Seen by the Court, the Chambers being assembled together, the Process extraordinarily made by the Presidents and Councellors, appointed by the King under his Letters Patents, dated the 18 and 19 of June, at the request of the Kings Sollicitor General, against the Lord Charles of Gontault of Biron, Knight of both Orders, Duke of Biron, Peer and Marshal of France, Governour of Burgundy, Prisoner in the Castle of Bastille, accused of high Treason, Informations, Interrogations, Confessions and denials, Confrontations, and Witnesses, Letters, Advices, and Instructions given to the Enemies, and acknowledged by him, and all what the Solliciter General hath produced. Sentence of the 22 of this Month, by which it was ordered, that in the absence of the Peers of France summoned, it should be further proceeded to Judgment Conclusions of the Kings Sollicitor, the accuser being heard and interrogated, all things being duly considered, hath been concluded, that the said Court hath declared, and declareth the said Duke of Biron, attainted and convicted of high Treason, for the conspiracies by him made against the Kings Person and Estates, Proditions and Treaties with his Enemies, when he was Marshal of the Army of the said King, for reparation of which Crime, the said Court hath deprived and depriveth him of all his Estates, Honours and Dignities, and hath condemned and condemneth him to be beheaded upon a Scaffold, which for that purpose shall be erected in the place of Greve, hath declared, and declareth, all and every one of his Goods, moveable or unmoveable, in whatsoever places scituated and seated, to be acquired and confiscated to the King, the Mannor of Biron, deprived for ever of the Title and Dukedom and Peerage, and altogether all his other Goods, immediately holden from the King, reunited to the Crown again. Done in Parliament the last day of July 1602. Signed in the Original by de Belieure, Chancellor of France, Councillor in the Court, Reporter of the Process.
He was not moved at these words, attainted and convicted of high Treason, but at these, against the Person of the King, he fell into a rage, and Swearing as he had done many times before, and shall do hereafter with great Oaths and Imprecations, there is no such thing, said he to the Recorder, it is false, blot out that; he was also very angry, hearing that he was to be executed in the place of Greve, thinking that for several respects he was to be distinguished from the common sort of people, and Swore again, that he would not go thither, and that he had rather to be torn in pieces by wild Horses, and that it was not in the power of all those that stood by to carry him thither, then he was a little appeased, when Voisin told him, that the King had done him that favour to change the place of Execution, and that it was to be done in the Bastille. The confiscation of his Goods, and the revenues of the Dukedom of Biron to the Crown, was the last point of the Sentence that vexed him. What? said he, doth the King intend to grow rich out of my poverty? The Lordship of Biron cannot be confiscated, I only possessed it by substitution of my Brethren, what shall my Brethren do, the King ought to have been satisfied with the loss of my life.
The Sentence being pronounced, Voisin did exhort him again to renounce all the vanities of the world, to take no other care but of the Salvation of his Soul, which was to be first by reconciling himself to God Almighty, and that there was two Divines for that purpose, and that according to the usual forms of Executions, he would be pleased to suffer himself to be bound. That word of Execution did seem so horrid to him, that he fell into a new rage, Swearing, that he would never permit so infamous a person to touch him, otherwise than with the Sword, and that he had rather be hewen in pieces. To keep him from falling into a further despair, Voisin left him, with his Divines, viz. Garnier Almonec, and Confessor to the King, and after that Bishop of Montpelier, and Magnan, Curate of St. Nicolas in the fields at Paris, who began to talk boldly to him of his death, and to disvest himself of all his thoughts, as he had done of his Goods, and to take no other care than that of his Soul, whereupon he fell into a passion again, Let me alone (said he) it is I that must think upon my Soul, you have nothing to do with it, I had no need of you, you shall not be troubled to hear my confession; what I speak aloud is my confession, I have been these eight days a confessing my self, and the last night, me thought I saw the Heavens opened, and that God lent me his Hand; my Keepers heard me laugh for joy in my sleep. The Divines did not loose Courage for all that, but more and more intreated him to consider, that he was no more what he had been before, that within one or two hours he should be no more, that he must change to be for evermore, that his Soul was ready to appear before the fearfull Throne of the living God, to be rewarded with a more happy life than that he had hitherto passed; or be condemned to an Eternal pain and that in comparison of that which he was to suffer now, it was no more than the slight pricking of a Pin, and having in some measure appeased him, they left him to examine his Conscience, while Voisin went to give notice of his refusing to be bound; the Chancellor doubted whether he should be compelled to it; the first President said, that it was dangerous to let him loose; Sillery having learned of Voisin that the Prisoner was at that time very quiet, said, that if they went about to bind him, he would break all the bonds of Patience, and should never be brought to Execution but in a rage and dispair; according to that opinion he was left free in his body, that he might be the more free in his thoughts.
Which were more to the World, and to the setling of his affairs, than to the saving of his Soul, which he had neglected all his life time, and shewed himself utterly ignorant of the principles of his Religion, for which he said a little before, he was put to death, and those that were present related, that his Prayers made him appear more a Souldier than a Christian; he prayed in commanding, and commanded in praying.
His Confession being ended, he walked in the Chappel with one hand upon his side, and with the other holding the strings of his Shirt, did unbutton and button again his Doublet. Voisin being come back told him, that the Chancellor and the first President were very glad to hear of his Patience, and of his constant resolution to die. He talked much of the Money he had at Dijon, of the worth of his Jewels, and of what was owing to him, and what himself did owe, he desired that some Sums of Money should be paid to certain Gentlemen, that had no Obligation for it: But still he broke forth into exclamations concerning his Innocency, and execrations against la Fin, asking if it should not be lawfull for his Brothers to prosecute him, and to cause him to be burnt.
Upon this, those that kept him during his Imprisonment, came to take their leave of him, every one having his left hand upon the handle of his Sword, and Tears in his Eyes, he moved them to compassion by the sight of his present condition, and exhorted them to serve the King faithfully, against whom he had said he had done nothing amiss, and complained that he could find no Mercy at his Hands, intreated them to pray to God for him, and to oblige them to that, distributed among them all his Cloaths and linnen, and Watches; he desired also the Knight of the Watch to tell the King, that his Servants knew nothing of his Affairs, that the Earl of Auvergne was not to be questioned upon that account: He intreated much one exempt of the Guards to go to the said Earl, and tell him he had laid nothing to his charge, and that he went to die without any grief, but of the loss of his friendship, and that the shortness of his life would not give him leave to shew in effect how much he was his servant. The Earl sent him word, that he did accept of his farewell, as of an intimate friend; and that he remained behind to lament all the days of his life the loss he suffered in him, intreated him to leave him his Bastard Son, to have him brought up with his own Children. After this the Prisoner saw a Gentleman belonging to the Duke of Mayene, and entreated him to tell his Master, that if ever in his life he had given him some occasion not to love him, that he prayed to believe that he would die his servant, as also of the Duke of Aiguillon, and Earl of Sommerive his Children; he likewise intreated Arnaut, Secretary to the Marquess of Rhosny, to remember his last commendations to his Master, and desire him to remember not so much him that went to die, as his Brethren whom he left behind, that he had him in opinion of a good and usefull servant to the King, and repented much he had not believed his Councel.
About three of the Clock the Chancellor and the first President went up again into the Chappel, and finding him in a good disposition, did fortifie his resolution by their discourses, and desiring to know more particularities from his own mouth, sent all the standers by away, except the Divines and the Recorder: They did exhort him to consider, that the days of man are limited, that the end of his days depended from the Providence of the Almighty, who would take him out of this world before some great and long misery should make him weary of it. He answered, no, no my Lords, do not trouble you about comforting me and strengthning me against the fear of death, I have not been afraid of it these 20 years; you have given me 40 days to study it, but I could not believe that having not been in the power of my Enemies to take away my life, I should be so miserable as to loose it by the consent of my friends; having said this they left him, and took their leaves of him with Tears in their Eyes, he would not suffer them to depart till they had received a new Protestation of his, that he never had attempted any thing against the King, Swearing, that if he would have done it, the King should not have been alive three years ago.
As they were going out of the Bastille with Sillery, he sent the Knight of the Watch to intreat the Chancellor, that his Body might be buried at Biron, in the Sepulchre of his Ancestors, and that he would desire the King to give to his younger Brother some Office in the house of the Dolphin, and shewing by his Countenance, Carryage, and Words, to care as little for death as one that is a great way from it gave cause to suspect, that he was not out of hope to obtain his pardon from the King, or to escape by some extraordinary means.
The Divines did exhort him to keep nothing back of what might serve for the discharging of his Conscience, and to consider, that they could give him absolution for no more than what he did confess. Although, said he, the King causeth me to die unjustly, nevertheless I have served him with so much affection and obedience, and I have near my death so much good will and affection for him, that if I knew any thing against his Person or State, I would tell it freely, and upon that whispered some things to his Confessors, which Voisin did presently write.