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Pierre du Moulin’s Quest for Protestant Unity, 1613-18
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 March 2016
Extract
Pierre Du Moulin was the leading intellectual in the French Reformed Church in the early seventeenth century. His influence within French Protestantism rivalled and complemented that of Philippe Duplessis-Mornay, the prominent nobleman, soldier, and adviser to Henry of Navarre, the Huguenot leader who became Henry IV of France. If Duplessis-Mornay was, as he is sometimes called, the ‘Huguenot Pope’, Du Moulin, the pastor of the congregation of Protestants in Paris, was the chief cardinal. A prolific writer and a skilful speaker, Du Moulin became noted for his success as a polemicist. Yet during a period of five years, 1613–18, Du Moulin was also the chief spokesman for a plan which would unite the English, Calvinist, and Lutheran Churches. The rather startling final point of the plan called for the reunited Protestants to make a fresh approach to Rome. Du Moulin’s volte-face in 1613-18 — his sudden emergence as an irenicist — has never been satisfactorily explained.
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References
1 For Du Moulin’s life and career, see his autobiography, ‘Autobiographie de Pierre Du Moulin, d’après le manuscrit autographe, 1564–1658’, Bulletin de la société de l’histoire du protestantisme francais, 7 (1858), pp. 170-82, 333-44, 465-77; the biography by his son, Peter, in Peter (Pierre) Du Moulin, The Nouelty of Popery, Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity: Against the Book of Cardinal Du Perron, Entituled, A Reply to the Answer of the Most Serene James, King of Great Britain, tr. Peter Du Moulin (London, 1662), Sig. **3r-******2r; Eugène, and Haag, Emile, eds, La France protestante, 9 vols (Paris, 1846-59), 4, pp. 419–33 Google Scholar, and 2nd edn, ed. Henri Bordier, 6 vols (Paris, 1877-88), 5, cols 800-24; Rimbault, Lucien, Pierre du Moulin, 1568–1658: un pasteur classique à I’âge classique, étude de théologie pastorale sur des documents inédits (Paris, 1966)Google Scholar; and Armstrong, Brian G., ‘The changing face of French Protestantism: the influence of Pierre Du Moulin’, in Schnucker, Robert V., ed., Calviniana: Ideas and Influence of Jean Calvin (Kirksville, Mo., 1988), pp. 131–49 Google Scholar. For Mornay, see Patry, Raoul, Philippe du Plessis-Momay: un huguenot homme d’état (Paris, 1933)Google Scholar, passim.
2 The paradox is noted by both Rimbault, Pierre du Moulin, p. 75, and Armstrong, ‘The changing face of French Protestantism’, p. 137. See also Patterson, W. B., ‘James I and the Huguenot Synod of Tonneins of 1614’, HThR, 65 (1972), pp. 241–70 Google Scholar, esp. pp. 242-3.
3 ‘Autobiographie de Pierre Du Moulin’, pp. 171-3; Haag and Haag. La France protestante, 2nd edn, 5, cols 797-8.
4 Du Moulin, The Nouehy of Popery, Sig. **4r; John Venn and J. A. Venn, eds, Alumni Cantabrigienses, pt 1, 4 vols, pt 2, 6 vols (Cambridge, 1924), pt 1, 3, p. 197; John Goldworth Alger on Pierre Du Moulin in DNB, 13, pp. 1098-9; ‘Autobiographie de Pierre Du Moulin’, pp. 180-2; Haag and Haag, La France protestante, 2nd edn, 5, col. 801.
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7 Rimbault, Pierre du Moulin, p. 8.
8 Moulin, Pierre Du, A Defence of the Catholicke Faith: Contained in the Booke of the Most Mightie, and Most Gracious King James the First, King of Great Britaine, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith; Against the Answere of N. Coeffeteau, Doctour of Diuinitie, and Vicar Generall of the Dominican Preaching Friars, trans. John Sanford (London, 1610).Google Scholar
9 BL, Add. MS 24195, fol. 71r.
10 Ibid., fols 71v-76v. See also PRO, SP 78/58, fols 270r (Salisbury to Edmondes, 19 Dec. 1611) and 272r-274r (James I to Edmondes, 19 Dec. 1611). James referred in his letter to Edmondes to Du Moulin’s having written skilfully in his defence, but he complained that Du Moulin ‘in divers places giveth a cleane contrary interpretacon to the text of Scripture, then that which we give in our booke’ (fols 272r-v).
11 PRO, SP 78/56, fol. 303r (Du Moulin to Salisbury, 17 Oct. 1610). Edmondes had recommended ‘some thanckfull acknowledgement’ from the King; ibid., fol. 179r (Edmondes to Salisbury, 13 June 1610). That Du Moulin was already known to King James in July 1609 is clear from a note in Pierre de l’Estoile’s journal. On 10 July 1609, de l’Estoile wrote that he had received a copy of James’s Apologia pro juramento fidelitatis, recently published in London; it ‘contains notes in the hand of the minister Du Moulin, to whom the king of England had sent it’. Pierre de l’Estoile, Journal pour le règne de Henry IV, ed. André Martin, 3 vols (Paris, 1948-60), 2, p. 471.
12 PRO, SP 78/59, fols 130r-131r.
13 Note, for example, James’s instructions to Edward, Lord Wotton, ambassador extraordinary to the Queen Regent of France: ‘… we would not have you make our care of the cause of religion so indifferent or our affection so lukewarme to our friends as not to express unto them that we are resolved to imploy our best means to support those causes which concern the body of the religion in that authority, libertie and safety which they may iustly claime by virtue of their Edicts….’ PRO, SP 78/56, fols. 242r-v.
14 PRO, SP 78/61, fol. 68r.
15 Ibid.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 ibid.
19 Ibid., fol. 68v.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid., fol. 69r.
23 Ibid.
24 Ibid.
25 Ibid.
26 Ibid.
27 Ibid. fol. 88r.
28 Rimbault, Pierre du Moulin, pp. 71-5; Quick, John, ed., Synodicon in Gallia Reformata: or, The Acts, Decisions, Decrees, and Canons of Those Famous National Councils of the Reformed Churches in France, 2 vols (London, 1692), 1, pp. 434–7 Google Scholar; Aymon, Jean, ed., Tous les synodes nationaux des églises réformées de France, 2 vols (The Hague, 1710), 2 pp. 57–62 Google Scholar. For a discussion of the plan as presented at Tonneins, see Patterson, ‘James I and the Huguenot Synod of Tonneins of 1614’, pp. 254–63. For the presbyterian/synodal polity of the French Reformed Church, including the central role played by the national synod, see Labrousse, Elisabeth, ‘Calvinism in France, 1598-1685,’ in Prestwich, Menna, ed., International Cahinism, 1541-1715 (Oxford, 1985), pp. 285–315, esp. pp. 285–93 Google Scholar; Brian G. Armstrong, ‘Semper Reformanda: the case of the French Reformed Church, 1559-1620’, in Graham, W. Fred, ed., Later Calvinism: International Perspectives (St Louis, 1994), pp. 119–40 Google Scholar, and Glenn S. Sunshine, ‘Reformed theology and the origins of synodical polity: Calvin, Beza and the Gallican Confession’, ibid., pp. 141-58.
29 Rimbault, Pierre du Moulin, pp. 71-5 and 235-8.
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32 BL, MS Stowe 174, fols 306r-v (Home to James I, 3 April 1614).
33 PRO, SP 78/62, fol. 53v (Synod of Tonneins to James I, 1 June 1614).
34 Ibid., fol. 54r.
35 BL, MS Stowe 174, fol. 347r.
36 Ibid.
37 PRO, SP 78/58, fols 230r-v, Du Moulin to James I, is undated but filed as 22 November 1611. Based on its contents, the letter seems certain to be from 1614. The procedure Du Moulin describes is that ordered by the Synod of Tonneins and the description which Du Moulin gives of his reconciliation with Tilenus is closely paralleled by Home’s description in his letter of 16 October 1614 cited below. I believe that Du Moulin’s letter to James should be dated as late October or early November 1614.
38 PRO, SP 78/58, fol. 230r. Cf BL, MS Stowe 175, fol. 76r (Home to Edmondes, 16 Oct. 1614).
39 PRO, SP 78/58, fol. 230r. Cf. BL, MS Stowe 175, fol. 76r.
40 PRO, SP 78/58, fols 230r-v.
41 Ibid., fol. 230v.
42 Ibid.
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44 PRO, SP 78/63, fol. 269r.
45 Ibid.
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49 Rimbault, Pierre du Moulin, pp. 88-9. The king’s ordinance forbidding the French delegation from attending the synod was dated 15 October 1618.
50 PRO. SP 84/87, fol. 111r. See Carleton, Dudley, The Letters from and to Sir Dudley Carleton, Knt. during His Embassy in Holland, from January 1615/16, to December 1620 (London, 1780), pp. 325–6.Google Scholar
51 PRO, SP 84/87, fol. 111r.
52 Ibid., fol. 111v.
53 Ibid.
54 Ibid.
55 Ibid., fol. 152r. See Carleton, Letters, pp. 318-19.
56 PRO. SP 84/87, fol. 152r.
57 Ibid., fol. 152v.
58 Ibid., fol. 174v. This letter is not in Carleton, Letters.
59 PRO, SP 84/87, fol. 174v.
60 Ibid.
61 Ibid., fol. 206v. See Carleton, Letters, pp. 329-30.
62 Hales, John, Golden Remains of the Ever Memorable Mr. Iohn Hales of Eton College, 2 parts in one (London, 1659), Pt 2, p. 71 Google Scholar. See also PRO, SP 84/88, fols. 12r-v (Carleton to Naunton, 14 Jan. 1619).
63 Carleton, George, et al., A Ioynt Attestation, Avowing That the Discipline of the Church of England Was Not Impeached by the Synode of Dort (London, 1626)Google Scholar; Carleton, , Bp Carletons Testimonie Concerning the Presbyterian Discipline in the Low-Countries and Episcopall Government Here in England (London, 1642)Google Scholar. For discussion of this issue, see Nijenhuis, W., ‘The controversy between Presbyterianism and Episcopalianism surrounding and during the Synod of Dordrecht’, in his Ecdesia Reformata: Studies on the Reformation (Leiden, 1972), pp. 207–20.Google Scholar
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65 Du Moulin, The Anatomy of Arminianisme, pp. 82-91 and 498-504.
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67 Calendar of State Papers, Domestic Series, of the Reign of James I, 1611-1618 (PRO, 1858), p. 289; Calendar… 1623-1625 (1859), pp. 373, 385, 444.
68 ‘Autobiographie de Pierre Du Moulin,’ p. 474.
69 In 1615, he reported on the course of the uprising of the Prince of Condé and other nobles and on the meeting of the Protestant Political Assembly. PRO, SP 78/64, fols. 1r-v (Du Moulin to James I, 11 Sept. 1615), 48r (Du Moulin to Winwood, 9 Oct. 1615), 104r-v (Du Moulin to Winwood, 11 Nov. 1615), 146r (Du Moulin to Winwood, 30 Nov. 1615).
70 Quick, Synodicon, 1, pp. 120-2, 153, 239, 263-4; Aymon, Tous les synodes, 1, pp. 131-3. 170, 274, 300. For discussion, see Linder, ‘The French Calvinist response to the Formula of Concord’, pp. 18-37.
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72 In 1621, Du Moulin was forced to leave Paris to seek refuge in Sedan under the protection of the Duke of Bouillon when he was discovered to have written to King James by way of the English ambassador, Edward Herbert. See ‘Autobiographie de Pierre Du Moulin’, pp. 471-2. Du Moulin’s explanation to Edmondes is contained in his letter to the former ambassador on 28 February 1621. BL, Stowe MS 176, fols. 177r-v.