  he  pleads  for  the 
same  cause,  endeavouring,  at  the  same  time,  to 
combat  certain  notorious  prejudices  which  existed 
in  that  quarter  against  the  Huguenots  : — 


336    He  addresses  a  distinguished  personage  in  Denmark. 

u  Monsieur, 

"  After  having  kept  a  long  silence,  I  have  believed  it  my 
duty,  before  my  departure  from  this  world,  which  cannot  be 
far  distant,  to  address  a  petition  to  his  Majesty  the  King  of 
Denmark  on  behalf  of  the  Protestant  Churches  of  France. 

"  There  are  twelve  hours  during  which  God  calls  the 
labourers — some  earlier  and  some  later,  according  to  His  good 
pleasure — into  His  vineyard,  to  edify  His  Church  and  to 
succour  those  who  are  suffering  for  religion  ;  be  it  ours  to 
adore  the  ways  ot  Providence  and  to  do  our  duty  to  the 
utmost  towards  God  and  man. 

"  In  comparison  with  eternity  the  longest  life  is  but  as 
an  atom  when  compared  with  the  universe.  Yet  upon  the 
right  use  or  the  wrong  of  this  existence,  so  brief  and  so 
uncertain,  depends  our  fate  in  eternity.  For  this  reason 
a  wise  man  does  his  utmost  to  please  God,  and  to 
redeem  neglected  opportunités,  and  he  omits  nothing  that  can 
conduce  to  the  fulfilment  of  his  duty  and  the  assurance 
of  his  salvation.  Our  everlasting  happiness  is  of  such 
inestimable  value  that,  compared  with  it,  all  the  glory,  the 
riches,  and  the  magnificence  of  this  world  are  small  and 
poor — dreams,  dissolving  views,  and  quickly  vanishing 
phantasmagoria.  '  Vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity,  '  says 
the  most  magnificent  monarch  of  antiquity,  'Fear  God 
and  keep  His  commandments,'  this  is  the  whole  duty  of 
man.  '  The  world  passeth  away  and  the  lust  thereof,  but  he 
that  doeth  the  will  of  God  abideth  for  ever  '  ? 

"Believing  these  truths,  I  doubt  not,  Monsieur,  that  you 
will  do  your  duty  in  this  matter  by  taking  a  favorable 
opportunity  for  presenting  my  letter  to  the  King,  your 
master.  The  Prince  comes  of  a  pious  stock.  His  father, 
who  lived  in  a  less  advanced  age  than  ours,  leaving  behind 
him  glorious  memories,  has  gone  to  receive  in  heaven  the 
reward  of  his  godliness  and  good  deeds.  God  has  taken 
away  the  first  spouse  of  the  reigning  king  in  the  flower  of 
her  age,  in  order  to  detach  his  affections  from  the  dangerous 


He  addresses  a  distinguished  personage  in  Denmark.     337 

attractions  of  the  world,  while  the  calamity  shows  us  that 
neither  age,  sex,  nor  rank  are  beyond  the  reach  of  death. 

"Yet  a  few  brief  years  and  we  too  shall  have  departed 
hence  to  receive  the  reward  of  our  piety  and  good  works. 
As  we  have  sown  so  shall  we  reap  ;  he  who  has  sown 
diligently  shall  reap  abundantly,  but  he  who  has  sown 
sparingly  shall  reap  sparingly.  These  plain  truths, 
Monsieur,  are  well  known  to  you,  yet  we  cannot  be  too 
often  reminded  of  them  to  the  end  that  our  conduct  may  be 
in  conformity  with  our  knowledge. 

"There  is  an  unfair  and  prejudiced  belief  that  orthodox 
Lutherans  do  not  encourage  their  Sovereigns  to  interest 
themselves  on  behalf  of  the  Huguenots,  although  they 
themselves  have  thrown  off  the  yoke  of  Rome  and 
accept,  for  the  most  part,  the  same  articles  of  faith.  A 
similar  ill-founded  prejudice  and  probably  unintentional 
narrow-mindedness  prevents  many  Lutherans  from  regarding 
us  as  their  brethren,  though  they  acknowledge  the  same  God 
as  their  Father,  the  same  Christ  as  their  Saviour,  the  same 
Holy  Spirit  as  enlightening,  sanctifying,  and  comforting  all 
believers,  and  the  same  heaven  as  their  inheritance.  Ill- 
founded  prejudices  and  unworthy  motives  frequently,  in  like 
manner,  hinder  us  from  helping  the  afflicted,  because  we 
regard  them  as  strangers,  notwithstanding  that  Christ  has 
taught  us,  in  the  parable  of  the  good  Samaritan,  that  we 
should  have  compassion  upon  all  men,  and  should  regard 
all  men  as  neighbours.  For,  as  neither  the  office  of 
priest  nor  Lévite,  nor  outward  profession  of  Christianity, 
nor  the  calling  of  curé  or  minister  of  the  Gospel  can  justify 
a  failure  in  charity,  so  the  greater  our  own  light,  and  the 
richer  our  temporal  and  spiritual  blessings,  the  greater  will 
be  our  condemnation  if  we  make  not  good  use  of  the 
talents  entrusted  to  us. 

u  Christians  whose  conduct  is  consistent  with  their  pro- 
fessions will  derive  satisfaction  from  the  foregoing 
re-statement  of  vital  truths,  whilst  those  who  are  less 
mindful  of  their  duties  ought,  as  they  value  their  eternal 


368    He  addresses  a  distinguished  personage  in  Denmark. 

welfare,  and  before  they  are  surprised  by  death,  to  reconcile 
themselves  with  their  Maker. 

u  The  Lord  has  no  need  of  us  or  of  our  belongings  ;  our 
goodness  is  no*t  to  be  measured  by  His.  From  everlasting 
He  has  been  supremely  happy  and  will  continue  so  through- 
out eternity,  altogether  independent  of  us.  Yet  is  it  His 
pleasure  that  we  should  love  one  another,  that  we  should 
help  the  poor,  succour  the  outcast  and  visit  the  prisoner,  for 
without  charity  we  cannot  hope  to  be  the  children  of  God  or 
heirs  of  His  Kingdom.  Jesus  Christ,  Himself  the  Truth,  has 
declared  that  men  shall  know  by  the  love  we  bear  one 
another  that  we  are  His  disciples. 

"As  a  believer,  and  as  representing  in  the  office  of 
Deputy  of  the  Churches  a  considerable  body  of  Christians 
who  groan  under  the  Cross,  I  never  fail  in  taking  an 
opportunity  of  soliciting  our  brethren  who  enjoy  liberty, 
peace,  and  plenty,  to  bestow  their  charity  upon  our  brethren 
in  Christ,  who  are  fighting  and  suffering  tor  the  faith. 
Should  my  humble  but  earnest  appeals  be  rejected  or 
despised,  I  shall,  though  deeply  grieved,  be  free  from 
blame,  for  I  shall  have  done  my  duty,  and  God  will  sooner  or 
later  accomplish  His  work.  He  will  comfort  and  deliver  His 
afflicted  Church  without  human  aid,  and  will  cause  His 
new  Jerusalem,  His  well-beloved  spouse,  to  come  out 
victorious  over  every  foe.  Babylon,  her  rival,  her  persecutor, 
shall  be  utterly  destroyed,  together  with  all  who  have 
accepted  her  creeds  and  followed  her  counsels — which  are 
these  ;  pride,  avarice,  lust,  love  of  the  world  and  the  things 
of  the  world,  torgettulness  of  God,  contempt  of  His  Holy 
Gospel,  oppression  of  the  poor,  and  insensibility  to  suffering. 

"  May  God  by  His  grace  restore  to  life  those  who  are 
dead  to  their  true  interests,  awaken  charity  and  love  for 
their  neighbour  in  those  who  do  not  possess  these  virtues, 
and  increase  the  faith  of  all  men. 

"  With  sincere  affection  and  esteem,  I  am  Monsieur, 
Your  Excellency's  very  obedient,  humble  servant, 

"  London,  the       November  1755.  "Du  Pun." 


Letter  from  Antoine  Court's  son  to  Du  Plan.      339 

"  P.S. — The  letter  I  have  now  had  the  honor  of  addressing 
to  you,  Monsieur,  is  not  intended  for  your  Excellency  alone, 
but  for  any  that  make  an  open  profession  of  religion  with 
whom  you  are  in  relationship.  If  any  should  be  moved  to 
contribute  on  behalf  of  the  Protestant  Churches  of  France, 
he  can  remit  his  offering  to  the  ministers  of  the  French 
Church  in  Copenhagen,  to  be  held  by  them  at  the  disposal  ol 
any  minister  at  Geneva  whom  they  may  name,  in  order  that 
its  faithful  application  may  be  assured." 

The  aged  Deputy  one  day  received  a  letter  from 
Court  de  (lébelin  (the  son  of  his  old  friend)  who 
wrote  to  ask  a  favour  of  Du  Plan  and  profited  by 
the  opportunity  to  give  him  some  news  about 
Antoine  Court  and  the  state  of  the  Church  in  France. 

"Lausanne,  the  19th  of  September  1759. 
"  Monsieur, 

"Allow  me  to  take  advantage  of  this  opportunity  to 
assure  you  of  the  sentiments  of  esteem  and  admiration  that 
I  entertain  for  you— impressions  which  are  due  to  the  teachings 
of  my  parents  from  earliest  infancy. 

"It  has  always  been  my  ambition  to  merit  your  good 
opinion,  and  especially  to  share  in  the  friendship  which  exists 
between  you  and  my  father.  Although  this  friendship  was 
for  a  time  clouded  by  misunderstanding  it  is  so  no  longer, 
and  I  trust  it  may  continue  without  interruption  and  become 
warmer  with  the  lapse  of  time.  I  shall  consider  myself 
happy  if  I  can  in  any  way  contribute  to  this  end. 

"Our  Sister,  the  bearer  of  this  letter,  is  a  good  Christian 
of  the  old  school,  and  is  worthy  of  all  the  interest  you  may 
take  in  her.  She  proposes,  in  company  with  her  son,  to 
rejoin  her  other  children,  eight  in  number,  who  are  now  in 
London.  Her  name  is  Cazali,  and  she  comes  from  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Ribaute  in  Languedoc. 

"  The  country  has  greatly  altered  since  the  early  days  of 
your  own  pilgrimages.     Light  has  spread  throughout  every 


340  Scheme  for  a  Protestant  Bank. 

Province,  none  is  without  its  ministers  and  its  public  worship, 
while  one  even  has  its  temples.  Everywhere  are  to  be  seen 
large  and  flourishing  communities  of  the  faithful,  full  of 
enlightenment  and  zeal.  Nevertheless  the  storm  of  perse- 
cution continues  its  ravages;  it  bursts  out  from  time  to  time 
in  different  places,  like  an  impetuous  whirlwind  carrying 
everything  betore  it.  The  Provinces  most  exposed  to  its 
fury  are  Dauphiny,  Périgord  and  Normandy. 

"In  Dauphiny  eighteen  persons  have  recently  been  prose- 
cuted, twelve  others  have  been  lodged  in  the  prisons  of 
Valence  and  Grenoble,  and  several  children  have  been  carried 
off  to  convents. 

"  The  Protestants  of  Périgord  have  been  condemned  to  pay 
a  fine  ot  twenty-eight  thousand  livres,  besides  being  compelled 
to  provide  accommodation  for  several  brigades  of  cavalry, 
fourteen  of  which  are  stationed  in  the  Province.  These  make 
incessant  raids  on  the  assemblies,  carry  off  the  children  to 
be  re-baptised,  and  generally  cause  great  disturbance  and 
alarm  amongst  the  people. 

"The  kidnapping  of  children  has  been  worst  in  Normandy  ; 
in  the  course  of  two  months  no  fewer  than  seven  have  been 
shut  up  in  convents. 

"  Other  provinces,  though  less  severely  treated,  have 
nevertheless  been  given,  in  a  variety  of  ways,  to  understand 
that  they  are  by  no  means  free  to  worship  God  in  their  own 
way.  Our  co-religionists,  moreover,  are  much  mortified  at 
the  failure  of  their  scheme  for  a  Protestant  Bank1  and  at 
the  credit  with  which  certain  foul  and  baseless  slanders 
against  them  had  been  received.  The  promoters  of  the 
banking  scheme,  two  of  whom  are  ruined,  have  been  severely 

1.  In  1759  a  number  of  Protestants  coneeiveil  the  idea  of  purchasing 
toleration  with  gold.  The  finances  of  the  kingdom  at  the  time  in  question 
being  at  a  very  low  ebb,  and  the  government  being  desirous  of  raising 
money  in  every  possible  way,  this  society  of  Protestants  proposed  to 
establish  in  Paris  a  house  whose  special  business  it  should  be  to  raise 
money  on  shares  by  the  help  of  their  co-religionists.  The  funds  so 
procured  it  was  intended  to  offer  on  loan  to  the  King  under  certain 
stipulated  conditions.    The  plan,  however,  was  a  failure. 


Letter  of  Court  Junior  on  the  death  of  his  father.      341 

censured.  A3  touching  the  book  written  by  the  Abbot  De 
Caveirac,  it  is  freely  circulated  in  all  quarters  by  the  com- 
mandants, and  by  the  Royal  house  itself. 

"My  father,  Monsieur,  desires  me  to  convey  to  you  his 
best  wishes.  He  often  dwells  with  pleasure  on  the  missionary 
journeys  you  took  together  in  former  days,  and  the  kindly 
interchange  of  friendly  converse  by  which  they  were 
enlivened.  He  takes  a  warm  interest  in  your  welfare  and 
in  that  of  your  wife  and  dear  children. 

"I  have  the  honor  to  remain,  with  sincere  respect, 
Monsieur,  your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant. 

"Court,  Junior." 

Less  than  a  year  after  the  receipt  of  this  letter 
Du  Plan  heard  with  great  sorrow  of  the  death  of 
Antoine  Court.  We  possess  the  letter  in  which  the 
son  of  the  refugee  Pastor  announced  the  sad  intel- 
ligence to  the  old  friend  of  his  father. 

"  2nd  of  August  1760. 
"Monsieur, 
"I  have  been  too  long  silent,  but  alas  I  have  not  been 
silent  willingly  !  Overwhelmed  with  grief  and  worn  out 
with  fatigue  I  have  had  my  hand  constantly  on  the  plough 
with  scarcely  a  moment's  breathing  time.  Both  my  father 
and  myself  warmly  appreciated  the  cordiality  and  affection 
of  your  letter  of  the  twenty-third  of  March,  and  he  was  over- 
joyed at  the  revival  of  that  intercourse  which  was  always 
one  of  his  happiest  memories,  while  it  was  for  me  an  inex- 
pressible pleasure  to  be  a  bond  of  union  between  you,  the 
common  friend  of  both.  I  should  have  replied  at  once  but, 
being  compelled  to  watch  by  the  bedside  of  my  dear  father, 
who  died  a  short  time  since  of  a  lingering  malady  with 
which  he  had  been  afflicted  for  a  twelvemonth,  I  was  unequal 
to  the  effort.  Alas!  in  spite  of  all  our  care,  this  tender 
father,  this  zealous  friend,  is  no  more  !  He  fell  asleep  on 
the  twelfth  of  June  at  a  quarter  past  12  o'clock,  and  his 


342    Letter  of  Court  Junior  on  the  death  of  his  father. 

redeemed  spirit  winged  its  flight  to  its  Maker,  in  whose 
service  he  had  spent  his  life.  He  leaves  my  sister  and  myself 
plunged  in  the  deepest  sorrow,  and  deprived  of  all  the 
resources  that  his  labours  had  procured  for  us. 

"Having  had  charge  of  his  correspondence  during  his 
life-time,  I  have  continued  it  up  to  the  present  moment. 
I  have  tendered  my  services  to  the  various  Churches  and 
friends  with  whom  he  was  connected,  and  the  offer  has  been 
accepted  by  all  so  far  as  it  was  in  their  power.  For  eighteen 
years  I  have  acted  as  private  secretary  to  my  father,  and 
have  imbibed  most  of  his  views  and  sentiments.  Would 
that  I  had  his  ability — at  all  events  I  have  his  willing  spirit 
My  grief  would  indeed  be  increased  were  I  unable  to  make 
myself  useful  to  the  beloved  Churches  in  whose  service  you 
and  he  have  spent  your  lives  and  encountered  so  many  perils, 
and  my  most  ardent  desire  is  to  serve  the  cause  more  effec- 
tually every  day. 

"I  venture  to  hope,  Monsieur,  that  the  friendly  feelings 
which  you  entertained  tor  the  father  will  be  extended  to  the 
son,  and  in  this  expectation  I  am  encouraged  by  the  tone  of 
your  last  letter.  I  trust  you  will  be  of  opinion  that  my 
sentiments  towards  you  and  the  desire  I  have  to  cultivate 
your  friendship  are  sufficient  justification  for  my  making 
this  request. 

"It  is  with  a  sense  of  pleasure  and  thankfulness  that  I 
hear  you  still  occupy  yourself  on  behalf  of  the  Churches.  I 
trust  you  will  keep  me  well  acquainted  with  all  your  doings, 
and  I  shall  make  it  a  point  to  inform  our  friends  of  them, 
for  I  shall  be  delighted  if  I  can,  in  this  or  in  any  other  way, 
aid  in  the  accomplishment  of  our  common  object. 

"You  are  aware,  Monsieur,  with  what  assiduity  and  zeal 
my  father  toiled  at  his  History  of  the  Churches  of  France, 
He  broke  the  work  up  into  several  distinct  parts  ;  amongst 
others,  the  History  of  the  Camisards.  Grieved  to  think  so 
much  valuable  labour  should  be  lost  by  his  writings 
remaining  buried  in  the  obscurity  of  his  study,  I  spared 
no  pains  to  induce  my  father  to  publish  them.     His  means 


Letter  of  Court  Junior  on  the  death  of  his  father.     343 

being  too  limited  to  accomplish  this,  1  undertook  to  raise  a 
subscription  and  shall  thus  be  enabled  to  print  the  History  of 
the  Camisards.  Two  presses  have  been  at  work  at  it  since 
March,  and  the  book,  which  will  consist  of  three  volumes 
duodecimo,  each  containing  at  least  five  hundred  pages, 
will,  I  hope,  shortly  be  published.  Unfortunately  ray  father 
left  the  work  incomplete,  involving  on  ray  part  the  necessity 
of  labouring  hard  to  finish  it  under  unfavorable  circum- 
stances and  amidst  overwhelming  cares-  It  will  be  illustrated 
by  a  map  of  the  Cevennes  that  I  drew  up  last  winter  and  in 
which  are  prominently  indicated  places  of  special  interest. 
I  have  already  received  the  first  proof  of  the  map  from  Lyons, 
and  all  who  have  seen  it,  and  who  take  any  interest  in 
geography,  have  expressed  their  approval 

"Do  you  think,  Monsieur,  the  book  would  sell  in  London? 
For  the  present  the  subscription  price  for  the  three  volumes, 
including  map,  is  four  livres,  but  after  publication  the  price 
will  be  six  licres.  Possibly  Monsieur  Vaillant  might  be 
disposed  to  subscribe  for  a  number  of  copies,  but  as  I  am  a 
stranger  to  him  may  I  venture,  Monsieur,  to  ask  you  kindly 
to  bring  the  matter  to  his  attention  ? 

"Since  I  last  had  the  pleasure  of  writing  to  you,  death 
has  made  great  ravages  amongst  our  friends  and  the  leading 
men  connected  with  the  Churches.  It  removed  from  us,  in 
October,  at  Geneva,  the  excellent  and  much  esteemed  Professor 
Polier,  and  shortly  afterwards  Monsieur  Sarrasin,  senior. 
In  France,  in  the  month  of  February,  we  lost  Monsieur 
Redonnel,  formerly  pastor  at  Montpellier  and  afterwards  of 
Bordeaux,  and  in  April  the  celebrated  Boyer. 

"We  have  here  a  well  attended  college  containing  at 
present  about  twenty -four  students  from  Normandy, 
Saintonge,  Angoumois,  Périgord,  Béarn,  Upper  Languedoc, 
the  Upper  Cevennes,  Vivarais  and  Dauphiny.  They  nobly 
vied  with  each  other  during  ray  father's  illness  in  watching 
at  his  bedside  night  and  day  until  the  end,  doing  their  utmost 
to  relieve  my  anxieties.    I  have  been  appointed  Professor  of 


344    Letter  of  Court  Junior  on  the  death  of  his  father. 

Moral  Philosophy,  and  besides  myself  there  is  a  Professor  of 
Theology  and  another  of  Latin. 

"Last  year  the  Abbot  De  Caveirac  published  an  enor- 
mous octavo  volume  entitled  'An  Apology  for  the  Revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  under  Louis  XIV,'  which 
consisted  of  nothing  but  accusations  against  the  Protestants  ; 
these  my  father  and  I  were  asked  to  rebut.  The  matter  has 
been  taken  in  hand  by  the  Library  of  Arts  and  Sciences  in 
Holland,  which  has  issued  a  memoir  on  the  subject,  and  this 
having  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the  Court  has  resulted  in 
the  disgrace  of  the  Abbot. 

"Monsieur  De  Richelieu,  Governor  of  Guienne,  is  endea- 
vouring to  put  an  end  to  public  worship,  and  even  to  prevent 
meetings  in  private  houses  throughout  the  province  ;  he  is 
also  taking  measures  to  enforce  the  re-baptism  of  children. 
What  may  be  the  issue  of  this  attempt  in  the  recently 
re-organised  Churches,  whose  members  are  still  timid  and 
fearful,  none  can  tell,  but  we  trust  that  they  will  glorify  God 
and  His  Son  Jesus  Christ  by  their  constancy. 

"  The  Assembly  of  Catholic  Clergy  is  dissolved.  Before 
separating,  the  members  presented  to  the  King,  through  the 
Bishop  of  Puy,  a  remonstrance  against  Protestant  preachers 
especially  on  the  subject  of  marriage.  The  King,  however, 
regarding  their  complaints  as  conceived  in  a  spirit  of 
animosity  and  grossly  exaggerated,  and  also  because  no 
remedy  was  suggested  for  the  evil,  declined  to  listen  to  them. 

"  Accept  my  thanks  for  your  kindness  in  the  matter  of  the 
widow  Cazali.  Though  I  have  not  the  honor  of  being  known 
to  Monsieur  the  Chevalier  D'Oliveira,  I  beseech  you  to 
present  to  him  my  respectful  salutations.  His  excellent 
speech  on  the  terrible  calamity  at  Lisbon,  of  which  city  he 
is  a  native,  gives  me  a  very  high  opinion  of  him  ;  his  elevated 
sentiments  show  that  he  is  a  man  of  noble  and  tender  heart. 

"  A  letter  which  I  have  received  from  Monsieur  Serces 
causes  me  great  grief;  it  would  appear  that  he  is  on  the 
brink  of  the  grave.  I  know  of  your  estrangement,  Monsieur, 
and  I  cannot  deny  that  the  knowledge  has  cut  me  to  the  heart. 


Letter  of  Court  Junior  on  the  death  of  his  father.     545 

Ought  such  serious  differences  to  exist  between  persons  of 
earnest  piety  who  are  engaged  in  the  same  cause?  I  should 
like  to  think,  that  letting  bygones  be  bygones,  you  are 
ready  to  extend  to  each  other  the  hand  of  friendship.  It 
would  have  been  a  source  of  much  consolation  to  my  father 
if  this  reconciliation  could  have  been  accomplished  during 
his  lifetime,  and  it  will  make  me  truly  happy  if  I  can  now 
aid  in  bringing  it  about.  Monsieur  Serces  appears  disposed 
to  make  advances,  and  I  know,  Monsieur,  that  you  are  a 
friend  of  peace;  what  then  hinders  a  reconciliation?  My 
heart  bleeds  when  I  think  that  I  am  in  close  relationship 
with  two  persons  who  honor  me  with  their  friendship  and 
are  united  in  my  heart,  but  who  are  at  variance  the  one 
with  the  other. 

"  It  is  well  nigh  time  that  I  allowed  you  to  take  breath, 
for  I  have  written  a  long  letter.  Your  kindness,  however, 
gives  me  confidence,  and  I  have,  as  you  perceive,  spoken 
my  mind  freely.  It  is  because  I  wished  to  write  to  you  at 
length  that  I  waited  a  favorable  opportunity  for  inditing  the 
present  letter.  Continue  to  honor  me  with  your  friendship, 
and  rest  assured  that  no  one  is  more  devoted  to  you  or 
holds  you  in  greater  esteem  and  consideration  than, 
Monsieur,  your  very  humble  and  obedient  servant 

"Court." 

Du  Plan  lost  no  time  in  replying. 

Kentish  Town,  August,  1760. 
u  Monsieur,  my  dear  friend  and  brother  in  Christ, 
u  I  have  received  your  letter  of  the  second  of  August, 
which,  touching  as  it  does  on  a  variety  of  subjects,  has 
produced  varied  effects  on  my  mind.  I  should  be  hard- 
hearted and  unnatural  were  I  unmindful  of  the  loss  we  have 
sustained — you  of  a  kind  and  tender  father,  I  of  a  long  tried 
and  zealous  friend,  and  the  Churches  of  France  of  a  faithful 
and  laborious  servant:  but  how  brilliant  soever  may  have 
been  his  talents,  or  however  useful  his  work,  God  can  raise 
np  other  labourers  to  supply  his  place,  and  the  year  passed 


346  Letter  from  Du  Plan  m  reply. 

by  his  bed  of  sickness  ought  to  have  fitted  you  to  become 
his  successor. 

"  You  have  had  the  satisfaction  of  comforting  him  and 
ministering  to  his  wants  during  his  time  of  trial,  of  witness- 
ing his  patience,  his  faith  and  his  resignation  to  the  will  of 
God.  You  have  been  assisted  in  your  good  work  by  men 
destined  for  the  ministry,  and  now  that  God  has  ended  our 
friend's  conflicts  and  sorrows,  he  rests  from  his  labours  and 
his  works  do  follow  him.  What  a  consolation  for  those  who 
loved  him  is  the  assurance  that  the  servant  of  God  who  has 
fought  the  good  fight,  who  has  been  faithful  unto  death,  has 
now  obtained  that  crown  of  life  which  Jesus  Christ  purchased 
for  us  with  his  blood.  The  believer  does  not  die  when  his 
soul  is  separated  from  the  body,  on  the  contrary  he  lives 
more  than  ever;  his  body  which  is  subject  to  an  infinity  of 
cares  and  infirmities  clogs  the  aspirations  of  his  soul,  and 
his  soul,  freed  from  its  mortal  tenement  and  the  things  of 
time,  beholds  an  unclouded  God,  sees  Jesus  Christ  face  to 
face  and  is  changed  into  His  image.  We  ought  not  to 
lament  the  loss  of  your  father,  but  rather  to  rejoice  that  the 
friend  whom  we  loved  and  whose  memory  we  cherish  is 
now  happy  in  heaven.  But  can  we  truly  say  that  he  is  lost' 
to  us  when  his  memory  is  so  dear,  and  while  the  fruit  of  his 
labours  is  visible  in  our  Churches  ?  I  would  add  for  our 
further  consolation  that  your  father  not  alone  lives  in 
Heaven  and  in  his  works,  but  lives  again  in  you  ;  you  are 
animated  by  his  spirit,  and  endowed  with  his  talents  ;  you 
have  equal  zeal  for  God,  equal  love  for  our  brethren  in  France 
and  equal  affection  for  his  friends,  amongst  whom  I  glory 
to  count  myself.  For  these  reasons  it  is  at  once  my  duty  and 
my  pleasure  to  bear  witness  to  the  mutual  esteem  and 
friendship  which  marked  the  intercourse  of  your  father  and 
myself  when  we  were  fellow-labourers  in  France  and 
Switzerland,  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  edification  of  His 
Church. 

"  Thanks  be  to  God,  the  Churches  of  France,  in  spite  of 
frequently  recurring  persecutions,  are  in  a  happier  and  more 


Letter  from  Du  Plan  in  reply.  347 

nourishing  condition  than  when  your  father  and  I  began  to 
interest  ourselves  on  their  behalf.  Not  only  are  there  many 
more  pastors  but  the  Churches  are  much  more  numerous, 
and  if  it  please  God  to  hear  our  prayers  and  to  bless  our 
colleagues'  and  our  own  labours,  the  truth  will  ere  long  make 
more  progress  in  France  than  at  any  time  since  the  Revo- 
cation of  the  Edict  ot  Nantes.  My  hopes  are  not  grounded 
alone  on  the  goodness,  the  power  and  the  faithfulness  of 
God,  manifested  from  the  first  towards  His  Church  universal, 
but  also  on  facts  of  which  I  am  personally  cognisant,  on  the 
letters  of  my  correspondents,  and  on  the  exertions  of  the 
band  of  young  evangelists  of  whom  you  have  made  mention 
in  your  letter,  for  Providence  will  never  allow  them  to  remain 
idle  while  labourers  are  so  much  wanted  in  His  vineyards. 

"Besides  these  just  and  weighty  considerations,  we  may 
draw  much  encouragement  from  the  prophecies  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments  which  point  to  the  destruction  of 
Babylon  and  the  triumph  of  Jerusalem — the  triumph  of 
truth,  justice  and  holiness  over  the  error,  superstition, 
idolatry,  and  vice  which  abound  in  the  world.  This  con- 
summation will  be  due  to  the  grace  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
for  it  is  God  alone  through  His  Holy  Spirit  who  is  able  to 
convert  the  unbelieving.  It  is  God  alone  who  can  create  new 
heavens  and  a  new  earth  wherein  shall  dwell  righteousness. 
Then,  according  to  His  promises,  the  earth  shall  be  full  of 
the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea;  then 
there  shall  be  but  one  fold  and  one  shepherd  ;  then  shall  all 
men  be  taught  of  the  Lord  and  animated  by  the  same  spirit, 
being  of  one  heart  and  of  one  soul,  like  as  were  the  believers 
in  the  time  of  the  Apostles,  after  receiving  the  gift  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  While  looking  for  these  blessed  days  let  us,  as 
did  the  Apostles  while  awaiting  the  descent  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  in  Jerusalem  after  their  Master  had  been  taken  up  into 
heaven,  prepare  for  them  by  gathering  ourselves  together 
for  prayer  and  supplication  and  good  works.  Especially 
should  we,  who  by  the  grace  of  God  enjoy  that  peace  and 
liberty  of  conscience  which  are  denied  to  our  brethren,  take 


348  Letter  from  Du  Plan  in  reply. 

example  from  Moses,  who  from  the  hill  lifted  his  hands 
towards  heaven  while  the  battle  was  raging  between  Joshua 
and  Amalek  on  the  plain. 

"I  thank  you,  Monsieur  and  dear  brother,  for  the  news 
you  give  me  respecting  our  fellow  labourers  in  France  and 
elsewhere,  and  beg  of  you  to  continue  them.  I,  on  my  part, 
will  keep  you  informed  of  everything  on  the  subject  likely 
to  afford  you  pleasure,  although  I  am  old  and  infirm  and 
have  retired  into  the  country  owing  to  an  asthma  which 
often  hinders  me  from  walking  and  sometimes  even  from 
writing.  I  take  advantage  of  every  respite  from  my  suffer- 
ings to  work  for  the  advancement  of  the  Kingdom  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  edification  of  His  Church,  I  exert  myself 
especially  to  recruit  the  number  of  His  followers  which  has 
latterly  greatly  diminished. 

u  As  to  the  death  of  Monsieur  Boyer,  whom  you  describe 
as  'celebrated',  I  do  not  think  we  have  much  cause  for  regret 
when  we  consider  the  disorder  and  trouble  he  occasioned  in 
his  lifetime.  Every  sort  of  instrument  is  used  by  Providence 
either  for  edification  or  for  trial  ;  'The  Lord  gave  and  the  Lord 
hath  taken  away,  blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord'.  The 
Almighty  will  raise  up  for  His  Church  pastors  endowed  with 
grace  and  virtue,  whose  sole  aim  will  be  the  glory  of 
God  and  the  salvation  of  the  souls  whom  He  has  redeemed 
by  the  blood  of  His  only  Son. 

"  The  loss  of  Monsieur  professor  Polier,  Monsieur  Redonnel 
and  others,  appears  to  me  much  more  serious,  but  blessed  be 
God,  their  career  has  been  honourable  and  He  is  able  to  pro- 
vide successors  who  may  even  be  more  useful  to  the  Church 
than  they  were.  We  should  never  despair  of  Providence, 
whose  resources  for  the  good  of  the  Church  are  infinite. 

"  As  to  your  reference  to  Monsieur  Serces,  we  exchanged 
letters  of  reconciliation  some  time  since,  but  as  both  of  us 
are  now  old,  feeble  and  often  laid  up  with  sickness,  besides 
being  far  removed  from  one  another,  we  rarely  meet,  but 
content  ourselves  with  an  occasional  interchange  of  greet- 
ings.    There  is  no  longer  any  subject  of  difference  between 


Letter  from  Du  Plan  in  reply.  349 

us,  and  I  should  be  only  too  glad  to  have  an  opportunity  of 
rendering  him  a  service. 

UI  could  have  wished  that  your  father  had  been  able  to 
complete  his  History  of  the  Churches  of  F  ranee  since  the 
Revocation,  but  we  must  remain  satisfied  with  what  he  has 
done,  trusting  it  may  be  of  service  to  some  who  will  carry 
out  his  design  when  time  favors.  Though  the  History  of  the 
Ganvisards  has  been  several  times  written  by  authors  both 
Roman  Catholic  and  Protestant,  it  is  nevertheless  so  full  of 
interest  that  it  will  be  welcomed  in  France  under  a  new 
guise.  I  have  spoken  to  two  ministers  of  my  acquaintance 
on  your  behalf,  with  a  view  to  the  introduction  of  the  book 
into  England.  As  the  Refuge  is  now  very  much  diminished 
in  numbers,  as  nearly  everybody  speaks  English,  and  as 
the  country  is  inundated  with  books  in  that  language, 
French  works  meet  with  little  demand  and  are  only  purchased 
by  way  of  curiosity.  Monsieur  Vaillant  will  not  undertake 
on  his  own  account  to  subscribe  for  copies  of  the  History  of 
the  Camisards,  and  I  know  of  no  one  else  likely  to  take  the 
risk  :  we  are  thus  limited  to  the  agency  of  a  few  friends,  who 
may  take  some  copies,  paying  cash  for  a  part,  and  consigning 
the  remainder  to  the  booksellers',  who  would  sell  the  same 
on  your  account,  charging  a  small  profit  for  their  trouble." 

As  he  became  conscious  of  his  failing  strength 
and  his  approaching  end,  Benjamin  Du  Plan  grew 
anxious  about  the  future  of  his  family.  Being  on 
the  point,  as  he  thought,  of  leaving  a  widow  and  two 
young  children  totally  unprovided  for,  he  bethought 
him  of  all  his  resources  and  wrote  to  his  friend 
Le  Maréchal  of  Alais,  and  his  cousin  Fabre,  to  send 
him  anything  that  might  be  left  from  the  wreck  of 
his  father's  property. 

The  following — also  addressed  to  his  cousin 
Fabre — is  the  last  letter  that  we  have  been  able  to 


350  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  his  cousin  Fabre. 

find  amongst  the  papers  of  Du  Plan.  The  letter 
foreshadows  his  approaching  end  and  affords  further 
proof  of  the  unshaken  piety,  deep  faith  and  truly 
Christian  resignation  of  this  devoted  servant  of  God. 

u  My  dear  Cousin, 

"  Although  for  some  time  past  I  have  scarcely  had  a 
day's  freedom  from  suffering,  I  regard  it  as  a  mercy  that 
my  life  is  still  spared,  feeling  persuaded  that  all  things 
work  together  for  good  to  them  that  love  God.  If  we 
believe  His  word,  we  ought  not  to  doubt  that  He  has  loved 
us  with  an  infinite  love,  in  that  He  has  given  His  only  Son 
to  die  for  us;  and  if  we  are  persuaded  of  His  love  for  us  we 
ought  not  to  doubt  His  infinite  wisdom,  which  knows  what 
is  best  for  us  and  deals  with  us  in  the  manner  most  conducive 
to  His  own  glory  and  our  salvation. 

"  We  have  reason  to  believe  that  our  souls  are  immortal, 
that  our  bodies  will  be  raised,  and  that  there  will  be  a  final 
judgment,  when  God  will  deal  with  all  men  according  to 
their  works — the  impious  and  the  wicked  will  be  punished 
with  everlasting  torment  in  company  with  devils,  the  faithful 
who  have  endeavoured  to  please  God  will  be  happy  in 
heaven  to  all  eternity,  dwelling  in  His  presence  and  with 
the  holy  angels.  If  all  this  be  true  we  ought  to  regard  the 
sufferings  of  this  world  as  nothing  compared  with  the 
bliss  of  eternity,  while  we  ought  to  bear  our  afflictions 
with  patience  and  submission  to  the  will  of  God,  knowing 
that  they  work  out  for  us  a  far  more  exceeding  and  eternal 
weight  of  glory.  We  remember  too  that  God  has  not  only 
pre-ordained  that  we  shall  resemble  His  Son  in  His  eternal 
glory  and  felicity  in  heaven,  but  that  we  shall  also  resemble 
Him  in  the  sufferings  He  endured  on  this  earth,  which  in 
their  duration  are  but  as  a  moment  compared  with  eternity. 
We  ought  at  the  same  time  not  to  forget  that  God  has 
promised  the  gift  of  His  Holy  Spirit  to  sustain  and  comfort 
us  under  our  trials,  and  that  we  be  not  overcome  by  them. 
Jesus  Christ,  who  has  experienced  every  sorrow  and  knows 


Death  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan.  351 

all  our  burdens,  is  faithful  and  all  powerful  to  help  us  and 
even  to  give  us,  if  He  think  fit,  a  foretaste  of  the  happiness 
to  come. 

u  Herein,  my  dear  cousin,  is  my  chief  consolation  under 
the  infirmities  I  bear.  Through  the  infinite  mercy  of  God, 
the  boundless  merits  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  blessing  of  the 
Holy  Spirit,  1  trust  I  shall  be  enabled  to  persevere  in  the 
faith,  and  ere  long  to  commit  my  soul  in  peace  and  joy  into 
the  hands  of  my  Creator  and  adorable  Saviour.  I  feel  no 
certainty  that  my  life  will  be  prolonged  even  for  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,  and  at  best  it  cannot  be  of  long  duration  except 
by  a  miracle.  Whatever  may  happen,  God  be  praised! 
Only  may  I  have  grace  from  the  Lord  to  be  found  numbered 
with  the  wise  virgins  who  are  waiting  tor  the  bridegroom's 
coming  with  their  lamps  trimmed,  so  that  whether  I  live  or 
whether  I  die  soon  I  may  be  ready. 

Early  in  the  month  of  July,  1763,  Du  Plan 
passed  away,  and  by  his  death  the  Protestant 
Church  lost  one  of  the  most  devoted  of  its  off- 
spring. In  the  course  of  his  long  career,  which 
we  have,  so  to  speak,  been  following  da}1"  by  day, 
his  faith  never  wavered.  The  sacred  flame  that 
was  kindled  in  the  soul  of  the  young  soldier  burnt 
with  unquenchable  ardour  in  that  of  the  aged 
veteran.  Often  towards  the  close  of  his  life  his 
thoughts  reverted  to  his  earlier  years  and  he  would 
thrill  with  joy  on  comparing  the  present  with  the 
past.  It  was  not  without  emotion  that  he  called  to 
mind  those  days  of  enthusiasm,  when  renouncing 
his  military  career,  he  bade  a  final  adieu  to  the 
world  and  its  vanities  and  devoted  himself  wholly 
to  the  service  of  his  Divine  Master.  The  times 
were  then  grave.   The  chill  blast  of  persecution  had 


352  A  glance  retrospective. 

bowed  down  the  proudest  heads,  dispersed  the  pas- 
tors and  devastated  the  flocks.  Yet  encouraged  by 
the  example  of  some  aged  preacher  or  some  poor 
prophetess  who  still  bade  defiance  to  rigorous  edicts 
and  maintained  at  the  risk  of  their  lives  the  drooping 
cause  of  Protestantism,  we  have  seen  this  man  of 
noble  birth,  brought  up  in  ease  and  refinement, 
attending  the  assemblies  in  the  Desert,  encountering 
every  danger,  living  like  the  peasants  themselves, 
— his  companions,  rude  mountainers,  and  he  their 
friend  and  pastor.  He  bethought  him  of  that  happy 
day  when,  in  the  midst  of  his  absorbing  occupations, 
he  first  met  Antoine  Court  and  "  grappled  him  to  his 
heart."  Drawn  together  by  a  love  like  that  of  David 
and  Jonathan ,  they  struggled  to  rekindle  by  the 
fervour  of  their  zeal,  and  their  ardent  labours  and  self 
sacrifice,  the  expiring  fires  of  French  Protestantism; 
it  was  they  who,  regardless  of  the  edicts  assembled 
the  scattered  sheep,  while  by  word  and  deed  they 
sought  to  strengthen  the  constant,  rouse  the  lukewarm 
and  encourage  the  weak.  When  persecution  fell 
upon  him  also,  we  find  our  hero  flying  from  the 
Château  of  his  fathers  and  becoming  a  wanderer  on 
the  face  of  the  earth,  an  exile  and  a  stranger. 
Happy  time!  exile  opened  to  him  a  new  field  of 
activity  in  the  service  of  the  Church.  By  his  mis- 
sionary journeys  in  Switzerland,  England,  Germany, 
Sweden,  Denmark  and  Holland  and  his  pressing 
appeals  to  small  and  great,  he  was  enabled  to  raise 
funds  sufficient  not  alone  for  founding  a  College  at 
Lausanne  for  the  training  of  pastors  for  his  native 


A  glance  prospective.  353 

country,  but  for  the  purchase  of  religious  books  for 
his  persecuted  brethren.  He  was  also  instrumental 
in  eliciting  the  sympathies  of  the  Protestant  Powers 
on  behalf  of  the  most  unfortunate  amongst  the  suf- 
ferers. Thanks  to  his  exertions,  galley-slaves  were 
liberated  and  the  lot  of  other  prisoners  made  more 
tolerable.  Yet,  alas  !  with  what  sad  thoughts  were 
these  happy  reminiscences  often  mingled!  Where 
were  his  early  companions,  his  old  friends  ?  Arnaud, 
Hue,  Vesson,  Durand,  Roger  and  many  others  had 
perished  on  the  scaffold;  Antoine  Court  had  died  at 
Lausanne;  Bonbonnoux  and  Cortiez,  the  sole  sur- 
vivors, broken  down  with  fatigue  and  crushed  with 
the  infirmities  of  age,  had  abandoned  the  struggle 
and  retired  into  exile,  where  they  awaited  their  end. 
His  own  closing  years  were  darkened  by  calumny 
and  bitter  mortification. 

But  in  compensation  for  these  sorrows,  sufferings 
and  martyrdoms,  his  heart  glowed  in  the  anti- 
cipation of  the  dawn  of  better  days.  Providence  had 
accomplished  its  work.  As  hitherto  in  the  history 
of  the  Church,  the  blood  of  martyrs  had  proved  to 
be  the  seed  of  the  harvest.  The  mustard  seed  had 
become  a  great  tree;  the  winds  and  the  storms  had 
shaken  it  and  buffeted  its  branches,  but  its  roots 
had  only  struck  the  more  deeply  into  the  earth,  until 
now  beneath  its  grateful  shade  a  numerous  and 
god-fearing  generation  could  take  shelter.  Baville, 
Bernage,  Le  Nain,  Saint-Priest  and  the  other  per- 
secutors had  wielded  the  scourge  in  vain,  their 
violence  and  wrath  had  been  defied. 

23 


354  The  fathers  and  the  sons. 

Yet  a  little  while  and  a  new  whirlwind  would 
sweep  away  the  still  heavy,  but  already  drifting 
clouds.  The  Revolution  was  advancing  with  rapid 
strides,  bringing  in  its  train  that  most  precious  of 
all  liberties,  liberty  of  conscience.  Yet  a  little 
while  and  the  chains  of  captives  would  be  broken 
and  all  would  breathe  freely  and  proudly  under  the 
glorious  canopy  of  heaven.  Yet  a  little  while 
and  Protestantism  victorious  would  replace  the 
despairing  cry  of  evil  days,  "  Save  Lord  we  perish," 
with  the  watchword  of  victory,  "  Through  the  cross 
triumphant." 

It  was  not  permitted  to  Du  Plan  to  witness  the 
dawn  of  this  blissful  day.  Nevertheless  he  cherished 
in  his  noble  heart,  with  unshaken  faith,  the  hope  of 
a  happy  future.  Like  Moses  he  saw  from  afar 
the  promised  land,  though  Grod  had  not  allowed 
him  to  enter  it. 

While  contemplating  with  gratitude  our  hero's 
life  we  are  tempted  to  compare  the  present  with 
the  past,  the  indifference  of  to-day  with  the  zeal  of 
former  times,  and  to  apply  to  ourselves  the  reproof 
of  the  Prophet:  "Your  fathers,  where  are  they"? 

Be  that  as  it  may,  we  are  without  fear  for  the 
future  of  a  Church  that  Grod  has  so  loved;  and 
notwithstanding  the  evils  of  the  present  and  the 
uncertainties  of  the  future,  we  exclaim  with  Jesus 
Christ  "  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not  prevail  against  it." 


APPENDIX. 


GENEALOGY  OF  BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Ribot- 
faraily  who  occupied  the  manor  Du  Plan  de  la  Favède  in  the 
parish  of  Laval  in  the  diocese  of  Uzès,  was  represented  by 
two  near  relatives,  possibly  brothers,  named  respectively 
Anthoine  and  Jacques. 

Anthoixè  Ribot  died  prior  to  1577,  leaving  issue  a  son 
named  Jean,  who  was  Captain  and  Governor  of  the  Château 
de  Sommières  in  1577,  a  period  at  which  he  gave  toBringuier 
Ribot,  son  of  the  late  Jacques,  a  receipt  for  the  sum  of  fitty 
livres  for  all  his  paternal  inheritance  "to  which  he  may  now 
be  or  henceforth  become  entitled,  to  pertain  by  right  to  the 
said  Bringuier." 

Jacques  Ribot  was  the  founder  of  the  family  of  the 
Seigneurs  Du  Plan,  of  which  the  filiation  is  established  as 
follows: — 

I. — Jacques  Ribot  died  before  1577  and  was  the 
father  of 

II. — Noble  Bringuier,  or  Berenger  Ribot,  Seigneur  Du 


1.  This  genealogy  has  been  drawn  up  with  the  aid  of  the  family 
papers  and  copies  of  wills.  For  the  latter  (which  were  accidentally  dis- 
covered in  the  garret  of  the  Château  de  la  Favède  where  they  had 
remained  buried  for  more  than  a  century)  we  are  indebted  to  the 
present  proprietor,  Monsieur  Arbousset. 

2.  There  formerly  existed  in  the  Parish  of  Saint-Florent,  a  locality 
of  the  name  ot  Des  Ribots,  and  near  to  it,  among  the  out-buildings 
of  the  Château  des  Silhols,  was  a  spring  known  as  the  Fontaine  des 
Eibots. 

On  the  84th  of  November  14H3,  Pierre  Ribot  living  on  the  estate  Des 
Silhols  in  the  Parish  of  Saint-Florent,  in  a  communication  addressed  to 
Seigneur  De  Saint-Florent  mentioned  certain  possessions  as  formerly 
belonging  to  Jacques  Ribot,  also  of  the  aforesaid  Des  Silhols.  Bernard 
Ribot.  in  1548  sold  the  manor  of  Dos  Silhols  to  one  Claude  Pomier.  This 
incident  may  possibly  furnish  a  clue  to  the  origin  of  the  family  of 
De  Ribot. 


356  Genealogy  of  Benjamin  Du  Flan. 

Plan  de  la  Favede.  He  made  his  will  on  the  15th  of 
January,  1585.1  On  the  13th  of  February  1577  he  received 
of  Jean  Ribot,  Captain  and  Governor  of  the  Château  de 
Soramières,  and  son  of  the  late  Anthoine,  the  reversion 
of  his  (Jean's)  paternal  inheritance.2  He  died  previous 
to  the  year  1586,  and  was  the  father  of 

III. — Noble  Andre  Ribot,  Seigneur  Du  Plan,  who 
married  on  the  13th  of  November,  1586, 3  Mademoiselle  Marie 
De  Montméjean,  and  made  his  will  on  the  8th  of  August,  1621. * 
He  had  issue  from  this  marriage: — 

1.  Jean,  first-born  and  heir, 

2.  Garcine  or  Gavernie?        ]      Mentioned  in  the  will  of 

(perhaps  Gamier)?  (  their  father,  and  succes- 

3.  François;  I  si  vely  substituted  as  heirs 

4.  Marc- Antoine.  ]  to  their  elder  brother. 

IV. — Noble  Jean  Ribot,  Seigneur  Du  Plan,  married  on 
the  20th  of  January,  1649,5  Mademoiselle  Suzanne  DePlantier 
De  Graverol,  and  made  his  will  on  the  25th  of  November 
1657.6     He  had  issue  from  this  marriage  : — 

1.  Louis,  first-born  ; 

2.  Estienne,  De  Ribot,  Seigneur  Du  Plan  de  la  Favède, 
married  on  the  19th  of  February,  16807  Mademoiselle  Louisse 


1.  Before  Maître  Privât,  Solicitor,  of  Saint-German-de-Valfrancesque, 

2.  Maître  Guilliot,  Solicitor,  of  Sommières. 

3.  Contract  attested  by  Vareilles,  Solicitor,  of  Saint-Germain. 

4.  Before  the  same  Solicitor, 

5.  Contract  attested  by  Maître  Privât,  Solicitor,  of  Saint-Germain. 

6.  Before  Jacques  Favede,  Solicitor,  of  Brenoux. 

7.  By  compact  made  before  Maîtres  Jacques  Guiraudet,  and  Pierre 
Bastide,  Solicitors  of  Alais.  There  were  present  at  this  contract,  Jean 
De  Plautier,  Seigneur  De  Ruffières  ;  Pierre  De  Plantier,  Seigneur  de  la 
Baume  ;  Nobles  Guillaume  and  Daniel  De  Baudan,  Seigneurs  Des 
Montaud;  Maître  Louis  De  Saunier,  Chief  of  the  Accountant  General's 
Office  for  the  district  of  Alais;  Claude  and  Estienne  D'Audibert,. 
Seigneurs  des  Tamaris,  father  and  son  ;  Maître  Pierre  Paulet,  Solicitor 
of  Anduze;  Noble  Jacques  De  Vergèzes,  Seigneur  D'Aubussargues. 


Genealogy  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan.  357 

De  Baudau,  daughter  of  Noble  Charles  De  Baudan,  Seigneur 
De  Montaud,  and  of  Madeleine  De  Paillier,  of  the  town 
of  Alais  ; 

3.     Jacques,  described  as  follows  : — 

V.  Noble  JACQUES  Ribot,  Seigneur  de  Bouveret  and 
Du  Plan  de  la  Favède,  was  appointed  Lieutenant  in  the 
Polastre  company  of  the  Regiment  of  Piedmont,  in  which 
a  vacancy  had  occurred  through  the  retirement  of  De  Maison- 
ville  his  brother,1  by  letters  patent  granted  by  the  King  at 
Saint-Germain-en-Laye,  on  the  20th  of  December,  1679. 
He  married  Mademoiselle  Marie  De  Fabre,  of  the  town  of 
Alais.  He  was  upheld,  in  his  claim  to  nobility  by  the 
sovereign  judgment  of  Monsieur  De  Lamoiguon,  Intendant 
of  Languedoc,  pronounced  on  the  15th  of  August,  1698. 
According  to  his,  will  opened  and  displayed  in  presence  of 
the  crown  officers,  and  witnessed  by  Maître  Louis  Durand, 
Solicitor,  it  appears  that  Noble  François  Deleuze,  Seigneur 
De  Lencizole,  became  heir  to  a  part  of  his  property,  and 
was  living  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth  century  at 
the  Château  Du  Plan,  where  he  assumed  the  title  of  Seigneur 
De  Lencizole  and  Du  Plan.2  The  remainder  of  his  estate 
was  seized  in  1752  by  the  Crown,  as  being  property  belonging 
to  a  refugee,  and  his  only  son  was  thus  deprived  of  his 
inheritance. 

VI. — Benjamin  de  Ribot,  Seigneur  Du  Caila  and  Du 
Plan,  known  by  the  name  of  Du  Caila  during  his  father's 
life  time  and  afterwards  by  that  of  Du  Plan,  was  born  on  the 
13th  of  March  1688.     In  his  early  years  he  served  in  the 


1.  The  brother  who  bore  this  title  of  Seigneur  De  Maisonville,  and 
who  had  preceded  Jacques  Ribot  in  the  rank  of  Lieutenant  in  the 
Regiment  of  Piedmont,  was  no  doubt  Louis,  the  eldest  of  the  family. 

2.  In  1751,  Noble  François  Deleuze,  Seigneur  De  Lencizole  and 
Du  Plan,  living  at  his  Château  Du  l'lan.son  of  the  above,  on  inheriting 
and  succeeding  to  his  Cither's  estate,  assumed  to  himself  in  a  deed 
having  reference  to  properly  bequeathed  to  him  by  the  family  of 
De  Plantier,  the  title  of  Noble  Jacques  De  Ribotj  Seigneur  Du  Plan. 


358  Genealogy  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan. 

armies  of  Louis  XlV^butin  1710  he  abandoned  the  military 
career  in  order  to  devote  himselt  entirely  to  the  cause  of 
religion.  A  price  having  been  put  upon  his  head,  he  was 
compelled  in  1724  to  leave  France.  In  1725  he  was 
nominated  by  the  National  Synod  as  Deputy  of  the  Reformed 
Churches  of  France  to  the  Courts  of  the  Protestant  Powers.. 
In  this  capacity,  between  1725  and  1751,  he  more  than  once 
travelled  through  Germany,  Holland,  Switzerland,  England  r 
Denmark  and  Sweden,  and  obtained  means  sufficient  to 
found  a  College  for  the  training  of  ministers,  who  went 
secretly  to  preach  in  France,  as  well  as  to  administer  relief 
to  those  who  were  suffering  for  religion.  In  1731,  he  went 
for  the  first  time  to  England,  where  at  the  termination  of  his 
mission  he  definitively  established  himself.  Having  fixed  his 
residence  in  London,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  Madame 
Denman,  a  widow,  whom  he  shortly  after  married.  She  was 
a  daughter  of  Monsieur  Du  Passage  De  Voutron,  a  refugee 
family  from  La  Rochelle,  and  of  Mademoiselle  Nouai  his 
wife1.  He  died  in  1763,  and  his  widow  died  on  the  30th  of 
September  1790.    From  this  marriage  there  was  issue 

1.  Marie  Marguerite  Françoise,  born  on  the  14th  of 
May  1753,  married  in  1793,  Mr.  John  Lloyd. 

2.  André  Bousquet  Jacques  Benjamin  Pellet,  born  the- 
2nd  of  May  1756,  died  at  the  age  of  25  years,  unmarried. 


1.  Mademoiselle  Nouai  was  the  daughter  of  Monsieur  Nouai,  a 
chaplain  to  the  Bishop  of  Ely,  and  Mademoiselle  Du  Tang,  his  wife. 
This  lady  who  afterwards  made  a  second  marriage  with  a  French 
nobleman,  of  the  name  of  De  Pellet,  an  attaché  at  the  Court  of  the  Kings 
of  England  in  the  time  of  the  Georges,  was  the  daughter  of  Monsieur 
Du  Tang,  Pastor  of  the  Church  of  Rouen,  who  left  France  at  the  time  of 
the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes. 


ABSTRACT  OF  THE  FOREGOING  GENEALOGY. 


Anthoine  Ribot,  probably  a 
brother  of  Jacques  Ribot, 
who  died  prior  to  1577, 
was  the  father  of 
Jean  Ribot,  who  was  go- 
vernor of  the  Château  De 
Bommières,  in  iôtt,  in 
which  year  he  sold  the 
reversion  of  his  Inherit- 
ance to  Bringuier  Ribot, 
son  of  the  late  Jacques. 


I.  Jacques  Ribot,    probably    a    brother 
Of  Anthoine  Ribot,  who  died  prior  to 
1577,  was  the  Gather  of 
II.  Noble   Bringuier  Ribot,    Siigm-ur   Die 
Plan  de  l"   Favëde  ,    who   in    1577, 
paid  to  Jean  Ribot,  son  of  the,  late 
Anthoine,  fifty  livres  for  the  reversion 
ni'  his  (.lean's)  inheritance,  and  died 
prior  to  î.îsi;.  Hi'  was  the  father  of 
III.  Noble    André    Ribot,        M"«  Marie 
Seigneur  Du    Plan,  Du 

who  married  on  the       Montméjean 
13th  November,  1586 
and  left  issue 

1.  Jean, 

2.  Garcine, 

3.  François, 

4.  Marc-Antoine 

VI.  Noble  Jean  Ribot,  Mlls  Suzanne 
Seigneur  Du  Plan,  De  Plantier 
married  on  the  20th  De  Graverol. 
January,  1649 

and  left  issue 

1.  Louis. 

2.  Estienne  De  Ribot,  Seigneur 
Du  Plan  de  la  Favède, 
who  married  on  the  19th 
February  1680  M"e  Louisse 
De  Baudan. 

:;.  Jacques, 
V.  Noble    Jacques    Ribot       j^ne  Marie 
Seigneur  de  Rouveret       rje  Fabre. 
■  Lad    Du  Plan  de  la 
Favëde,  married  on — 
and  left  issue 


VI.  Benjamin     de     Ribot, 
Si  iffiu  ur    Da    (  uila 

•  nu!  Du  I'luit,  born  on 
tin-  13th  of  March 
1688,  married  on  the 

4th  Nov.  1751 


Mme  Denmau, 

née 
De   Voutron, 
daughter   of 

Monsieur  De 
Voutron  and 
M'"  Nouai. 


and  left  issue 

1.  Marie,  Marguerite,  Françoise. 

2.  André  Bousquet  Jacques  Benjamin 

Pellet,  died  In  17-u,  unmarried. 
Mr.  John  Lloyd  married  in  1798  M"-  Marie 
Marguerite  Françoise  Du  Plan. 


360  The  writings  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan. 


II. 


Monsieur  Du  Plan,  in  addition  to  his  copious 
and  edifying  correspondence,  and  his  petitions  to 
the  various  Powers,  wrote  several  controversial 
treatises,  and  sermons.  They  all  display  the  same 
enlightened  understanding  and  deep  piety  which 
characterise  the  other  productions  of  his  pen. 


FINIS. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

YOUTH  AND  CONVERSION  OF  BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN. 
1688—1710. 

His  birth.  First  religious  impressions  of  Du  Plan.  He 
is  instructed  by  the  Old  Cauiisards.  He  attends  the 
reunions  of  the  Inspired.  His  vocation  becomes 
apparent.    An  Inspired  predicts  his  future 1 

CHAPTER  II. 

CONDITION  OF   FRENCH   PROTESTANTISM. 
1710—1715. 

Penalties  against  the  apostates.  Protestant  marriages 
considered  illegitimate.  The  Tower  of  Constance. 
The  penalty  of  the  galleys.  Resignation  of  the 
Protestants.  Worship  in  the  Home.  Worship  in 
the  Desert.  An  Assembly  in  the  Desert.  Zeal 
and  devotion  of  Du  Plan        7 

CHAPTER  III. 

FIRST   JOURNEYS   OF  ANTOINE   COURT. 

1696—1715. 

The  family  of  Antoine  Court.  His  call  to  the  Holy 
Ministry.  He  parts  from  his  Mother.  His  first 
rounds  in  the  Vivarais.  The  Synod  of  1715. 
Court's  companions  in  work 18 


362  Contents. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

FIRST  INTERVIEW  OF  BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN  WITH 
ANTOINE  COURT. 

1715. 
First  interview  of  Du  Plan  with  Antoine  Court.    Du 
Plan  approves  of  Court's  projects.  His  justification 
of  inspiration.     Antoine  Court  and  Du  Plan  make 
a  friendly  league     ...    ...        24 

CHAPTER  V. 

THE  END  OF  ONE  REIGN  AND  THE  COMMENCEMENT 

OF   ANOTHER. 

1715—1716. 

Death  of  Louis  XIV.  Influence  of  Henrietta  on  the 
Regent.  Declaration  of  1716.  Persecution  in 
Languedoc.  Arrest  of  Etienne  Arnaud.  His 
execution.  Du  Plan's  letter  to  the  mother  of 
Arnaud.    He  consoles  her  in  her  affliction 28 

CHAPTER  VI. 

CARDINAL   ALBERONI   AND   SCIPION  SOULAN. 
1719. 

Scipion  Soulan.  Action  of  the  Regent.  Du  Plan's 
mission  to  Nismes.  He  there  vindicates  the 
Assemblies.  Result  of  his  Mission.  Du  Plan's 
letter  to  the  Synod.  He  recommends  moderation. 
The  persecution  is  slackened         3ft 

CHAPTER  VII. 

THE   PESTILENCE   OF   ALAIS. 

1720—1721. 

The  pestilence  of  Alais.  Religious  zeal  is  reawakened. 

Activity  and  devotion  of  Du  Plan        44 


Contents.  363 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

BENJAMIN   DU   PLAN    AND    THE   VESSONNIENS. 
1721—1724. 

Departure  of  Court  for  Geneva.  The  result  of  this 
journey.  Court's  letter  to  Du  Plan.  Cortiez 
accuses  Du  Plan  of  countenancing  the  Inspired. 
History  of  Vesson,  The  schism  of  Vcsson  and 
Hue.    History  of  Hue.     Irritation  of  Court  against 

.    the  Female  Fanatics       48 

CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    MULTIPLIANTS. 
1723. 

The  widow  Verchand  of  Montpellier.  She  endeavours 
to  win  over  Du  Plan.  The  Sect  of  the  Multipliants. 
Their  condemnation.  The  execution  of  Vesson 
and  Hue.  Du  Plan's  letter  to  Court  on  the  subject. 
Du  Plan  defends  his  conduct.  He  repudiates  all 
connection  with  the  Schismatics.  He  extols  union 
and  harmony.  He  demands  the  convocation  of  a 
Synod.  Reply  of  Antoine  Court.  He  accuses  Du 
Plan  of  breaking  the  rules.  He  answers  Du  Plan's 
appeal  to  the  Scriptures.  The  attributes  of  a  true 
prophet.  The  Inspired  do  not  possess  these 
attributes.  Du  Plan  justifies  his  prudent  conduct. 
He  replies  to  the  sarcasm  of  Court.  He  urges  the 
Convocation  of  a  Synod.  He  furnishes  proofs  of 
his  vocation.  He  disowns  all  relationship  with 
the  Multipliants.  He  asserts  his  belief  in  inspiration. 
Decree  of  the  Synod  against  the  Inspired.  Du  Plan 
is  followed  by  the  police.  His  flight  from  France. 
The  extent  of  his  sacrifices.  His  letter  of  farewell 
to  Antoine  Court.  He  gives  some  practical 
advice       57 


364  Contents. 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE   DECLARATION   OP   1724. 

1723—1725. 

Statement^  the  Bishop  of  Alais.  The  Edict  of  1724. 
£,  The  Protestants  are  terror-stricken.  Rigorous 
^  measures  against  the  preachers.  Letter  of  Du  Plan 
to  the  King  of  England,  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the 
King  of  Prussia.  Letter  of  Saurin  to  Du  Plan. 
The  anxiety  ol  Du  Plan.  Providential  deliverance 
of  Antoine  Court.  Letter  of  congratulation  from 
Du  Plan 85 

CHAPTER  XL 

BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN  IS  NOMINATED  AS  DEPUTY 

GENERAL  OF  THE  SYNODS  TO  THE 

PROTESTANT  POWERS. 

The   1st  of  May,   1725. 

The  Synod  of  1725.  Letter  of  Antoine  Court  to  Du 
Plan.  He  informs  him  of  his  nomination  as 
Deputy.  Official  attestation  of  the  Synod.  Dis- 
interested conduct  of  Du  Plan.  His  letter  to  the 
Synod      99 

CHAPTER  XII. 

ONE  YEAR'S  RESIDENCE  OF  DU  PLAN  AT  GENEVA. 

1724—1725. 

<*eneva  the  resort  of  Refugees.  Personal  preferences 
of  Du  Plan  for  Geneva.  His  favourable  reception 
at  Geneva.  Letter  of  Antoine  Court  to  Du  Plan. 
The  state  of  the  Church  in  France.  Activity  of 
Du  Plan  prior  to  his  nomination.  Letter  of  Du 
Plan  to  Antoine  Court,  imparting  earnest  advice. 
Du  Plan  criticises  Court's  style  of  writing.  Du 
Plan  deplores  the  scarcity  of  Pastors.    The  dis- 


Contents.  365 

advantages  of  appealing  to  foreign  Pastors.  Du 
Plan  sends  religious  books  into  France.  Dangers 
encountered  by  the  Colporteurs.  Du  Plan  interests 
himself  in  their  mission.  His  noble-minded 
sentiments.  His  solicitude  on  behalf  of  the 
Churches.  His  solicitude  for  the  galley-slaves. 
The  motives  for  his  chanty.  Court  describes  the 
progress  of  his  work.  The  Confederation  of  the 
Churches.     Financial  situation  of  Du  Plan 106 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

FIRST  JOURNEY  OF  DU   PLAN   IN  SWITZERLAND. 

October  and  November,  1725. 

Du  Plan's  want  of  money.  He  urges  Court  to  procure 
it  for  him.  Poverty  of  the  Churches.  Success  of 
Du  Plan  in  Switzerland.  Establishment  of  the 
College  at  Lausanne.  Bétrine,  the  first  student  at 
the  College.  Du  Plan's  letter  respecting  the 
collections  in  France.    Particulars  of  his  journey  .      127 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

THE   SYNOD   OF  1726  AND   BENJAMIN   DU   PLAN. 

Denunciations  against  Du  Plan.  His  relations  with 
the  Inspired  of  Geneva.  Court  urges  him  to 
abstain  from  their  company.  Du  Plan  asserts  his 
independence.  He  has  always  withstood  the  false 
Inspired.  He  demands  toleration  for  his  sentiments. 
Second  letter  to  Court  on  the  same  subject. 
Solemnity  of  the  times.  Du  Plan  eulogises  charity. 
His  appreciation  of  Court's  observations.  Accusa- 
tions against  Du  Plan.  The  suffering  he  endured 
in  his  mind.  He  writes  to  Court  to  justify  himself. 
Du  Plan  as  contrasted  with  his  accusers.  He 
consents    to  write    an    apology   to    the    Synod. 


366  Contents. 

Practical  advice.  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod. 
Cortiez  accuses  Du  Plan  in  the  Synod  of  1726. 
Defence  of  Du  Plan  by  Antoine  Court.  Du  Plan 
gives  pledges  of  obedience  to  the  Synod.  Letter 
of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod.  His  disinterestedness. 
He  exposes  De  Fleury's  schemes  of  persecution. 
He  exhorts  his  brethren  to  prayer  and  repentance.      131 

CHAPTER  XV. 

THE    SYNOD   OF   1727   CONFIRMS   DU   PLAN 

IN  HIS  OFFICE. 

1727. 

fresh  attacks  on  Du  Plan.  Pastoral  letter  of  Roger  in 
favour  of  Du  Plan.  The  Synod  maintains  Du  Plan 
in  his  office.  Instructions  from  the  Synod  to  the 
Deputy.  Letter  of  Du  Plan  to  the  Synod  ot  1727. 
Attestation  of  the  Synod  of  1727.  Success  of 
Du  Plan  in  Switzerland.  His  influence  in  the 
College  of  Lausanne.  Formation  of  the  Committee 
at  Geneva.  Ordination  of  two  Students  in  a 
foreign  country.  A  dispute  on  the  subject.  Conduct 
of  Du  Plan.  His  advice  on  the  question.  He 
appeases  the  conflict      169 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

CARDINAL   DE   FLEURY'S  PERSECUTIONS. 

COURT    QUITS    FRANCE 

AGAINST   THE  WISHES  OF  DU  PLAN. 

1726—1729. 

•Cardinal  de  Fleury  in  power.  De  Fleury's  schemes 
for  persecution.  Execution  of  Alexandre  Roussel. 
Du  Plan's  letter  to  Court  on  the  subject.  Measures 
proposed  for  banishing  the  preachers.  Court's 
thoughts  are  occupied  about  his  wife.    Du  Plan 


Contents.  367 

prepares  hiin  for  an  impending  separation.  A 
sacrifice  that  the  Gospel  enjoins.  Departure  of 
Rachel.  Court  joins  her  at  Lausanne.  The 
Churches  murmur  at  his  absence.  Severe  letter 
from  Du  Plan  to  Court.  The  Synods  withhold 
Court's  salary.  Court  complaius  of  the  action  of 
the  Synods.  Another  letter  from  Du  Plan.  Court 
refuses  to  leave  Switzerland 189 

CHAPTER  XVH. 

THE   TRAVELS   OP   BENJAMIN   DU   PLAN. 
1731—1745. 

Forced  inactivity  of  Du  Plan.  Attestation  of  the 
Synod  of  1730.  Letter  of  advice  from  the  Synod 
to  Du  Plan.  Certificate  ot  the  Venerable  Company 
of  Pastors.  Du  Plan's  last  journey  to  Switzerland. 
He  encounters  M.  de  Wateville.  Impressions 
gathered  on  his  journey.  His  first  residence  in 
London.  His  discouraging  reception  there.  His 
perseverance  is  crowned  with  success.  His  gene- 
rosity towards  the  refugees.  The  death  ot  his 
father.  He  leaves  London.  Journey  in  Holland. 
His  success  there.  Journey  in  Germany.  Du  Plan's 
aunt  and  sister  arrive  at  Geneva.  He  addresses 
them  a  letter  of  welcome.  He  petitions  the  Court 
on  behalf  on  the  galley  slaves.  Journey  in  Denmark. 
Du  Plan  sympathizes  with  Court  in  his  affliction. 
Journey  in  Siveden.  Du  Plan  revisits  Copenhagen 
and  Hamburg.     He  returns  to  London 208 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

ACTIVITY   OF   DU   PLAN   IN   LONDON. 

1738—1744. 

Du  Plan  apprises  his  aunt  and  sister  of  his  return  to 
London.     He  discovers  that  his  work  in  Loudon 


368  Contents. 

is  ruined.  He  publishes  an  appeal  on  behalf  of 
the  Protestants.  He  describes  the  Tower  of 
Constance.  He  portrays  the  severity  of  the  perse- 
cution. He  interests  himself  on  behalf  of  the 
Confessors.  Letter  from  two  prisoners  in  the 
Tower  of  Constance.  Letter  from  two  galley-slaves 
at  Marseilles.  Death  of  the  King  of  Prussia. 
Du  Plan  hesitates  whether  to  go  to  Berlin  or 
Geneva.  The  generosity  of  Du  Plan.  Death  of 
his  aunt  Lèches.  Letter  of  Pastor  Vial  de  Beau- 
mont. Pastor  Serces.  Du  Plan  and  Lord 
Wilmington.  Death  of  the  sister  ot  Du  Plan. 
Last  advice  of  Pastor  Vial  de  Beaumont     232' 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

IN   THE   MATTER   OF  DU  PLAN. 

Formation  of  the  Committee  in  London.  The  accu- 
sations of  Serces  against  Du  Plan.  A  Synod 
appoints  Court  as  Deputy  of  the  Churches.  Letter 
of  Court  to  Du  Plan.  Rupture  between  the  two 
friends.  The  calumnies  of  Serces.  A  new  Synod 
maintains  Du  Plan  in  his  office.  Certificate  from 
Ministers  in  London.  A  second  certificate  from 
Ministers  in  London.  Du  Plan  claims  compensation. 
He   appeals   for  arbitration.      Judgment   of  the 

•     Arbitrators.  Du  Plan  and  Court  become  reconciled 

to  each  other    252 

CHAPTER  XX. 

DU  PLAN  AND  THE  GREAT  PERSECUTION. 

1745—1752. 

Persecutions  under  the  Intendancy  of  Le  Nain  in  1745. 
He  is  succeeded  in  1750  by  Saint-Priest,  who 
enforces  the  re-baptism  of  Protestant  children. 


('out' tits.  369 

The  attempted  assassination  of  curés.  The  Minister 
Coste  and  Du  Plan.  Paul  Rabaut  and  the  Marquis 
De  Paulmy.  Respite  of  the  Persecution.  Letter 
of  Cortiez  on  the  persecutions  of  1750.  Letter  of 
Le  Maréchal  to  Du  Plan.  Letter  of  Redonnel  on 
the  persecutions  of  1751.  Letter  of  Redonnel  on 
the  persecutions  of  1752.  Letters  of  Poiuaret  on 
the  persecutions  of  1752.  Abatement  of  the  perse- 
cution in  1753.  Letter  of  Franc  on  the  condition 
of  the  Church  in  1753.  Letter  of  Rabaut  on  the 
condition  of  the  Church  in  1753.  Persecution 
recommences  in  1754.  Proposed  imprisonment  of 
the  wives  of  preachers.  Letter  of  Franc  to  Benjamin 
Du  Plan  (1754).  Letter  of  Pomaret  to  Benjamin 
Du  Plan  (1754).  Toleration  of  the  Intendant  Mire- 
poix.  Marshall  De  Thomond  succeeds  Mirepoix 
in  1757      270 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  CLOSING  YEARS  OF  BENJAMIN  DU  PLAN. 
1751—1763. 

Du  Plan's  integrity  of  character  is  questioned.  His 
health  in  consequence  suffers.  His  marriage.  His 
generosity  towards  his  fellow  refugees,  especially 
towards  Cortiéz.  Du  Plan  addresses  a  petition  to 
Louis  XV.  Du  Plan's  interest  in  the  Confessors. 
He  writes  an  appeal  on  their  behalf.  He  addresses 
a  distinguished  personage  in  Denmark.  Letter 
from  Antoine  Court's  son  to  Du  Plan.  Scheme  tor 
a  Protestant  Bank.  Letter  of  Court,  Junior,  on  the 
death  of  his  father.  Letter  from  Du  Plan  in  reply. 
Letter  from  Du  Plan  to  his  cousin  Fabre.  Death 
of  Benjamin  Du  Plan.  A  glance  retrospective. 
A  glance  prospective.    The  fathers  and  the  sons  .      320 


370  Appendix. 


APPENDIX. 


Genealogy  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan 355 

Abstract  of  the  Genealogy 359 

Works  of  Benjamin  Du  Plan      360 


ERRATA. 


On  page  71,  the  tenth  line, 

for  character  read  characteristic. 

On  page  89,  the  foot  note, 

for  Edward  Hughes,  read  Edmond  Hugues. 

On  page  220,  the  tenth  line  from  the  bottom  of  the  page, 
for  Bibot,  read  De  Ribot. 

On  page  232,  the  fifth  line  from  the  bottom  of  the  page, 
for  eight,  read  one. 


BY    THE    SAME    AUTHOR 


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DATE  DUE 

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