The Daily Advertiser

Extract of a letter from Paris, Jan. 4.

"This edict, in favor of the French Protestants, has not yet passed; new obstacles have arisen, which will, at all events, delay the enregistrement of it for some time to come. The Parliament of Paris, no longer ago than yesterday se'nnight, passed a decree, by which they bound themselves, and insisted on the recall of their exiled Members, as an ultimatum to their passing the Protestant Bill. The King has expressed great dissatisfaction at their proceedings.

The exile of the Members of the Parliament of Paris, has not deterred others from making use of the same liberty of speech. The States of Brittany, with the Bishop of Dol at their head, waited on his Majesty last week, with a warm remonstrance against the edict in its present form. The Bishop, who was the speaker on the occasion, at first entered very warmly into all the advantages and evils which might arise from it, to the political state of the kingdom; and when the other Members withdrew, he requested a private audience of his Majesty, which being granted, he then entered into the matter, as interesting to the established religion of the country. He spoke for a quarter of an hour, with a warmth and zeal for the Catholic church, which carried him beyond the bounds of that respect which was due to his Majesty; observing, that instead of proposing an edict which might weaken the true Catholic faith, and thereby endanger the throne of monarchy, the King ought to pass an edict, enjoining the Clergy, Bishops, and even the Archbishops, to be more vigilant and active in their spiritual concerns, and leave to the laity, the more temporal affairs of state; that the negligence of the Ecclesiastics of every class, in every branch of their duty, had already brought the Catholic church of France to so low a state, that it might be doubted, whether in a few years, even the name of a Catholic would be known in the kingdom. He concluded with saying, that he had heard of the exile and imprisonment of some, who had virtue and courage enough to advise his Majesty to better measures; that for his part, he feared neither the one nor the other, he spoke the dictates of his conscience, and the duty of his functions. He had been long exiled from the vanities of the court and the world, by a close and religious observance of the duty which he owed to the diocese committed to his care; and as to imprisonment, his conscience and faith, he doubted not, would support him under any affliction. After dinner, the Bishop received an order to retire to his diocese."