I I is not without cause , that those Monarchies are held happy , whose affections Heauen hath vnited : because in the renewing of Kings , God rewardeth his people according to the merit of their liues : for if I forget not , I haue read of Dionysius the tirant , Heliogabalus , and Nero , who imployed their power and authority cruelly , and to the hurt of their people , which is an euident signe , that God had forsaken them , by giuing them such cruell Princes . Our France is free from those miseries , and without blushing may terme it selfe extraordinary happy , by hauing for a long time Kings sacred and chosen by that great God , who calls them his eldest and most Christian sonnes : a matter which may stire vs vp to giue him thankes , and to intreat him to continue this fauour , that wee may nourish our glory vnder the wings of his almighty power . Doe we not owe him this acknowledgment , for taking such speciall care of our peace ? Let vs consider the greatnesse of the present benifit hee hath bestowed vpon vs , hauing giuen vs a Queene , who is the pearle of the world , the ornament of Heauen , the epitome of all vertues : For this , we ought to redouble our praiers , and seeke hereafter better to please him , I meane by changing our old conditions , and framing them a new in the model of his holy commandements : the which we may easily doe , our mindes being freed from the rage of ambition which possest vs when Spaine was an enemy to our France : and now I doe assure my selfe our good Genius wil be auspicious , so long as hir Maiesty shall remaine among vs . What is there more to be admired then our present gouernment ? who would euer haue thought that vpon the euen of warre , losing our great Henry , we should haue enioyed such tranquillity ? verily it is the worke of Heauen , and we must of necessity so beleeue it , vnlesse we thinke it to bee our great Henries fame , which peraduenture hath left an immortall terror behind him to awe other Kings , who being still amazed at the report of his vallour , haue not dared to make any attempt vpon his lawfull heire , vnto whom they feare he hath bequeathed his courage as well as greatnesse : The which we shall vndoubtedly finde to be true by those liuely signes which may be discerned in him . O hapyy day when her Maiesty was chosen Regent . Blessed of God are you my Lords who gaue your consents ; you may truly say that the holy Ghost spake in you at that time when you committed the States gouernment to her ; Thereby you declare that you worthily deserue your places , & that questionlesse you had a care of the publik peace . O let your sacred Maiesties , who with a liberall hand giues vs meanes to serue your greatnesse , drawing your poore France forth of the dangerous precipice of warre , making it triumphant on the worlds Theater ; You I say who with your onely lookes braue the greatest powers of Europe , preserue and make much of your liues , that you may eternize our peace , which can last no longer then you raigne in the world , where al true Frenchmen your humble seruants will beseech the diuine Maiesty that it may be so . For what greater fauours could wee hope for then those we now enioy ? by what other way then this could her Maiesty haue procured our good ? There is none so simple but knowes that Spaine is more then able to embroile our peace , and by consequent her alliance most profitable for France . Her Maiesty and my Lords of the Councell , whose vnderstanding pearceth Heauen , haue maturely disposed of this proposition , and can make no appeale from this resolution , beeing the onely meanes to try our forces against the Turke and to reconquer that which our vnbrideled ambition lost do we not suppose but that this consideration did reunite the wandering affections of our Kings , who wearied with ciuill dissention haue resolued vpon this deseigne for when did you euer reade that ciuill warre reigned so long among the Turkes , as it hath done in Christendome . Our Kings are children of a spirituall father ; beleeue in him , liue vnder his law : what reason then haue weee to seeke and desire the ruyne , of our bretheren . Let vs imploy our courage in making warre vpon that tyrant , a sworne enemy to our religion , and not make our neighbours bowells scabbards for our swords ; this will more renowne vs , and our death will bee more glorious before God : the way is traced before vs , and an occasion offered by the contracted marriages of our king with the Infanta of Spaine , and is doubly confirmed by that of the Princesse of France , with the Prince of Spaine : all excuses are vaine . O Lord thou art mighty , thy goodnesse is incomprehensible and men can not sound the depth of thy iudgements : wher is that dead Chaos which we thought to haue beheld ? wher are those preparations which our Mars had leuied in France to glut our ambition ? O thou great God hast thou caused a second MARY to be borne in the East ? Hast thou ordained her from her birth to preuent our miseries ? I verily thinke it , seeing that by her alone thou hast freed vs from our long troubles : Finish O good God , finish this worke , least some wandring fire fall into the trenches of our peace , and blow vp the myne of our hope , which if it should happen wee were then at the pitts brinke of our former miseries : yet I doe not imagin that her Maiesty and our Princes would be so merry and ioyfull as to proclaime triumphes , if they were not assured of our peace , and that thou hadest possest them with a desire to effect it . This O Lord we heartily beseech thee to graunt , and we yeeld vnto thee the same thankes which thy deere seruant Dauid did after that hee had vanquished his enemies , and was peaceably seated in his Kingdome .

VNDERSTANding by the Oracles that the French Hercules after his trauailes had builded the Pallace of Felicity , and that the Destinies had reserued the first entrance into it for vs , and the proofe of those which deserue the second , to our Lances , we are come thither vpon the report of the Marriages of the greatest Kings of Europe , to procure witnesses of our victory , and to shew our selues Knights worthy of imitation . For without loosing the title of Inuincible , which our deeds haue purchased , we will keepe and defend that Pallace against all men , and maintaine

That the beauty which wee reuerence is without compare , and her actions blamelesse .

That they are so good as they can not be bettered .

2. The assailants shall ent● with visards , liueries , shields , names , armes of their houses , and impreses .

3. They shall enter the lists at one of the clocke after dinner , if they meane to runne , and shall cause a certaine number of torches to be brought thither .

4. They cannot enter the lists without the leaue of the Iudges of the field .

5. They shal runne according to he order as they entred , and each of them onely with two ●ances .

6. He That breakes his lance from the chinne of the Quintin to the eyes , wins one course , from thence vpward , two ; in the small shield , three ; in any other part nothing .

7. The lance shall not bee accounted broken vnles the staffe fall in two peeces .

8. Who loseth his lance , sword plume , bridle , spur , or stirrop , loseth the course , and if he breakes not , wins nothing .

9. Who loseth his sadle , or hits the great shield is to be thrust forth of the lists .

10. He that falls from his horse incurs the like penalty .

11. The value of the reward is at the choyse of the assaillants .

12. At their returne from the lists , al of them shal keepe the same order as they did at their entrance . The rest is refered to the Iudges .