The New Hampshire Gazette Newspaper, July 30, 1762, Page 1

RI‘ Y JUL' a4 " “‘*1 - s 304 Weeks {ince firft Publild. The New-Hampfhire GAZE T T E, ‘ ontaini Frefheft Adviges, Foreign and Domeftick. | S R R B R s st L O N D O N, May 1. Ta the Editor of the Londen Chronicle. §(1:R, : F miracles have ceafed the true fpirit of Martyrdom has not. However that fublime chara@ter may have been proftitut- ed by its application to fanaticks, whom impetuous paffions, a difordered im:gina tion, or the virulent {pirit of fuperflition or fallion, may have rendered infenfible of danger or fuifering, yet, to the honcur of true religion, be it faid, there are ftili per- fons. capable of afcending that glorious, though™ forbidding fummit of chriftian virtue. The condpé} of M Rochette, and the three Noblemen, who were executed with Lim at Thouloufe, on account of their attachment to the Proteftant religion, isa firiking proof of the truth of this aflertion. s therefore it is but a piece of juftice due gjvigmdf to. celebrate its triumphs, I be ity thal you will infert the following let “igio =¥ Chronicle, which will undo piedle, affe®, and edify 2 great nu your resders. 1 am, Sir, & A Letter from a Perfon avho awas'am Eye awitnefs of the MARTYRDOM of the Riw. M. Rochetts, and the.three Nobiemen that avere executed with bim at ‘Couloujs, the 19th of Feb. 1762, dated the Day after the Execution. ? Dear Sir, HE only refource we have now leftis to let our tears flow,and to render our {forrow fupportable by giving itafreecourfe. The day belore yefterday the prifuners were (ried by the T'wo Chambers of the Parliament of Thouloule, and yefterday they were cxecuted. I'he three Noblemen were beheaded. All the four Martyrs be- haved with invincible conftancy and firm- nefs of mind, attended with a certain chear- fulnefs and ferenity, that was adapted to excite the higheft admiration. They finifh- ed cheir days Tike true faints and chrittian heroes. Asfoon as they heard their fen- tencé read,they beheld each other fledfaftly, and faid, : “Let us then die, fince things ¢‘are fo ! and let us pray to God to accept ¢ the {acrifice that we are now to make of “our lives to him and to the trath.” Upon which Mr.Rochette prayed aloud in a moft moving and pathetic manner. ©. Th.y then embraced " two of their companions, who were condemned to the Galleys, congratu - lated tenderiy another of them who had been fet at liberty, and in all their condu&t they {eemed to be full of the {pirit of God. Monficur Billot, one of the Secretaries, who was prefgnt at this fiift fcene of their trials, never fpesks of it without thedding tears. T'he martyrs were next committed to the care of . the foar principal Curates, whom the Attorney general fentto attempt their converfion. But the exhartations of thefe Ecclefiafticks produced as litd: effet as thofe of the Abbe Courtezac, who had bieen in the prifon every day during three months, and had ‘been fufficiently empower- ¢d by the magiftiates to" offer them their lives ‘and their liberty, on condition of their embracing the Romith religion, an offer which'they rejected without the leaft hefit tion. i Mr. Rochctte begged of thefe Ecc'efid- ficks, that they would put an end to their ufele(s importunities, and not continue to trouble him and his three friends in their lJat moments, but fuffer them to diein peace ; exprefling at ihe fame time, his grateful fenfe of their weil meant zoal. One of the Curates threatned him and his companions with damaation, upon which the worthy Minifter replicd, with his ufnal ferenity, “that'they were going to appear ¢ before a more equitable judge than he ¢ was, even before that'merciful judge,who ¢ had fhed his blood for their falvation.’ At the fame time he gxhorted his fellow- martyrs to fortitude and perfeverance ; and when the Cugates iiterrupted him with accufations of herely. and with pompous difcourfes about the pdwer of granting the rem flion of fins, which was lodged in the chuarch, he told them that the Proteftant religion acknowledged no fuch power; nor looked for the pardon of fin frem any other foarce, than the mercy of God in Jefus Chritt. Being delivered, about 12 0’Clock. from the importunity of thefe Priefts, the pious Martyrs employed thofe precious moments in prayer and praifes to the God who en- led them to behold death without terror difmay, and encouraged each other to perfevere unto the end. 'So calm and un- difturbed was the ftaie of their minds, that they did not fhed a fingle tear. But this was not the cafe with the perfons who were the {fpe&tators of this moving fcene. While thefe good men thanked the centinels and keepers of the prifon for the kind treat- ment they had received from them; and afked their pardon if they ‘had given them ar'y cffence, the latter barft into tears, and fhed the anguifh of humanity upon the Martyrdom of'their ‘prifoners. TheMinifter perceiving one of the {oldiers weeping more bittetly than the reft, addrefled himfelf to him thus ; ‘My good frizad, are you not ¢ willing and ready to i for your King ? ¢ Why then do yon pity me who am going ‘ to death for the caufe of God ? The Priefls returned to their importuni- ties about one o’Clock in the afternoon,and were entreated (o retice ; but to no pur- pofe. One of them faid, ¢ Itis from a concern about your {alvation that we come . here ;> upon which the youngeft of the three brothers replied ¢ « If you were at ¢ Geneva, at the pointof death in confe- “quence of a mortal difeafe ( for there no “ body is put to death on account of re- ¢ ligion ) would you chufe tobe teazed and ¢ impertaned in your l2ft moments by four ¢ or five Proteftant Minifters, under pre- ¢ tence of zeal ? Do therefore as you ‘ would be done by.” This mild remon- ftrance was infufficient to put an end to the vain & cruel attempts of thefe blind zealots, who, furnithsd each other with a crucifix, which they prefented very ofter. to the prifoners, continued ta perplex them in the moft indifcreet manner. ¢ Speek of Him ¢('faid 'one of the Noblemen who was to ¢ {offer } who died for our fins and 'was ¢ raifed 'for our juftification, and then we ¢ will liften to you, but do not trouble us ¢ with your vain fuperftitions.”* About two o’clock the Martyrs were led out of prifon, placed in a waggon, with the four Curates and thus condutted to the gate of the Cathedral. Here the Minifter was ,defired to tep ‘out of the waggon, and to afk pardon, on his knees, of God, the King, and the Law, in that he had wickedly per- fevered in performing the funétions of his Miniftry in oppofition to the Royal Edits, This he twice refufed to do.. He was toid that this was no more than a formality ; to which he aoflwered ¢ That he neither ¢ would acknowledge nor fubmit to any ¢ formality that was contrary to the ditates ¢ of ‘his confcience.’ At length however, being obliged, by force and violent treat- ment t. leave the waggon, he fell upon his knees and exprefl.d himfelf thus: ‘L * humbly afk of Almighty Ged the pardoa ‘of all my fins, in the full perfusfion of * obtaiing the remiflion of them, through ¢ the b'ood of Chrift. With refpet to the ‘. King, I have no pardon to afk of him, * baving never offended him. 1 always * bonoured him a: the Lord’s anoiated ; I “ always loved him as the father of my ‘ country ; I have always been to him a ¢ good and faithful fubje@, and of this my ¢ Judges themfeives have appeared to be ¢ tully conviaced ; I always recommended ¢ to my flack patience, obedience and {ub- ‘ milion, and my fermons have always ‘ been confined to the two great objsils ¢ contained in thefe words of Holy Writ, ¢ fear God, and honour the King. 1t I have ¢ alted in oppofition to the laws, that pro- ¢ hibited our religious affembiies,I did this ¢ in obedience to the laws of him,who is the ¢ King of Kings. With refpe& to publick ¢ juftice I have nothing to fay but this,that * I have never off:nded it, and I mo#t ear-- ¢ neftly pray that God will vouchfafe (o ¢ parcon my Judges.’ This was the only confeflion that the officers of juftice, after much importunity and coateflation, couid obtain fromMonficurRochette ;and thongh it did not anfwer their purpofe, yet they were obliged to be fatisfied with it, percei~ ving the invincible refolution with which this ncble Martyr protefted againft going any farther. No {uch ackmorvledgmen: was required of the three Noblemen, who fuf- fered with him, as by the laws of France it is never demanded of fuch as are beneaded, They were, however, condufled with Mot fieur Rochette ta the place of Execu: tion. The ordinary place appointed for the execution of criminals was not chofen upon this occafion ; but one much lefs fpacious, that this glorious inftance of mar- tyrdom migh: have the fewer f{pe&ators: Ali the freets which led to it were lined with {oldiers, and that on account of a pre- tended apprehenfion of a refcue.. But this they could only fear from the Roman Ca-. thoiicks ( on whom indeed the {nedding thus deliberately the blood ‘of the innoc nt feemed te make a lively impreffion) for the fmall number of Proteftant 1amilies that live in this cuty, filled with confternation at - this uarighteous fentence, had fhut them- felves up in their houfes, where they were who!ly employed ‘in fending up their prayers and lamentations to heaven, while this terrible fcene was tranfa&ing. In the fireets, which led to the place of execution, - the windows werehiréd at very high prices ; wherever the Martyrs pafled they were accompanied with the tearsand lamentations of the fpe&tasors, One would have thought by the expreflions of forrow that appeared every where, that Thouloufe was, all of & . fudden become a2 Proteftant city. The- Curate of Faur could not bear this affe&ting fpe&tacle. Yielding to the power of {ym- pathy ( and perhaps of confcience) ae faint- ed away, and one of his Vicars was {cnt for to fupply his place. The circamftance that was moft affecting, and that made every eye melt into tears,was the inexpreflible {erenity that appeared in the countenance of the young clergyman as he went ‘on to death. - His graceful mein, the refighation and - fortitude that reigned in his expreflions, his blooming youth, every thing, in fhort, ip his condul®, charaller, amnd' appearance, interefted P