a political party by cardinal Richelieu, thou?;!), by an act of amnesty at Niismes (1<j2'J), he secured to them their former ecclesiastical privileges. About tiiis time their number had been reduced to only about half of what it was before the massacre of St. Bartholomew. Louis XIV re.i^arded it as his special mission to brcalt tlie power of Protestantism in the state. The Protes- tants were deprived of a great many churches and schools ; the utmost efforts were made to convert all who were accessil)le to fear, promises, or persuasion ; chiklren were talcen from tlieir parents ; " booted mis- sions of dragoons" were sent in everj' direction Tafter IG.sl), and at last the Edict of Nantes was formallj' re- pealed in 1685. See Nantes, Edict of. One moun- tain tribe [see Camisards] in the Cevennes took up arms against the king, but its prophets and heroes ei- ther perished on the battle-field, or gained only the priv- ilege of going into exile (1704). It is calculated that from 30,000 to 40,000 Protestants fled from France at this time. Nevertheless, two millions of the Reformed remained, with no congregations except in the wilder- ness, and in 1744 they again held their first National Sj'nod. "In the closing j^ears of the reigri of Louis XIV, and during tlie regency of Philippe d' Orleans, the Protestants were more leniently dealt with. Though now enjoving external peace, the Church began to ex- hibit signs of internal declension. The chief causes producing this effect were the want of trained and edu- cated men to fill the office of pastor, and the spirit of fanaticism which had sprung up among the members of the Church. These defects were remedied mainlj' by the exertions of Antoine Court, who has been styled the ' Restorer of the Protestantism of France.' He instituted prayer-meetings wherever he could, and also held synods or conferences of the ministers, along with a few intelligent laymen. By thus exciting a spirit of prayer and a love of order he much benefited the Church. But, while the Protestant Church was grad- ually recovering from its depressed condition, it was startled by the proclamation by Louis XV, on Jlay 14, 1724, of the last great law against the Protestants, This law re-enforced the most severe measures of Louis XIV. It sought not so much to intimidate Protestants into a recantation, or to punish them if they refused, but rather sought to force them, willing or not, to re- ceive the ordinances of the Roman Catholic Church. For instance, it made baptism by the parish curate compulsory in everj' case, and declared that no mar- riage was valid unless perfonned bj' a Roman priest. This attempt to force people into the Church of Rome only drove them further from it. Antoine Court (cj. V.) was supported by multitudes. The Provincial Syn- ods, which lie had reinvigorated, multiplied ; and, to meet the want of pastors, he opened a school of theolo- gy at Lausanne, wliich continued to supply the Pro- testant Church with pastors until the time of Napo- leon. From 1730 to 1744 the Protestants enjoyed quiet. In the latter j^ear a National Synod was held in Lower Languedoc. ^^llen the news of tlie holding of this sj-nod reached Paris, it caused the king and lue minis- ters to embark in a new crusade of horrors against the defenceless Protestants. This caused a new emigra- tion. Calmer days followed the storm, and, after 17G0, principles of toleration began to prevail. The school of Voltaire, while doing incalculable injury to the cause of religion and morality generally, did good ser- vice in spreading the principles of toleration and of religious libertv. The nation gradual!}' became leav- ened with these principles. Louis XVI, though rather inclined to the opposite principles, was ultimatel}' obliged to yield to the spirit of the age, and in Novem- ber, 1788, he publislied an edict of tolerance. The priv- ileges granted hy this edict to those who were not Ro- man Catholics were the following : ' The right of living in France, and of exercising a profession or trade in the kingdom, without l>eing disturbed on account of relig- ion ; the permission to marry legally before the officers
of justice ; the authority to record the births of their cliildren before the local judge.' It also included a provision for the interment of tliose who could not be buried according to the Roman Catholic ritual" (Ea- die, s. v.).
The Reformation of Luther found early adherents in France, some of whom suffered martyrdom for their faith [see Reformation in France], but the influ- ence of Calvin soon prevailed. In 1G48, Alsace, and a number of otlier districts and towns in which the Lu- theran Church was either exclusively or partly estab- lished, were ceded to France by the Peace of ^\'estpha- lia. Religious liberty was guaranteed to the Luther- ans, and again confirmed by the Peace of Nymvegen in 1078. On the same terms France acquired, in 1081, Strasburg, and in 1796, from 'Wiirtemberg, jMompel- gard. The congregations of these districts graduallj'' coalesced into the one evangelical Lutheran Church of France, showing the diversities of its origin by the variet}' of liturgies, hymn-books, catechisms, etc. which are still in use. The free exercise of their worship has not, on the whole, been interfered with ; j'et many roy- al decrees have favored the Roman Church and prose- h'tisni, and the number of entii-e congregations which have been brought bade to the Roman Church is said to be over sixty.