the Administratour of Magdeburgh and the Bishop of Bremen subscribed also to it The Emperours forces in the mean while grew strong and Tilly began to smell that under the mask of amity there were some new designes a brewing however they protested that they were doing nothing against the Emperour But he answered that the Embassadours of the States of Holland were not there Tilly in Hastis to thred pearles and that he was sure that nothing was treated to his Masters advantage where they had any credit and consequently for a greater testimony of his diffidence he sent for Wallâ—stain with an Army to come and succour him Causes lye hidden under pretexts drawn from necessity and justice but they are easily discovered by people of the same profession Many Prodigies preceded the fatall warres as Armies fighting in the Ayre raining of Blood great Tempests bearing down Trees Houses and Dammes But that which was by all interpreted for an ill Augure or Token was that the King going one evening to walk upon the Rampars The Prodigies or Walls of the Town of Hamelen to visit the Sentinels his horse stumbled at a plank and threw him into the Mote or Ditch out of which he was drawne two houres after and conceived to be dead for more then three dayes together In the mean while they who laid most to heart the love of their Country and Rest employed all diligence to find a means to reconcile this Difference thereby to divert the misfortune wherein all Lower Saxony was likely to be involved To which effect a Treaty of Peace was held at Brunswick and it was already agreed that the Armies should be licensiated They treat of peace in vain by Regiments to wit that the King should casheer the first Tilly the next and so consecutively by turnes to the end But this Treaty was broken off by ambition and so such advantages as could not be reaped thereby were sought by way of Arms. The Gamester is more willing to hazard another mans money then his own I will note only the principal actions of the warre and content my selfe with saying that it is very probable that the Emperour had a design to make his Authority and Religion flourish afresh in those Countries where there was no more left then a faint and languishing knowledge thereof and The ayne of the League that mingled with coldness contempt and hatred But as for the contrary Party they endeavoured not onely to repell the aforesaid Guest but also by vertue of the Allyance to restore the Prince to his States by force of Arms since it could not be done by intercessions and so in fine deliver all the Princes from the jealousie which was given them by this House puffed up with so many victories The King retyred with his Army as farre as the Bishopprick of Werden and thereby gave the Imperialists opportunity to seaze upon many places But Fortune varied at Niemburgh from which Town after the losse of a very great number of their men they were constrained to retreat though yet the said losse were repayred shortly after by the taking of Calembergh and the defeating of some companies of Dragoons Tilly followes the River of Weser and Wallenstein that of the Elbe Wallenstein followed the River of Elbe and Tilly that of Weser who having occupated the Bishopprick of Hall entred the Dutchy of Anholt and fortified the Bridge of Dassaw Mansfeldt attacked this Fort and being repulsed joyned with the Administratour of Hall to besiege that Town Wallenstein hastened thither so they fell to work and the Fight as well through the valour of the souldiers as the experience of the Generals was long time dubious enough but at last the Horse giving ground the Foot found themselves reduced to the necessity of doing the same and such as could not save themselves by flight were either killed or taken Mansfeldt beaten near the bridge of Dassaw In this memorable Battell at the Bridge of Dassaw all Mansfeldts glory was buried howsoever he lost not his courage by so furious an overthrow but having gotten on foot a fresh Army of sixteen thousand men for Germany and the Septemtrion were yet full of brave Souldiers he drew towards Silesia took in some places passed thence into Transylvania where he gave up his Army to the Duke of Wimar and accompanied by some of his principall Officers put himself in the way towards Venice but a Dysentery or Bloody Flux or rather according to the opinion of some a Potion stopped the course of his journey His death designes and life altogether and delivered the Emperour from a troublesome Enemy and the Duke of Wimar also a short space after followed him not to Venice but to the other world Thus ended the life of this famous General who had been fortunate enough in raising Armies but not in fighting Battels Wallenstine having stifled the War of Transylvania marched back into Silesia dissipated Wimars Troops and retook the occupated places And Baudis and Holck being sent to joyne with the said Duke were cut off by Merode and Beckman So that Wallenstein having put an end to all their disorders returned towards Brunswick Tilly being intent upon the occasions of hurting his enemies went and unexpectedly attacked a Quarter commanded by that Valiant Souldier Obertrawt who together with one of the Dukes of Anholt and some hundreds of Souldiers Obertrawt killed was slaine in this encounter and when Tilly went to visit and comfort him he answered him Monsieur de Tilly in such waters are taken such fish Now the King finding himself in great danger by the losse of Mansfeldt and the Bishop of Halberstadt who died at the same time at Wolfenbottel after he had vomited up a Worm of about four ells long did not yet lose his courage The death of the Bishop of Halbersiadt Nature shews her strength in despair and Vertue hers in extremity He saw two Armies upon his skirts to be opposed by him and therefore he resolved to attack the one of them being more inflamed to vengeance by the losse of Munden which he slighted and the furious blow which was given his Cavalrie by Count Furstembergh But he was a little too tardy in going to drive Tilly from the siege of Gothing Besides that he stayed at Luther against the advice of his Lieutenant Generall Fucks and Tilly thereby to make himself as glorious as Wallenstein desired nothing more earnestly then to slight I fine the Battell was given with so much obstinacie that the old Bands which had been accustomed to vanquish Battell of Luther the twenty seventh of August 1626. began almost to stagger towards flight but their time was not yet come and the puissant Gemus of their Generall had a great advantage upon that of the King who perceiving his Horse fly and not being able either by his presence or exhortations to detaine them was compelled to abandon his Foot to the mercy of
upon one of the Magazins whereby not only the House and all the Ammunitions were blown up but many other houses also thereto adjoyning were fired and rent in pieces however through the mercy of God there were but few persons killed but great store of goods spoiled The Garrison of La Bassee five some Villadges and lost The Licutenant Governour of La Basses having notice that the Spaniards had quitted the Fort of Lilers which they kept all the last Winter sent out a Party of that Garrison consisting of about three hundred and fifty to which a Party of Bethane being joyned they marched under the command of the Count of St. Front and plundered and fired the Town of Altembergh and four Villadges beyond Ypers which refused to pay their Contribution which put such a terrour into the adjacent Country that most part of the people sled with their best goods to secure themselves in the strong Towns The Spaniards began to discover their apprehensions of the English Fleet viz that of General Pen in the West-Indies and that of General Blake which after the businesse of Tunnis was fallen back upon the Coast of Spain in order to which take here the Clause of a Letter from the Count of Linares General of the Spanish Gallyes written to a friend of his at the Court of Madrid upon the tenth of June from St. Lucar A Clause of a Letter from the Count de Linares We are now in sight of thirty of the English Men of War who lie at sea three leagues from the Bay and this is the very same Squadron with which I spake at Alicant in November 1654. The Commander then told me that they were going to chase the French but now though they know where to meet with the French in Catalunia they come hither When this said squadron went by this way at first they shewed more friendship to us and more confidence in us for they came in hither but now their sliness and strangness makes us presume and I do presume that they have some unhappy designes against the Gallions of silvèr which are expected It is also feared that another squadron much greater then this which went to the Indies may do us much greater mischief there that we shall hardly know what belongs to a Piece of Eight in Spain Wherefore it will concern men of prudence to hoard up what they can for if that designe prosper all manner of Rents in Spain will come to nothing The Town of Landrecies after a long and sharp siedge was rendred to the French the twelfeh of July upon these following condition 1. That Monsieur de Maugre the Governour and Don John Morphy Colonel of an Irish Regiment together with all Officers and Souldiers Horse and Foot should march out the next day at eight of the clock in the morning with their Arms Baggage Goods Horses Cattel and other things belonging to them Colours flying Bullet in mouth and Marches lighed at both ends and should be safely convoyed to Valenciennes the nearest way 2. That for that end a hundred Waggons and Carts should be affoarded them for the security whereof they should leave two Captains behinde who should be sent to Valenciennes presently after the said Waggons were returned 3. That all Prisouers and also the Horses taken on both sides should be restored and the Souldiers who were run away delivered 4. That such souldiers as were either sick or wounded and not able to march out presently should remaine safe there and be maintained and attended till their recovery and then have Passes to be gone 5. That all Magazines both of Provisions and Ammunitions and all the Artillery not embezeled should be the same day surrendred to such as should be appointed to receave them with restitution of whatsoever might be found to have been diverted by sale or otherwise to the benefit of any private person 6. That the Inhabitants should be free to remain there enjoy their Goods and accustomed Immunities and Priviledges and if any would be gone he should have three moneths time granted him to sell his Goods both reall and personal 7. That the Officers of the Magistrate of Judicature should be maintained in their Places they taking an Oath of Allegiance to the King 8. That such Church-men as were fled into the said Town should have power to go out with their moveables and Church-Ornaments yea and even with those belonging to other Church-men Cloisters and Monasteries which were absent 9. That he Country-people who were there for refuge should have liberty either to returne home or go any whither else with their goods within the terme of three moneths 10. That the said Governour and Colonel should upon the subscribing of these Articles deliver the whole Bastion of the Attack for security of the performance of the said Articles The successe of the French Neer about the same time the Prince of Conti took Castillon and Solsona in Cataluma and the Spaniards having made many attempts upon the later for the recovery thereof were alwayes repulsed with losse so that in fine Te deum was sung at Paris for the prosperity of their Arms in both Countries The King of Swedens great successe in Poland The King of Sweden finding no likelihood of bringing the difference between himself and the King of Poland to a desired accommodation sent Generall Wittembergh with a great Army into the said Kings Territories who making a very great and fortunate progress there the King himself followed shortly after in person whereupon fifteen thousand of the King of Polands Souldiers and three great Provinces revolted to him besides divers other remarkable successes the particulars whereof will appear by these following Instructions for a solemn day of Prayer and Thanks-giving which I heer insert for the Readers satisfaction Whereas his Majesty our most gratious Lord and Soveraigne hath been moved by just and most necessary causes to make war against the King and Crown of Poland and for that purpose ordered Generall Wittembergh to enter that part of the Enemies Country neer Kron which lies next to Germany It hath pleased the most high God so to blesse and prosper his Majesties Armies and undertakings as that the said Generall hath not only taken divers Castles and Garrisons in the said Country but making progresse also as farr as Wsee in the province of Posen the two Palatinates of Posen and Calissen together with the Cities of Posen Calissen Lesno and Micdzirez as also an Army of fifteen thousand men immediatly renounced all Allegiance to the King of Poland and came under the tuition and protection of his Majesty our Soveraigne which was done before the fifteenth of July 1655. Now seeing that it can be no other then the wonderfull worke of God that so great a part of our Enemies Dominions should without so much as one blow be reduced under his Majesties obedience we are bound to render thanks to Almighty God from the bottom of our hearts for
strong salves and fresh bleedings King Charles of Sweden having crowned himself and renewed the War in Livonie made use of this intestine sedition Sigismund made a brisk opposition as well to him as to the Swedes and Muscovites also whose Empire was then full of factions The siege of Smolensko He besieged Smolensko and after two years siege carried it This was a second Ostend if we consider the length of the siege and the number of the dead which if those authors who gave us the description thereof be worthy of credit amounted to more then twenty thousand men There was another Polish Army imployed to force the head City called Mosco whilest the rest of the Troops got huge victories and took the Yown of Novogrode and the great Duke Suiskie together with his two Brothers prisoners The the great Cham of Tartarie astonished at so many high Victories offered to submit himself to the King of Poland But Sigismond returned and the confederated Muscovites to be payd their Arreares followed him and being satisfied they were a further meanes to get yet more Victories The Muscovites rejell Uladislaus upon the adverse Party In fine the Muscovites tyred and vexed by a forraigne Rule rejecting Vladeslaus whom they had formerly chosen elected a new Emperour and endeavoured to compose their difference with Sigismund but in vain for they were chased away from before Smolensko and payed for their perfidie Now the King of great Britaine being the spectatour and very often the Arbitratour of the Controversies of his Neighbours lived in peace and his subjects of the Romane Catholik Profession were reduced to some discresse upon the discovery of that abominable conspiracy The son in England discovered against him his children and the whole Parliament For it seemed not enough to extend the punishment upon the guilty who received it according to their mâ—rit but all the whole body of them also mast be made feel it It was then that the doctrine of the Iesuites was carped and reviled and their Order brought into horrour through the whole Island as it was in France upon the death of Henry the great though yet they could not be convinced of having any hand in that as they evidently were in this But what shall we say of the English Puritans whom King Iames himself accused of having attempted to stifle him in his Mothers womb I know there are also some who make the Iesuites the cause of the Tragicall death of King Charles so great an aversion hath the contrary party from this Society I neither accuse nor excuse any but onely make a plaine and simple relation of what is passed and blame the rash judgement of such as are too passionate Whilest other Kings were in extream jealousie of their interests King Iames amuses himself with playing the Philosopher and the Divine by composing books of controversies against Cardinall Perronn and Monsieur de Coeffetean Bishop of Marseilles And since he had no warr with any body else he raised one against the Puritans and the Iesuites as making declamations against them both and their Doctrine which he said was most pernicious to the Potentates of Europe Take heed my son sayes he in his Book intitled the Roy all Present of these Puritans meer Plagues both in the Church and state a race not to be obliged by any benefit nor tied by any Oath or promise breathing nothing but seditions and calumnies And a little lower You will not finde amongst any High-way Robbers more ingratitude or more lyes and perjuries then amongst these Fanatick Spirits c. The Duke of Savoy demanded his Daughter Elizabeth for his eldest Son and offered him his for the Prince of Wales but in regard of the difference of Religions it was honourably refused Fate had reserved this Princesse for Prince Frederick Palatine of the Rheyn who arriving in England Frederick Prince Palatine marries Elizabeth Princesse of England married her and carried her to the Palatinat through Holland where they were received and regaled all along their passage being accompanied by Prince Maurice as far as Colein 1614. The never sufficiently lamented death of Henry the great one of the bravest Princes that ever wore the Crown of France was like to put Paris and all France into great tumults for the prevention whereof the Queen-Mother was declared Regent of the Kingdome and Lewis the thirteenth succeeded him at the age of nine yeers being consecrated at Rheims and all this great preparation for war was dissipated either because the Kings design was not known or else to say better because it could not be executed except the reserve of ten thousand men who were sent into the Dutchy of Gulick under the command of Marshal de la Cateres as we have lately expressed Now some time after all these embroiles and perturbations both in Bohemia and Austria were past the Emperour Rodolph either through vexation and trouble or otherwise Death of the Emperour Rodolph the twentieth of January 1612. for death hath alwayes a cause departed out of this fraile life to the immortall one He was son to that good Emperour Maximilian whose steps he followed He was a lover of sciences and chiefly of the Art of Painting He passed his time much in distilling he was fearfull and by consequence little undertaking and little feared by his enemies who knowing his nature did many things to the diminution of the Imperial Authority He died at Pragut in the year 1612. upon the 20 th of Ianuary The Empire had no need of a distillator but rather of a good Operatour to act powerfully against the ill plants which cast forth strong roots both under him and his successour and which have given so much pains and troubles to the Empire CHAP. XIV The Warre between the Danes and Swedes the reasons why Colmar taken Charles dies The Queen-Regent purchases a double Marriage in Spain The Town of Aix or Aquisgrane taken and Newburgh relieved by Spinola Chules Duke of Sudermain and afterwards King of Sweden sends an Embassadour into Holland CHarles Duke of Sudermaine took the Crown away from Sigismund his Nephew and possessed his States quietly enough but there rose a huge warre between him and the King of Denmark who very much disturbed his rest and whereof in his complaint of King Christian he takes the Jesuits for the Authors They are the Atlases who must bear upon their shoulders all kinds of Calummes and Detractions They must swallow down the faults of others He had had many conflicts with the Polanders and had tried the various effects of Fortune But this of Denmark touched him so much to the quick that they two came from complaints to brawles and reproaches and thence to the lye yea and at last to desie one another A strange thing that men disapprove in others what they do themselves Charles a little before had sent an Embassadour to the States-General to beseech them to make a close Allyance
design drawn from those revolutions Luther writes against the Pope The Rebellion of the Peasants in Germany Page 24. CHAP. XV. The Anabaptists at Munster The Reformates in France A change of Religion in England by what means The King repudiates his wife The Queens Speech He makes himself Head of the Church Luther writes to him His miserable death Page 10. CHAP. XVI Queen Elizabeth banishes the Catholick Religion out of England again by degrees The Protestant Religion goes into Scotland under the Bastard Murrey who swayes the Scepter It is called the Congregation fortified by Queen Elizabeth and the Hughenots of France Page 29. CHAP. XVII Religion gives divers pretexts causes jealousies The Latin and Greek Religion Page 32. THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I. THe Queen and the States refuse peace The Arch-Duke returns from Spain Henry polishes his Kingdom makes war upon the Duke of Savoy Page 34. CHAP. II. King Henry gives his sister in marriage to the Marquis du Pont. Marries Mary of Medicis wages war against the Duke of Savoy The Enterprise of the said Duke upon Geneva Page 35. CHAP. III. The Jubily Biron put to death The Battail of Flanders La Burlotte killed Rhinbergh yeelds Page 37. CHAP. IV. The Siege of Ostend Maurice endeavours to surprize Boisleducq besieges Grave and takes it Page 38. CHAP. V. Peace between the Spaniards and the English King Henry establishes the Jesuits Father Cotton hurt The war is carried on about the Rheyn Page 41. CHAP. VI. The difference which happened between Pope Paul the fifth and the Republick of Venice and why the peace is made The Duke of Brunswick endeavours to surprize the town The King of Denmark goes into England The continuation of the war in the Low-Countries Page 42. CHAP. VII The taking of Ringbergh The mutiny of the Spaniards The Siege of Grol raised by the promptitude of the Marquis The first overture for a Truce rejected Page 44. CHAP. VIII The defeat of the Spanish Armada The Enterprize upon Sluce failed The continuance of the Treaty Spinola arrives at the Haghe The Treaty being broaken again is renewed at Antwerp where the Truce is made for twelve yeares Page 46. CHAP. IX The State of France The King goes to Sedan Troubles in Austria and Bohemia A Conjuration discovered in Spain and the Mores banished Page 48. CHAP. X. A brief description of the Kingdomes of Spain and France Page 50. CHAP. XI The King of France arms The Spaniards do the same All is full of joy and fear He is killed His education Page 53. CHAP. XII The difference which happened about the Dutchy of Juleers or Gulick Iealousie between the Catholicks and Protestants why A tumult at Donawerdt an Imperiall town about a Procession Gulick besieged by Prince Maurice and the French yeelds The Princes will not admit of a Sequestration Page 56. CHAP. XIII A tumult in Poland and why They suddenly arme The Swedes and Muscovits serve themselves of this occasion against the Polanders who loose Smolensko Treason discovered in England The troubles at Paris appeased Rodolph dies Page 58. CHAP. XIV The war between the Danes and Swedes the reasons why Colmar taken Charles dies The Queen-Regent purchases a double marriage in Spain The town of Aix taken and Newburgh succoured by Spinola Page 60. CHAP. XV. The differences which happened in the United Provinces Barneveldt is beheaded and the Religion of Arminians condemned King Lewis humbles the Hughenots and reduces Bearn Page 62. THE THIRD BOOK CHAP. I. THe Prodigies which preceded the wars of Germany A description of the Kingdom of Bohemia Ancient differences about Religion The warres of Zisca compared to this Page 66. CHAP. II. The Bohemians take Arms and why All the Princes interest themselves in this war Ferdinand elected Emperour Page 69. CHAP. III. The following of the war of Bohemia The Battel of Prague Frederick flies and forsakes the town together with his people Page 71. CHAP. IV. War against the Hughenots and why A new difference betwixt the House of Austria and the Venetians Page 80. CHAP. V. The War of Austria of Lusatia of Moravia and of the Palatinat Page 76. CHAP. VI. The War of Transylvania The King of Poland treacherously wounded War between the Poles and the Turks Page 78. CHAP. VII War in the Palatinat Tilly beaten takes his revenge and defeates the Marquis of Baden The Bishop of Halberstadt makes himselfe known in Westphalia is beaten passes with Mansfeldt through Lorraine and incamps before Sedan Page 73. CHAP. VIII The continuance of the war betwen the Polanders and the Turks The Tragical end of young Osman The Death of some Lords Page 82. CHAP. IX Sadnesse in the United Provinces for the ill success of Fredericks affaires The war begins again between them and the Spaniards Gulick and Pape-mutz yeeld themselves Count Henry suspected and why Page 83. CHAP. X. Berghen is besieged Mansfeldt and his Bishop beaten by Cordua come to succour the Hollanders The Duke of Boüillous death and a summary of his life Spinola quits the siege Mansfeldt goes into Freezland The third war in France Page 85. CHAP. XI Of the Swissers and Grizous and their Government The fall of a Mountain Soubize breakes the Peace The death of the Great Priour and of the Marshal of Ornano Page 88. CHAP. XII Mansfeldt seeks succour every where puts an Army on foot again The marriage of the Prince of Wales with a Danghter of France after his returne from Spain Page 91. CHAP. XIII The siege of Bredà Enterprises upon Antwerp Page 93. THE FOURTH BOOK CHAP. I. The war of Denmark The Allyances of the Kings of England France and Denmark as also of the States of Holland against the Emperour Page 96. CHAP. II. The prosecution of the second war against the Hughenots The Peace is made by the intercession of the King of England the Venetians and the Hollanders War between the English and the French and why The beginning of the third and last war against the Hughenots Cardinal Richelieu makes himselfe known admired and feared The siege and reduction of Rochell Page 99. CHAP. III. The following of the war of Denmark unfortunate to the Danes Wallenstein besiedges Stralsund in vain The peace is made Page 103. CHAP. IV. The war of the Peasants or Country-people of Austria Page 105. CHAP. V. The death of Prince Maurice and of the King of England The siege of Groll The state of Lorraine The Jubily at Rome Bethleem Gabor makes war against the Emperour and obtaines peace Page 106. CHAP. VI. Gustave King of Sweden attacks Broussia or Prussia The Imperialists succour the Poles Truce is made for six years Page 108. CHAP. VII The siege of Boisleducq or the Bosse The Imperialists under Montecuculi joyne with the Count of Bergh who enters the Velaw The taking of Wesel Page 110. CHAP. VIII The following of the last war against the Reformates in France The Duke of Rohan makes his peace All the Townes stoop and throw down their
States to have the total administration of them This man being eminently ambitious hoped to come to be Pope by the recommendation of the Emperour The story of Câ—â—â—inaâ— Wollâ—y But seeing himselt frustrated of his expectation he turned his hate upon him whispered the King in the ear that his marriage with Katharine of Spain Aunt to the said Emperour was incestuous because she had formerly been married to his Brother O! How great is the wickednesse of such as have for saken God to serve their ambition and revenge This Prelate who ought to have framed the reformation of abuses and opposed Heresies since himself held for such all the Doctrines which checked the Pope was not content with so much honour and wealth as he enjoyed without seeing the Emperour thrown down and buried under the very ruins of that Church the Religion whereof he professed with so great Majesty and under the Purple of so great luster The King intangled in love with a young Lady newly come from the Court of France and disgusted with the Embracements of that most veâ—â—â—ous Princess his Wife was glad of this scruple and sollicited the Pope to grant him a Divorcement upon the aforementioned reason But the Pope temporizes and sends in sine his Legat to examin the matter The King and the Legat sir the Queen being summoned appears and in presence of the chief of the Kingdom makes a Speech in Latin to the King which is able to move a very rock to compassion How is it possible Sir sayes she that after having lived almost twenty yeares together in great concord and having had so many children as we have had it should now come into your thought to repudiate me Your Brother Arthur fell sick the very first day of our marriage and some dayes after dyed I take the great God and your conscience to witness that you found me a Virgin And if you are resolved to separate me from your Bed expect at least so long as till I may have advertised my Nephew Charles thereof to the end that I may know how to behave my self in this affliction since I can hope for no support in the equity of my cause here where you are Absolute King If I have offended God since I have been your wife it has been in being a little too curious to please you Ah Vertue This is not the first time that thy adversary endeavours to suppress thee Thy luster is too bright not to dâ—â—le the eyes of the wicked This poor Princesse in this tribulation had this imperfection that in regard Nature had been sparing to her of her rich gifts of beauty she had had recourse to innocent Art thereby to draw her Husband from the levities to which he was too much inclined as well by his own naturall Passion as by the attractive Charms of his fair subjects Her Speech being ended which produced but faint pitty in the soul of the King and some of the Auditory she retired her self together with her Daughter into a private House where the spake thus to this ambitious Cardinal who came to her in behalf of the King to intreat her to yeeld to his will It is thou said she O wicked and disloyal Minister who returnestâ—â—s this recompence To my Nephew for not advancing thee to the Holy Chayre and to me for not being able to suffer thy impudicity and naâ—ghtâ—â—esse The King divorced himself from the Church of Rome because the Pope would not condescend to his demand and from his Wife by whom he had alwayes been so respectfully loved to conjoyn in publick marriage with Anne of Bolein The King leaves his Wife an I the Church of Rome The Cardinal died in the year 1530 being not long before deprived of all his employments and fallen from the favour of his Prince which he had preferred before that of his God as he restified by these words full of christian and holy repentance which issued our of his dying mouth Ah! I would to God said he I had taken so much pains to serve my Creatour as I have done to serve my Prince He put into the Letanies From the tyranny of the Pope good Lord deliver us whose authority was abrogated thorowout the whole kingdome and the King by Act of Parliament declared Head of the Church of England He seized upon the possessions of the Church by the advice of Cromwell and some others who all ended their dayes unhappily Takes away the possessions of the Clergy He also bestowed part thereof upon the nobility for fear of commotion He hanged such as refused to subscribe that he was Head of the Church as aforesaid and condemned the protestants to the fire In fine after having crushed the Church and lived like a tyrant he died miserable and little regretted by his people Sir Thomas More that great Heroe fell under the rigour of his command and so did an infinite number of other noble persons Luther seeing him in ill tearms with the Pope and encouraged by the King of Denmark very humbly beseeched him Luther writes to the King and receives an affront by a letter which he wrote to him to embrace the doctrine of the Gospel but he received such an answer as he little expected namely that he should forsake his apostacie and his wife and return to his Monastery Now the Church of Rome seeing her head disclaimed and his authority banished out of England felt her self much shaken as well by Peter Martyr as orther Protestant ministers in such sort as that Edward Edward establishes the Protestant Religion son to the said Henry having taken the reines of the English Monarchie had no great trouble to throw her quite our and fixe the Protestant But he dying very young and Queen Mary succeeding him she had an intention to pluck up this tender plant and re-establisheth the old doctrin which yet could not recover its full strength before it was exterminated again Young trees by being re-planted get vigour but old ones wither and dye CHAP. XVI Queen Elizabeth banishes the Romane Catholike Religion again by degrees That of the Protestants passes into Scotland under the bastard Murrey who swayes the Scepter It is called the Congregation and is fortified by the above said Queen and the Hugenots of France QUeen Elizabeth who during the life of her sister Mary feigned her self a Roman Catholike and was like to lose her life by giving some suspicions of her being a Protestant being raised to the royall Throne forthwith unmasqued her self and began to treat of the meanes how to annull the one and revoke the other which was easie to be accomplished For the ignorance of the Priests was great the desire of their possessions greater and the curiosity to check a Religion full of ceremonies which few could solidly defend greatest of all It was represented to the People both here and elsewhere that the doctrine was falsified and in no wise congruous with that of the
command Now this expulsion of them together with so many Colonies as the Spaniards have in the Indies and an infinite number of other Islands hath much dispeopled the Continent of Spain and greatly retarded the progresse The cause of dispeopling Spain which this Warlike Nation might otherwise peradventure have made upon her enemies And this was very well foreseen by a certain Spanish Don who told King Philip the second that the transportation of the Natives would one day be the ruine of Spain But before we passe any further let us speak a word of this kingdom the power whereof is so great that it gives jealousie to all the States of the Universe CHAP. X A brief discription of the Kingdoms of Spain and France SPaine is separated from France by the Pirenaan hills and from Affrica by the Levant or Eastern Sea which communicates it self with the Ocean by that considerable passage called the streights of Gibelatrar The Romans made two Provinces of Spaine and in those two desperate sieges of Segungum and Numantia as well they as the Affricans tryed the constancy and courage of the Spaniards from whom they received great services in their armies So that it is not now onely that they are valiant souldiers The Goths enter into Spaine 168. The Goths Sweves and Vandals after they had ransacked the Empire made choice of Spaine for the seat of their domination as being very proper to command both Europe and Affrica They entered about the yeer 168. and remained in possession thereof more then four hundred that is till Rodrigues with almost all his nobility was defeated by the Saracons who were brought in by a certain Earl in revenge of the honour of his daughter whom the King had ravished Vengeance is against Christian Religion and yet this young Lady made her own native Country a prey to the Barbarians They maintained themselves there above seven hundred yeers as well against the French as the Spaniards themselves who endeavoured to expell them In precedent ages there were numbered about twelve Crowns or Kingdoms which were all reduced to one by Ferdinand and Isabell in the yeer 1474. except that of Portugal which being subjugated by Philip the second both by armes and right of succession hath been peacefully possessed by him and his heirs till the yeer 1640. when the Portugezes withdrew themselves from obedience to Philip the fourth and chose for their King the Duke of Bragaâ—sa under the name of John the jourth It was in the reign of the aforesaid Ferdinand The Indies found our under Ferdinand of Castill that the Indies and many other Islands were found out the riches whereof hath much augmented the potency of Spaine and made her aspire as her enemies say to the Monarchie of the whole world Philip the iv King of Spaine Now besides tho reasons aforementioned why there are so few inhabitants in a Country of large extent there is yet another which is this Ferdinand and Isabell having finished the Warr with the Moors resolved to expell the Jews also out of the territories under their obedience who transported themselves into Affrion Italy the Levant and Portugal The Jewes vanished out of Spaine and Portugall from whence they were likewise chased some yeers after And besides the women are sterill enough especially towards the south and again the warrs which their Kings have so long had in Germany Italy France and the Low-Countries not forgetting the infinity of Garrisons which they are obliged to keep to containe their people in their duty have so much exhausted Spaine that the King hath given great freedoms and immunities to such as have five or six male Children Yea moreover strangers are invited to come and dwell there under profitable conditions provided still that they be Romane Catholicks for the Inquisition suffers no other Religion then that Now this Inquisition so much cried down and reviled by other Nations was instituted at the first for the rooting out of the Mahometisme The Inquisition and Judâ—â—sme though it now extend it self upon all such as give but the least suspicion of not adhering totally to the definition of the Church of Rome If the said Kingdom were as well peopled as France the King would have made farre greater conquests then he hath and would not have been forced to expose his money and his armies to the infidelity of some strangers In fine the King of Spaine hath so many Kingdoms so many Provinces and so many Islands in all parts of the Universe that it was with good reason that a certaine great person in the yeer 1624 refuted Sleidan concerning the four Monarchies in these tearms Philip the fourth who now reigns saith he upon whose lands the sunne never sets is more potent then was any one of those Monarchs for the continuance of neer four score yeers together This nation walks slowly to conquest but she keeps well what she hath gotten She is tardy to resolve but she stoutly pursues what is resolved She is not frighted at the encounter of any difficulties and accomplishes her ends for the most part by pertinacy and obstinacy She foresees afar off and never looses either patience or hope howbeit that length of expectation makes her often loose good occasions She doth marvels under an Italian Generall which was observable in the Prince of Parma Marquis Spiâ—ola and others The Spaniards constant and haughty This proud Nation better understands the art of governing then all other and she hath in her some witts so subtle and acute that her very enemies themselves who hate her are fain to praise her And now let us come back againe over the hills to take notice of the complexion of that brisk Nation her rivall which hath often stopped her victories in the heigth of their course both in the Low-Conntries Germany and Italy France most populous France is a most large most rich and most populous Kingdome divided from Italy by Savoy and the Alps from High-Germany by Lorraine from England by the Sea and from Low-Germany by Luxemburgh Hennanlt Artoise and French-Flanders The Romans who subjugated the Gawles and distributed them into Belgick Câ—ltick and Aquitanick were beaten out by the opinion of some Authors by Cloâ—â—â—s the first Christian King about the year 500. The Francks passed the Rhein under Pharamond the first King Clodion went not beyond Cambray and was forced to return by Stilicon Aetins cut off his Army made him repass the Rhein und hurried him back in Francony-Meroâ—e laying hold of the advantage of the confusions of the Empyre took Trevers passed into Campagne from thence to Paris and then to Orleans and so then and there began to establish the French Monarchy giving to Gawl which he had conquered Gawl takes the name of France the name of France This kingdom by succession of time hath been been very much augmented and hath soon raised to the Throne Royall two and twenty Kings of the
an obstacle to the Arms of Spain then for any other consideration Brief the Army marches into the Field under the conduct of Spinola Aix or Aquisgrane stooped and the Romane Catholick Magistrates were re-established Mullem was battered down and Otroy taken besides many othes places where there was no Garrison of the united Provinces for fear of a breach The taking of Wesel seemed to countervail that of Gulick swelled the hearts of the Spaniards and made those people know that their Masters should have but a seeming Government as long as these puissant forces stayed in their States But if they had relyed upon the judgement of the Emperour it is likely that these misfortunes had not happened At that troublesome and vexatious Treaty of Santen all the Princes layd open their Interests the Leaven of partialities about Religions began to swell the Deputies went away discontented leaving the Businesse imperfect the occupated Townes retained their Ghests and the two Princes learnt to their own cost what many other had tryed before them CHAP. XV The Differences which happened in the United Provinces Barnaveldt beheaded and the Religion of the Arminians condemned King Lewis humbles the Hugenots and reduces Bearne THE Peace without the united Provinces had shut up many turbulent and seditious humours within them which not being able to get out hatched some very dangerous tumults Commotions in the united Provinces The precious names of Peace and Rest were both odious and insupporatable to them We often flye from that which is advantageous to us and follow that which is hurtfull The first was at Alâ—mar the second at Liewerden and the third and most perilous at Vtrick where some of the bolder sort of the Mutiners fortified by a huge crew of their Caball constrained the Magistrates to abdicate their charges and chose others in their places who were most of them the Heads of their sedition But this sicknesse requiring a more violent remedy then the first Lepitives and the Town threatned with a siege all grew to be appeased and the Garrison augmented Disputes about Predestination Yet this was nothing in respect of that mischief which arose from a controversie in Divinity concerning Predestination and some other Articles annexed to it which like a thick Fogge so blinded all the Inhabitants that it left not any use of light at all to any but to such as served themselves thereof to theâ—â— own profit The two Champions who by their Sermons and Disputes divided all Holland into two Factions were Arminins and Gomarus Such as followed this latter who ardently maintained the said Predestination were called Contra-Remonstrancers and the other Remonstrancers of Arminians who were said to professe a Doctrine disagreeing from that of John Calvin This was too high and difficult a passage to be comprehended by the common people and so it brought with it nothing but confusion Yet the Dispute ended not with the life of Arminins but was more and more kindled by his Disciples and chiefly by Verstius who upon the Recommendation of the Remonstrancers was made Professouâ— From Disputes came Factions and Vorstius was deposed by the threats of the King of Great Britain In brief every one takes arms for his own defence They of Harlem Leiden and Vtrick by the counsell as was reported of Advocate Harnaveldt raise forces Prince Maurice hastens surprises Vtrick disarnis the Citizens and changes the Magistrates a remarkably action as he also did at Harlem and Leiden where they had barricaded the Town-House and imprisons the chief of the Arminian Faction But the Ministers notwithstanding all these proceedings ceased not to dispute not the Printers to set forth Books concerning this controversie Wherefore there was a Synod convocated at Dort where the Arminian Doctrine was condemned the Ministers who persisted in it imprisoned and some were banished and sought their abode in Holstein and other places Barnaveldt beheaded The great States-man Barnaveldt formerly much cherished by King Henry of France and greatly renowned for his services done to the Common-Wealth and chiefly for having drawne out of the clutches of the English the three places engaged to Queen Elizabeth as also for having made divers Embassies and sweated under various burthens of State finished his life by an infamous punishment This man being about seventy two yeares old was accused of being Head of the Arminian Faction of disturbing the tranquility of the Townes and checking the authority of the Prince whose power he wished indeed to see lessened thereby to secure the publick Liberty In sine there was a rumour scattered that he should have had a design to usurp the Government of the Common-wealth They who were of his party for proof of his innocence represented the greatnesse of his services and cares to maintain the power of the States And yet howsoever all his friends melted as it were like snow before the Sun of the Princes Authority and one of the most famous Writers of this Age sayes that he was condemned in the name of the States but by the practices of King James and Prince Maurice There is nothing sure in this world and the greatest fortunes are very often those which are upon the slippery top of their pracâ—pice If all they who are ambitious to go out of their condition to get up to another more clevated and high would but represent to themselves the disasters and misfortunes which we see fall upon those great persons they would have no other desire then to stay where they are The Treaty of the Truce which by his advice was made for twelve years against the reasons of Prince Manrice who being a souldier and for his own interest endeavoured to break it purchased his disfavour and his very great credit his hatred besides his disswading the Warre of Bohemia together with what we have just now said and many other accusations abbreviated his life for some dayes When Jupiter chides all the rest of the Gods are silens Hugo Grotius went to keep company with the other Ministers who were prisoners at Louwestein though by the prudent cousel of his Wife he brake quickly off from it afterwards Thus was this mist which threatened the Common-wealth with a dangerous convulsion dispelled the Churches employed by the Contra-Remonstrancers only and the Arminians reviled and disclaimed as no better then half Traytors by the very dregs of the People But really the blamable treason of the children of Barnaveldt who breathed nothing but revenge of their Fathers death was the cause why many retired themselves from this Party which for a time was much discredited It King Iames on the one side ardently prosecuted his destruction King Lewis sollicited his deliverance as hotly on the other and would scarce give ear to the multitude of excuses which was brought by the Embassadours for so passionate an execution Howsoever all these changes were not able to change the happinesse of these Provinces the popular Tumults growing by little and little to slacken
Conspiracies and in fine open seditions The Emperour being busie about the Coronation of his Cousin caused his Embassadours to rebuke the priucipall of them as namely the President Slauata Iarislae Bazite and Philip Platore who without the knowledge or consent of his Imperial Majesty had convocated such an Assembly But they having having by-like forgotten the rank and quality they held or else desiring warre fell upon these persons who were sacred by their Commissions tumbled them down from the top of a Tower through the windowes expelled the Iesuits dismissed the Kings Officers from their charges which was to attack both Church and State and took up arms against all such as should endeavour to impugne this insolent kind of proceeding The Emperour labouring both by Letters and fair Propositions to remedy these disorders was already gone very farre in it and it is likely would have accomplished it had not the despaire of some withdrawne the most moderate persons amongst them from continuing the Work But in the interim Deâ—th of the Emperour Mathias the Emperour died leaving it to Ferdinand to untangle this inrricate and troublesome bottome This Prince had worne the Imperiall Crown about six hundred yeares he had sometime governed the Low-countries though with small authority but as it were only by form and more in title then in effect He was religious and gentle and beloved by all such as loved the peace and quiet of the Empyre Ferdinand elected limperom Now the Electours met at Frankefurt and chose Ferdinand to bear the most illustrious but most painfull burthen of the whole Universe And therefore let us see him go weakly enough accompanied to finish the War of Bohemia the cause and pretexts whereof we have already demonstrated The Bohemians under the Counts de la Tour and Mansfield Natural sonne to Count Ernest so well know in the Low-countries raised very puissant Armies contemn Ferdinands Remonstrances deprive him of the Crown as a Tyrant For such are all they whom powerful factions have a mind to suppresse give out that he was not lawfully Elected and fortify themselves with Alliances and succours On the other side the Pope Italy Spain and Poland will not suffer Ferdinand to perish The beginning of the warre whereof he seemed to be in imminent danger by this tempest without speedy relief for his ship leakes on every side and the wind of this Conjuration will infallibly sink both him and the Catholick Religion with him if he be abandoned by his Allyes The Arch-Duke Albert sends him the Count de Bucquoy attended by the flower of the Walloon and Luxemburgh Gentry Of Bohemia The Bohemians though amazed to see so many potent States interest themselves in the preservation of Ferdinand lose not their courage and resolve to adde politick craft The Wectour Palâ—time chosen by the States of Bohemia to open force They draw to their party the Silesians and Moravians keep their Intelligences in Austria and all Germany present the Crown to the Duke of Saxony and then to the Duke of Bavaria though with visible dissimulation and refusable conditions and last of all to Frederick Prince Palatine who by the advice of some Lords who yet basely deserted him afterwards accepted it Since he had married the Daughter of a King he might very take a Crown which was so freely offered him and so he was Crowned with his Sonne at Prague CHAP. III. The prosecution of the War of Bohemia The battail of Prague Frederick flyes and forsakes the Towne together with his People THus we see the Match made and the Game a playing between Ferdinand and Frederick the House of Austria and the Palatin and the Christians divided For almost all the Roman Catholicks either in inclination or effect espowsed the Party of Ferdinand and all the Reformates and the most zealous Lutherans that of Frederick These after their prayers to God for the defence of the Gospel and those to the same Authour of all good and to all the Saints for that of the Church The King of France was sollicited by both parties but he contented himself with sending thither the Duke of Angoulesme to mediate a reconciliation Let us note here such as declared themselves for King Frederick The united Provinces of the Low-countries by the sollicitation of Prince Maurice who disposed the States to this Alliance contrary to the opinion of Barnavelds who wished them was not to meddle at all with it And it is held that this opposition of Barnaveldts so greatly offended the Prince that he ever afterwards looked upon him as his enemy and so at length it grew to be partly the cause of his fall It is alwayes dangerous to cheok the Grandees and to crack nuts with them Christian Duke of Anholt John Frederick Duke of Winâ—â—â—bergh Maurice Landgrave of Hassia John Ernest Marquis of Ansbach and some Imperial Towns also together with the people of England for the King could never be induced to help his Son in Law alleadging that he had no right to the Crown For Ferdinand besides the aforementioned Allyes were leagued the Dukes of Saxony and Bavaria together with the Ecclesiastical Electours Souldiers were listed every where and the Rendezvous Bohemia the Theater of this fatall warre The principall Heads were the Duke of Bavaria with Monsieur de Tilly his Lieutenant Generall the Count de Bucquoy and Generall Dampiere On the other side the Duke of Anhok the Counts de la Tour and Mansfieldt Now these latter being sooner prepared then the other and having subjugated almost all Bohemia marched into Austria and besieged the Emperour in Vienna Bucquoy hastens thither routs Mansfeldt Vienna besieged Mansfeldt beaten and forces La Tour to raise the siege Dampiere enters the City with the Horse intending to chastise the insolence of the Citizens towards the Emperour their Master who yet vouchsafed to pardon them The Count de la Tour faced about and marched towards the Capitall City of the kingdom to divert the storm which threatened it But in fine after some encounters favourable to the Emperour and the Duke of Bavaria being entered with his Army into Bohemia and having reduced such as were gone astray into the right path of obedience the two Armies met and resolved to finish the disterence by a generall Battail the price and reward whereof was the kingdom of Bohemia Anholt pitched his Camp upon the White Alountain near Prague intrenched himself and performed the charge of a great Captain The Imperialists inflamed by the Remonstrances and Exhortations of Father Dominick a Carmelit Fryer slighted the dangers and difficulties which there were to come to an Onset in regard of the situation The Poles and Wallons began the skirmish which was followed by the whole Army and the Hungarians not able to sustain Prague receives the Conquerours as also all the Kingdom or withstand their attack basely gave ground and disturbed the Orders of the Generals in such sort as that the
Camp being suddenly staggered after the resistance of some Regiments the whole Body fell into confusion and such as could save themselves got into Prague There perished more by water then by the sword and the terrour was so universall that there was no other thought left for the conquered but to flye towards Silesia King Frederick not daring to trust himself in the Places of strength which remained nor yet to his new Subjects neither retired speedily towards Breslaw where entring into conference with the States of the Countrey and finding neither forces nor safety to stay there he put himself upon the way towards Holland This Generall Decision fell out upon the eight of November 1620. the very day upon which was read the Gospel of Give Casar that which is Caesars and God that which is Gods And indeed it was manifested by the Augures or Signes from heaven to whom Godthad determined to give the victory The number of the slain and drowned was very great as being related by some of the most moderate writers to have amounted to six or seven thousand The Conquerours lost but very few of theirs but Count Godfree of Papenheinâ— was found lying amongst the dead so extremely wounded that he could hardly declare his own name But his hour was not yet come as being reserved for exploits which were to fill the whole distent of the world with his glory The number of the prisoners was not equall to that of the dead the City being near enough for the retreat of such as were timely spurred on by fear Prague being abandoned by the principall Heads of the Party remained the price of the Victory The nest was there but the Birds flowne The Duke of Bavaria after this Master-blow retired himself to Munâ—â—ken leaving the Command of his Army to Monsieur de Tilly and the rest of the Businesse to the Conquerours who quickly brought all the Places of the kingdome to the Emperours obedience One and the same cause often produces very different Effects The Bohemians being of the race of them who had defeated so many Armies not only with the sword but even with the very noyse of their names fighting now for the same Cause and upon the same pretexts obtained not the same good issue It is true that those others had to do with people who in respect they had lived long idle in peace had not any knowledge or understanding of armes and these here with men who came out of a School where Mars praesided where the best Lessons were taught and where experience had made them Captaines Let us now return into France CHAP. IV. Warres against the Hugenots and why A new difference between the House of Austria and the Venetians THe Hugenots not being able to digest the reduction of Bearne which was performed more by the venerable luster of the Kings Majesty then by that of the sword which remained unsheathed and fearing to be one day overwhelmed by his good successes through the instigation of their good friends the Jesuits discovered their distrust A second warre against the Hugenots by Assemblies in divers parts of the kingdom and last of all at Rochell where all the Churches met to consult and provide for their Businesse The King being informed that this Generall Convocation of theirs without his knowledge and permission too visibly checked his Authority that that which he had granted them at Londun proved prejudicial to him and that it was to his Grace and not to Arms that they were to have recourse gave them to understand his Royall Will which was that they should separate themselves within a few dayes under pain of the crime of High Treason But in vain They whose courages are so inflamed by the clattering of Arms as to hold it for pleasant musick are not to be terrified by threats They send their Deputies to Paris to make protestation of their fidelity and excuse the necessity of their affaires But the King required nothing but obedience and so he advanced his Troops towards Saumur which was delivered him up by Monsieur de Plessis Saint Iohn d' Angeli after having suffered some Attacks implores the Kings pardon Benjamin Duke of Soubise comes and casts himself at his Royall feet and promises him to wear his sword no more against his service though afterwards he quickly forget that promise The Walls were demolished upon which the choler of Lewis the just was stopped and his elemencie extended upon the Inhabitants This good successe made him resolve to march into Gascony nor did a whit disanimate the Gascons who had determined on the other side to sell their liberty at as dear a rate as they could Many Townes were constrained to humble themselves to the victorious Arms of their Prince The women were often seen most desperately fighting upon the Breach of the Walls and really if the chief of the Party had shewed as much stability as the Common people did zeal the prize had not been gotten so good cheap nor their Republick the foundations whereof they were suspected to have already laid so easily destroyed The prosperity of this vertuous Prince together with the promptitude he used to surprise the Hugenots before they could have meanes to put any considerable forces into the Field facilitated to him that which could not be denied to his justice and since hath declared that his will was to command his Townes and not the consciences of his People for the Hugenots who put all their confidence and security in the fortifications of theirs were at length constrained to rely only upon his Royall Word His exploits against his Subjects of the Reformed Religion are amply described by many Authours and therefore it suffices me to take notice only of the course or Current of them insert the misfortunes briefly follow my way and return with him to Paris there to hear his victories sung by the one and see the displeasure done to the other The siege of Montaubanc The liedge which was laid before Montaubanc a Town of superlative strength at the beginning of Autumne was raised by the great resistance of the Besieged seconded by continuall raine and diseases which much afflicted and diminished the Kings Army not without the losse of many brave men The Dake of Mayenne killed as the Constable de Luynes and the Duke of Mayenne who was lamented most of all Now these two Lords who had most excellently acted their parts upon the Stage or Theater of France and danced a Gig Round most different in cadency to one another as they were of a very contrary humour so had they likewise a very distinct death And in regard that all the most tragical and most memorable accidents which happened are found annexed to their lives we will succinctly passe through them The Castle of Amboise gave the beginning and the Birds laid the foundation of the fortune of Monsieur de Luynes Reletion of the life of the Constalle Luynes His credit glittered
by the death of the Marquis d' Ancre and by the return of the Princes leagued against the said Marquis and his greatness by that of the unfortunate wife that unhappy Favorite whose Possessions and Goods were liberally bestowed upon him The death of the Marquis d' Ancre by the King He was killed by his Majesties command and by the counsell of this new Minister just as he was entring into the Loüure and his Body torne in pieces by a people which thought it self going into a Golden Age after this Execution And his VVife His wife who had been the companion of his Greatnesse was likewise to be so of his disaster and fall She was cast in prison and notwithstanding she baffled and eluded the vanity of the witnesses who accused her of magick or witchcraft she was neverthelesse condemned to suffer a shamefull death upon the Market-place of Greve Her Exccution caused pitty in the soules of some contentment in others and amazement to strangers the eyes of whose understandings were not dazled by the clowds of passion For it was a strange thing to set a Lady upon a base and infamousscaffold who had been but a little before with so much power and greatnesse at the Court Ah false and treacherous Fortune How much gall dost thou hide under thy honey and how many treacheries under thy favours No marvel if thou destroy what thou hast made since thou overturnest even Kings and Kingdomes themselves which had taken their foundations from the hands of the Almighty himself This tragical Beginning being brought to his desired issue Luynes counselled the King to banish his Mother from the Court whom he knew to be in implacable indignation against him Her Exile which was taken for a Retreat the advancement of his two Brothers companions of his fortune and the total and entire disposal of the favour of the good King cast him into the hatred of the people which he could not faile to inherit as well as of the Queen and into the aversion of the Princes who took his government for a pretext of their discontentments and for a cloak to disguise their interests From the quality of an ordinary Gentleman he rid Post as it were to honours and was created Earl and Viceroy of Picardy Duke and Peer of France and within a very short time after Constable In fine all smiled upon him every one adored this Golden Calfe yea even they who if they could have gotten him in their power would have crushed and shivered him to pieces To secure himself from the Queen-Mother he procured the deliverance of the Prince of Conde but common necessity obstructed the course of his greatness though it hardly extinguished the hatred which all the French bore him and left him but two friends who caused his miserable Body to be secretly interred for fear lest be should receive the same treatment of him whose place he had taken O short felicity full of troubles disquiets cares and vexatious apprehensions O vain Glory so much hunted after so much envied and so dearly and painfully bought how deceitful is thy end O vain Honours How are you steeped and drenched in gall And how different from those which are prepared by Eternity for us On the other side Prince Henry was beloved almost throughout all France as well for his great vertue as for the open hatred he carried to the Constable ended his dayes upon the bed of honour before Montanban for the Catholick Faith and for the restauration of the Authority of his King and the whole Kingdom His life He was son to the deceased Duke of Mayenne so well known in the History of the precedent Age to whom France had this obligation that she was not dismembred and crippled during the fury of the cruell Warres Whilest he courted the Widow of the Count de Soissons she moved both him and the Duke of Nevers 1614. to this pernicious Warre to whom the Prince of Conde and the busie Duke of Boüâ—â—lon joyned themselves also which kindled by some certain Princess who respired nothing but vengeance and terminated by the prudence of that most wise Queen at Saint Menehout He retired from the Court for the hatred he bore to the Constable and followed the party of the Queen-Mother 1620. together with other Princes in regard of the ill treatment she received His choler caused him to commit a great fault before Moissac in Quercy whereof the of a frank and open humour without dissimulation such as is fit for a Prince and not for a Courtier He was also free to speak and deliver his opinion and very courteovs to his inferiours much more intense upon the ruine of the Hugenot Party then upon prolonging the Warre as many have done for their own proper interest In fine a Bullet sent him to his grave put the Army in disorder France into mourning The mourning of all France for his death an end to so many brave exploits which which will cause him to be eternally hurt to the siege of Montaubane and to the fear of the Hugenots who called him the great Butcher and the tears interrupted by sobbes expressed the true love which all the Orders of France really bore him and which was besides most amply decleared by the elegant Orations made at his Funerall The newes of his death being divulged at Paris so much moved the Common-people that they cast themselves upon the Reformates and fired the Church of Charenton yea and the mischief had yet gone further had it not been prevented and stopped by the Queens and the Lords of the Parliament Some dayes after the Pontan Change in English the Exchange Bridge and the Pont des Orfebures in English Goldsmiths Bridge were likewise set on fire with inestimable loss for which the Reformats were much suspected by their enemies thereby to revenge themselves of the affronts which had been done them for vengeance is sweet But much more diligence was used to finde out the riches which was fallen into the River then the cause of two such disasters However it be the Warre grew hot the next year after and the King made himself Master of the Isles St. Martin d'Oleron and Bronage After some small victories gotten upon the Duke of Rohan and his Brother The Peace made at Montpeillier 1622. A Tumult at Paris against them of the Religion The Peace made the Peace was concluded at Montpeillier by which the said Towne more by force then by inclination returned to her duty and all the party which had been attacked by many Armies throughout all the Provinces after frequent losses began to respire and shewed that it was no more invincible This Peace separated the Navies hindered the Duke of Guise from prevailing upon his advantage and the Fort Lewis built upon the Haven of Rochelle gave subject to renew the War as we shall hereafter shew The Venetians to procure reparation of the dammages received from the Croats 1617.
Crosse on the side and the Half-Moone on the other CHAP. VI. The warre of Transylvama The King of Poland treacherously wounded Warre between the Poles and the Turks BEthlem Gabor having made an allyance with Frederick and seeing Ferdinands forces employed in Bohemia began to consider not onely of making a powerfull diversion but also of winning a Crown We have Ambition and we shall also quickly find Religion He raised a great Army under very abstense and farre-fetch'd pretexts thereby to puzzle and baffle such as had power to resist him This man for a fine beginning oppressed Gabriel Batorius his Lord by the assistance of the Turk and so being grown Master of Transylvania and propped by the Ottomans he possessed it in the quality of Prince thereof He made a League with the Archdukes but seeing them entangled in dangerous Wars he pricked up his ears and raised a potent Army to seize upon the Kingdom of Hungarie Convenience moves men to break ally ances as well as necessity and good successe covers the injustice of the Cause or at least urges the doubt that if Right be to be violated it ought to be onely to winne a Crown War of Transylvania In fine he secretly armed took occasion by the fore-lock and cloathed the Lyon with a foxes skin He got possession of Cassovia before the people thought themselves in danger They whose affections he enjoyed were discovered by their Religion The Romane Catholicks and such others also as had any resentment of their duty being frighted some armed Gaber takes Posen and others fled He took Posen under the title of Prince of Hungarie marched to Vienna and joyned with the Confederates to besiege the Town But the Polanders having defeated his Troops which remained in Hungarie Is declared King of Hungarie made him return and mould his businesse after another form so much did he stand in awe of the King of Poland though he went backwards onely to leap the better For he obtained a Truce which he quickly brake proclaimed himself King by them of his Caball entered again into Austria and if Fortune had not turned her back upon the Confederates in Bohemia it is very likely he might fully have accomplished all his pretentions and ruined the said House of Austria it self There is something wanting we rise either too early or too late The Emperour was shut up in the Town and constrained both to hear and suffer the insolency of some seditions Citizens which was repressed by the Count of Dampiere who departed not long after towards Posen with intention to surprize it but he was killed by a Musket bullet Dampiete killed He was by birth a Lorrain had done the Emperour many most considerable services and was much deplored by the whole Patty Bethlem finding this thorn out of his foot and having bought the amity of the Turk with money brake the Truce but his Letters by which he invited the Tartars and wherein he gave them testimonies of what services he would perform to the Grand Signior at the cost of the Empire and all Christendome by allying himself with the Turk being intercepted he disobleiged the prime Lords of Hungarie who cast themselves into the Emperours armes and fell upon Gabors forces and handled them almost as ill as the Polanders had done the year before The Count de Bucquoy in Hungarie Hereupon the Count de Bucquoy entered into Hungarie took many Townes and amongst others Posen it self and the Tartars coming to relieve Gabor were cut in pieces by the Poses under the command of that great Captain Cotqueviets The Emperour had run great hazard of loosing the Kingdome of Hungarie Is killed had not Fortune saved it by the death of the brave Count of Bucquoy who attempting to repulse the Hungarians when they sallyed out of Newhewsel was layd upon the ground with no lesse then sixteen wounds He could not more generously surrender his soul nor finde a more illustrious bed of honour to crown the greatnesse of his actions had not his souldiers so basely forgotten their duty His A my disbands it self and disbanded themselves so ignominiously For they might by carrying the body of this Mars with as much reason have expected to winne Victories as the Spaniards did by that of their Rodrigues but after the losse of their Generall they found themselves without pulse life and motion And so we may easily think how sensible a losse this was to the Emperour and all his family to whom he had rendered so potent services Thus by the death of this one brave Captaine Fortune changed and the Conquered became Conquerours They who before were reduced to a meer feeble and fearfull defensive Warre regained courage and returned to besiege the places which they had lost But Fortune lighter then the winde made Bethlem know how necessary it was for him to make Peace and Ferdinand desirous to remedy so many evils as surrounded him on every side easily suffered himself to be induced to it by his own naturall inclination And so upon the restitution of the Crown and the relinquishment of the Title of King the Peace was made and Arms laid down for a while though Gabor never cast off the desire of moving nor the hatred which he carried to his Lord the Emperour The King ' of Poland hurr Now since we are gotten so neer Poland let us deliver that which hapned there in the year 1620 The King being at Wartsawe where the Diet was held and going into the Church upon the fifteenth of November a Gentleman gave him two blows with a Pole-axe upon the head and another on his shoulder which very much endangered his life But the Parricide received his reward and the King was heard by the standers by with a faint and feeble voice to pronounce these words What said he do the Polanders learne of the French to kill their Kings Let us go hence till we shall first have related the subject for which Osman the Emperour of Turkie with an Armie of above four hundred thousand men attempted to swallow up all this puissant Kingdome which was this The Waywood of Walachia being revolted from the Grand Signior and calling in the Poles to relieve him was attacked by the Tartars and Turks who in the first fight having the worst and in the last the best of the day the Waywode was killed and the Polish Nobility defeated and this Victory so much inflamed the heart of the Great Turk that he shamefully banished the Poland Embassadour from his Court and declared a war upon the King Fortune is the Mistresse of young Princes for by good successes Osmà n attacks Poland she fills them with temerity to destroy them CHAP. VII The warre in the Palatinate Tilly beaten revenges himself and defeates the Marquis of Baden The Bishop of Halberstadt makes himself known in Westphalia and is beaten passes with Mansfeldt through Lorraine and incamps himself before Sedan THe prosperous progresse
other purpose then to make the constance of the Townsmen admired augment the story of King Lewis the Inst and elevate that of the Cardinal above the Stars A very great and most acceptable Victory to France had she remained in the same liberty which she enjoyed during the potency of this Town A most damnable victory to the House of Austria which the French themselves accuse of having then forgotten her interest A victory which ruined and brought to a full stand or Non-plus all that Party which divided the Kings Authority A Victory which gave that great Cardinal one half of his honour and upon which he founded the highest and most constant power that ever any Minister had to the ruine of many most illustrious Families and old Priviledges the confusion of all Christendom and even of his own great Benefactresse her self Now since the English had rather hindred then furthered the Party and were accused of being the cause of this irreparable losse a resolution was taken to seek to some other support elsewhere and so an Embassadour was dispatched into Spain to represent to that King that interest he had to keep this Party The Duke of Rohan deâ—â—ands siâ—â—cour in Spain and to beseech him to send mony only and to remember the King of France's Allyance with the Hollander whom he maintained with as much heat and zeal as if they were his own subjects and of his own Religion Whereupon the Spaniards by the permission of the Counsell Conscience resolved upon it thereby to give as many vexations to the King of France within his kingdom as they received from him in the Low-countries But the said Embassadour The death of the Negotiatour or Necessitator though a subject of the King of Spaines was taken and condemned to death by order of the Parliament of Tholosa his innocence founded upon the action of a publick Minister serving him for nothing however this Decree were censured by such as had not their eyes vailed by passion and who could speak freely of it without danger Makes his peace with the King and all obey King Lewis discovered all their plots and prevented them by the prudence of the Cardinal and having made but a slight peace with the said Duke he fell with his Army upon the Vivaret surprised Privas and took it by open force chastised insolence by putting all to sword treated well the Townes which submitted and assured them of the free exercise of their Religion Upon this the Duke had recourse to his clemency and he graciously embraced him and augmented his Pension Castras Niemes and some other places which might have given a long trouble also submitted without any other punishment inflicted upon then the demolishment of their new Fortisications which Commandment was of hard digestion to them of Montauban who were nevertheless disposed to obedience by the Cardinals presence and the force of his eloquence who alledged that the King could not endure any fortified place in his kingdom And so in fine they stooped and with regret enough brake down that which gave the jealousie which could not be obtained from them by violence and the noise of the Canon Time ripens all things and that which in the precedent Age was judged impossible hath been found feasible in this The end of the Hughenot Party This was the end of the Hughenot Party in France which had given so much labour and toyle to the Kings and so divided their jurisdiction It took birth from the doctrine of Luther and Calvin passed infancie under Henry the second got vigour and strength under Francis the second grew to strong youth under Charles the ninth and Henry the third through the favour of the Princes of the Blood enemies to the power and authority of the Dukes of Guise and by the valour of the King of Navarre It obtained free Exercife and some Townes of safety under Henry the fourth and remained quiet and without commotion out of respect and reverence to so great a Prince But under Lewis the thirteenth finding it self abandoned by some of the principall Heads it began to stagger and at last vanished quite away in such sort as that though the Religion be still there there is yet no formed party and the root of the ambition of the Grandies who under the shadow of Religion did very often disturb honest people on both sides is quite cut off Their distrust which is called the companion of safety which they conceived they should not be able to find in the Kings word made them often importune the Queen-Regent and the marriage with the Infanta of Spain a Nation which they abhorre above all other made them joyn to the Prince of Conde to hinder it which much hastened their disgrace The King being declared Maâ—or recovered Bearn more by veneration then by force and more by the brightnesse of his Majesty then by that of his sword He was the pralude of the first warre speeded by their Assembly at Rechel Father Arnour and counselled by Father Arnour who was preferred by the Duke of Luynes to the direction of the Conscience and partly also of the favour of his Majesty But as the said Luynes made the Fortune of this able â—esuit so did he also soon unmake it thereby to free himself from the jealousie it gave him Saumur The taking of Townes Saint Ieand ' Angeli and a great number of other Towns Burghs and Villages fortified were taken with incredible successe There was no more left then Montauban which forced the Conquerours to retreat and in some sort dimmed their Triumph The year following produced the Kings constant resolution to be obeyed and to punish the revolted Towns the reduction of Moutpeillâ—er and the Peace which followed by the counsell of the Constable d' Edignieres Edigniereâ— This Lord being of a mean extraction grew to be elevated to the highest Charge of France through all the degrees of a souldier His life and had heaped up a huge deale of treasure Not with standing his Belief which was the same of the Reformates he alwayes kept his faith inviolable with the King and was by consequence but little loved by the most zealous of the Party Makes himself a Catholiâ—â—â— A little before his death he embraced the Roman Catholick Religion as having promised it in a frollick to Urban as soon as he should come to the Pontificat The second warre made the Hugenots loose the Lordship of the Sea The third being begun with the assistance of a stranger was consummated by the direction of that potent Cardinal and so the whole conduct of that great Vessel was restored into the hands of the just and milde King Lewis Let us go into Hungary to see the end of the fickle and busy Gabor CHAP. IX The Death of Bethleem Gabor Ragoski his Suceessour The Marriage of Ferdinand the third with the King of Spain's Sister The death of Gabor BEthleem Gabor growne wise by
so many losses inviolably kept the Peace and maintained himself in amity with the Emperour till the coming in of the King of Sweden who being his Brother-in Law would easily with his arguments have perswaded him to take up Arms again had he not been prevented by a dropsie which drowned all his smoakie ambitions together with his life and deprived the aforesaid King of a man who would yet according to occasions have much tormented the Empyre and whose life deserved no more admiration then his last Will and Testament did For he bequeathed the Emperour forty thousand Ducats His Testardent and a brave horse with a saddle embrodered full of Pearles and precious stones to his sonne Ferdinand the third as much to the Emperour of Turkie as much to his wife Katherine of Brandenburgh a hundred thousand Rix-Dollars and a hundred thousand Florins besides three Provinces The Execution of the said Testament was recommended by him to the Grand Signor the widow and Transylania to the Emperour And this was the end of that Gabor who was so much renowned who so often re-incouraged them of the Party when they groaned under the Emperours forces and who was so soon beaten down by his own inconstance or rather by the unhappinesse of the said Party Ragoskie having bribed the Embassadour whom the widow sent to Constam inople was created Duke of Transylvania She opposed him and called her Tutour the Emperour to her assistance who sent her the Palatin of Costonia Ragoskie brough an Army into the Field His Successour by deceit is often beaten which was defeated and he in great trouble to raise another which had the same successe of the former as wel as which followed Thus finding the Cross too strong for him he looked towards the Mâ—on Three Bashaws came to succour him who were all beaten one after another by the aforesaid Palatine In fine since he had no better issue by Arms then his Predecessour he was fain to have recourse to the same practises and follow the same steps Wherefore he desired peace with Stephen Gabor brother to the aforesaid Bethleem and made him Governour of the Province restored the widow her Treasures and served himself of their mediation Make peace which was not infructuous to him for he obtained peace and Transylâ—ania remained under the Emperours protection Let us now go to the wedding of Ferdinand the third This Prince being destinated to wear the Crown of the Empyre as well as that of the Kingdomes of Bohemia and Hungary sent to demand the Infanta Mary Sister to the King of Spain who was granted him The King her Brother accompanied her to Barcelona where she embaiked for Italy The marriage of Fordinand the third passed by Naples and made her entry at Vienna with so great pomp and gallantry that there could nothing more be added to augment the splendour thereof Before her arrivall her husband was Crowned Emperout at Ratisbone shortly after at Posen Let us leave them with all the joyes of the Court at Vienna and return into Italy to see a warre of Catholick against Catholick CHAP. X Warre in Italy about the succession of the Dutchy of Mantua wherein the Emperour and the two Crownes took part THe difference The warre of Italy for the Dutchy of Mantua which chanced about the succession of the Dutchies of Maentua and Monferrat embarassed all Italy awakened the ambitious jealousies of those two potent nations and so much exercised them in warre that it proved partly the cause of the entyre breach and desolations which followed In the year 1627 the twenty sixth of December Duke Vincent deceasing without Children the succession fell to the Duke of Nevers who received it and praecipitated his inauguration or investure without the knowledge of the limporour who is the Lord of Fief or Supreme-Heredirary thereof The Spaniards more through jealousie then by right or title took Arms as the Duke of Savoy also did for an old pretension he seazed upon many places in Monâ—ferrat and they besieged Casal O interest of State thou Idol how powerful art thou and how many mischiefs dost thou cause The apprehension which the Spaniards had of the Dutchy of Milan made them undertake this warre and hasten the Peace in the North. The Duke of Nevers put good Garrisons into the most tenible places and joyned with the Venetians who could not endure that the House of Austria should make any further progresse in Italy and shut up the gate to the French Ferdinand commands them to lay down Arms but is not obeyed The Emperour desiring to extinguish this sire by a remedy just enough though a little too suspect sent his Embassadours to injoyn both Parties to lay down Arms and in regard that the Duke of Nevers had not first demanded his investure in due form to remit the said Dutchies by way of sequestration into his hands that so he might proceed therein according to Right But he was obeyed here just as his Predecessour was at Gulick For the Duke rejected the conditions endeavoured to succour Casal and cut in pieces the forces which opposed his generous designe The King of France in the mean while was busie at the siege of Rochell which seemed long to the poor Duke who found himself oppugned in his lawfull succession by the Spaniards Succour from France the Savoyers and the Imperialists and that without hope of any strong relief from France The King dispatched away Marshall of Crecquy in Autumne and he went into the Field two moneths after the reduction of the Town which was in the heart of Winter The Duke agrees The Duke who conceived that the said Marshall marched too slowly and that he would busie himself about the taking of the Marquisat of Saluces and make a warre in Savoy changed his maxime promised the Emperour to obey him and to receive his Garrisons into the Townes and consequently sent his son the Duke of Duke of Rhetell to Vienna to make protestation of his obedience and innocence The Spaniards however much harassed and tyred by the frequent sallies of the besieged the length of the Siege and inundations of the Po disapproved this Treaty and to their own dammage continued the said Siege The Emperour sent other Embassadours to command observance The Spaniards continue the siege at Casal But Dou Cardâ—â—â—a who during these intrigues hoped to carry the place pressed it hard lent a deaf ear to the Emperours ouder and dispatched a Envoy or Messenger-Express to Madrid Nevers being irritated beyond measure to sind himself thus treated and that that the equity of his Cause was combatted with so much injustice and animated on the other side by seeing his King slight the rigour of the season to come and ayd him turned all his thoughts to warre The King of France passes by force through Savoy and makes them rise The Duke of Savoy refused the King passage but he got it by force defeated his
the King of Denmark and all the Protestants of his Party after having so often chastized Bethleem Gabor destroyed the dreadful revolt of the Peasants of Austria and pardoned such as were too deeply ingaged in the Prince Palatines patty who was deprived of his Stages and fled for resuge into Holland and after the death of Mansfeldt and his faithful Bishop the Emperour resolved She complaints of the Catholicks to satisfy the complaints of the Roman Catholicks who demanded justice upon such as by usurpation detained many Possessions and goods after the contract of Passavia For being the Head of justice he could not deny them and the Bishops are as well members of this great Body as the other Princes but it was to move a stone which threatned the fall of the whole building It was represented to him that the Prorestants had very ill observed the Peace and that the Catholicks had not dispured with them what was already granted them by the said contract however it were done by force and for the establishment of firme repose but that they not being glutted with those Prebendries had leapt beyond their bargains and against the Signed Promise violently ravaged and taken many other But we must not keep our word with Hereticks Who must be upbraided with this maxine he who sayes it or he who does it The Emperour upon mature deliberation finding the equity of the cause slighting the danger which yet was most vilable for he went about to shock the Electours Princes States and Towns of the Empire who would not suffer such dainty bits to be plucked out of their mouths with out contesting and hazarding all even though they were forced to call in strangers A command to rander all eccle siesticell goods taken after the Controll of Passavia Wherefore upon the sixth of March 1629 he sent a most expresse command from his good City of Vienna to all the Princes and Towns of the Empire forthwith to restore all ecclesiasticall Lands or Goods seazed or occupated after the composition of Passavia upon pain of losse of all Pâ—â—viledges Rights Immunities and the Imperiall Eccommunication The Thunderbolt which falls before the feet of the travayler doth not so much astonish him as this sentence did all the Protestants But before we passe to this disasterous War let us see the motives and reasons of both patryes I have already shewed upon what Right the Emperours command was grounded There son why the execution whereof was assured him to be facil enough by so many victorious Armies which it would be no less then evident temerity for them to oppose since he had already ventered to expel the Heriticks out of his own Haereditary Countries had brought the sedition of the Peasants to a good issue But the occult causes were that he could not better fix his Authority then by this way in regard that it he would be generally adored and root the Imperial Crown fast in his Family he must needs first resorm and re-establish the Roman Catholick Religion every where That he had a fooring in the Bahick Sea and that since he had so well begun he ought to prosecute and finish That he was obliged to God the Church and the Holy See and that at serves for nothing to undertake without perseverance and the Iron must be struck whilest it is hot c. Now the Protestants found this Command of as hard digestion as the Belgicks or Low-country people did the exaction of the Tenth Penny A hard Proposition imposed upon them by the Duke of Alva Men fight sometimes sayes a learned Writer with more resolution for the Harth then for the Altar Wherefore Pro arri focis it was held sit to oppose it by some Protestation and so they beseeched his Majesty to suspend the execution thereof till it were decided in a Generall Diet. But in the mean while there grew murmuration and grumbling every where the hatred for Religion was renewed and a most manifest aversion of the people discovered The Emperour granted them a Generall Assembly at Ratisbone The Assembly at Rathbone and transported himself thither at the same time that the newes was brought him that the King of Sweden was entred with an Army into the Territories of the Empyre Whereupon the Protestant Embassadours even ravished with joy required not only a Revocation of the said Edict or Command in order to the Ecclesiasticall possessions but also that all might be restored to the same state wherein it was before the Revolt But Ferdinand would not hearken to this for either he must make himself obeyed or leave to Command Hereupon the Embassadors sneaked away And at Leppsick and assembled themselves at Leipsick The Neighbouring nations seeing this alteration were not a little glad to understand that there was a preparation made to give this Majesty a general check in the very foundation and root thereof In a word Leagues and Confoederations were concluded and strangers who by occult wayes helped to fabricate this fire called in and embraced the ambition of Spain not forgotten which aymed at nothing but the Universal Monarchy the Inquisition canvased and the Jesuites as Parricides Incendiaries Enomies to peace and Authours of all sedition coupled The Roman Antichrist carried also his pack by the writings of such as whose whose party was supby the cruell lot of Armes and in fine by all the Protestants The Imperial Majesty it self was exposed to the rage of the people which wished for nothing but a change Yea even the Imperial Townes which suspected that Majesty and which by the licence of the change of Religion had appropriated to themselves all the aforesaid Lands and Goods thrust on the wheel augmented the distrust and offered the profusion of their treasures thereby to hinder the drawing of the principall source thereof It was also alledged that the Princes and States had had ground and cause to employ the Ecclesiasticall Lands and Goods to better uses and that the Priests and Monks lived ill fatted themselves like hogges and gave scandal to the whole world That they had peacefully enjoyed them above sixty years and that such of them as were left them by their Ancestours might be retaken by them to provide for their children In fine complaints reasons and libels were not wanting And after a great wind commonly sollowes rain so all here being disposed they came from words to blowes CHAP. XVII The Assembly of Ratisbone where Frithland is dismissed from his Charge The Allyance of the Duke of Bwaria with the King of France 1630. DUring the Assembly at Ratisbone in the year 1630. Maximilian Duke of Bavaria and Electour made a League Defensive and Offensive with the King of France whereby his Majesty promised to maintain the Electorat in the House of Bavaria and defend it against any who might be so bold as to attack it with an Army of fifty thousand men and he promised the King to succour him
though yet indeed when souldiers are once gotten into a place by force they make no account at all of command But really had they been able to enjoy this victory by an honourable composition they would have been able by the conveniencie of the passage and the Bridge to keep the warre alwayes in Meckclemburgh succour the places besieged and have Westphalia behind them for a little before the taking of this Town they had forsaken the Bridge of Dassaw upon information that the King was coming thither and for fear least he should serve himself of the said passage But however these sparkles incompassed all Germany with a fire which lasted till the year 1649. Change of Religion Commodityes Allyances Situation and Traffick had made this Town very insolent with impunity but the pot goes so often to the water that at length it returns crackt As long as the Relicks of St. Norbert rested there they saved according to the opinion of many the Town from the thunderbolt but after they were secretly stolne way the wrath of heaven fell upon it and crushed it Had not Vlyffes stolne the Image of Minerva Troy had not perished Magdeburgh being lost in her ruins and the poor inhabitants buryed or burnt in their houses nothing was left to the conquerours but a just displeasure to see the desolation thereof Tilly marched with his army entred into Saxonie Tilly goer into Saxonie took many Towns wrote to the Duke and assured him that if he renounced not the League he would compell the Emperour to call strangers into Germany as well as the Protestants had done by inviting the Swedes and all the Princes by choosing Gustave for head of the union and Protectour of the Interests of the said League The Electour was extremly afflicted to see his countrey was become the Theater where all the Armyes were to begin the tragaedie But he was reproached that it was the recompence of the so many and so great services as he had done his Imperiall majesty and that as being a Lutheran he ought to be chased our as well as the rest Wherefore he beseeched the King to make haste but he temporizing and demanding Wittembergh for his retreat he offered him all his Country by which franknesse he gave him so much contentment that he resolved to succour him without any condition at all Before this Gustave worsted Tilly before the Fort of Werben for he suffered him to draw neer him Tilly beaten near Werben under praetext that his Canon was nayled and Tilly having sent spies to his Camp for this effect and understanding that all was quiet conceaved that his enterprize would not faile to succed and so was repulsed with much losse and a little after he lost yet three Regiments more whereby he was taught that he had to do with a man who was neither Novice nor Apprentice and that he must dispute lustily to get any advantage upon him But he was not aware that his mifortune followed him to closely and that his thirteen years Victorie was to be shortly contaminated by the losse of one only Battail a Battail I say which overthrew the house of Austria destroyed so much and so great progresse and exposed the Catholicks to great afflictions Lansbergins foretold There shall come a King from the North who shall cause troubles in Germany Oh Bishops said he how much will you have to suffer c. CHAP. XXI The Battail of Leipsick The flight of the Imperialists The battail of Leipsick the 17 of September 8631 KING Gustave being joyned to the forces of the Electours a resolution was taken to goe and face General Tylly who having the wind favourable and taken the Town of Leipsick incamped himself hard by and stood fast to expect the Armyes of the confederates This Battail wherein were hazarded the Capps of two Electours the liberty of the Princes of Germany the conquests of so many years and the whole hope of the Roman Catholicks was very bloudy and the old bands which had never been scensly gave ground here The Saxons began the Shock or Onser whilest the king enlarged his Camp to get the winde But they withstood it not long before they ran and their very flight made the King winne the Victorie We are taught by hurt and misfortune it selfe is good for something There needed nothing to cause disorder for the Imperialists pursued the Saxons so far that they gave the Swedes occasion to gain with little trouble their Camp their Canon and the Winde and Generall Horne flanking them in their pursuite put them into such confusion that they knew not one another and hindred them from returning to their own Body from whence they had more hotly then wifely unfastened them selves Tilly seeing this rowte gave order for the Canon to be regained whereupon Papenheim with his Horse gave the Swedes two such furious Charges as that had it not been for the presence of brave King Gustave it was likely that they who had alwayes been accustomed to vanquish would also have triumphed now But he exhorting his men both by his Majesty actions and eloquence and a terrible execution being done upon the Imperialists as well by their own Canon as by that of their Enemies their Cavalrie began to fly Tilly followed though he were wounded and thereby gave the lye to such as had impudently published that he was invulnerable by vertue of some certain Characters or Charms If the Imperiall Horse had done their duty as well as the foot theirs the confederates had runne hazard to loose all But the Foot being abandoned The valour of the Imperial Foot fought so valliantly that they were faine to turne the ordnance upon five Regiments which were rallyed and fortifyed a part before they could break them All the Baggage Artillery Munition and sixscore Coulers fel into the Conquerours hands Now who will have forward trust to his own strength and power Who will presume to rely upon the number of his Victories Who will beleeve that fortune can be stopped with a Nayle of Diamant You see that an Army of foure and twenty thousand Caprains that is all old Souldiers were broaken in the plaine and open Field Was iâ— for want of courage or experience By no meanes By whom By Souldiers who understood it better then they Neither shall we finde the cause in the Justice of the Party Least of all for every one thinks he hath equity on his side and besides we must not judge of Right and Valour by ambiguous and underraine events Moreover we are taught by practice that Fortune ranges her self ordinarily with usurpers because they are full of courage and the Countreys they hold of ill humours factions and partialities This bloody battail which was the seventh of September 1631 which was called a Day of blood by the famous Astrologer Horlicins and which changed the countenance of the Affaires of Germany And the news of this victorie which got strength by going unspeakably rejoyced
difference which was between him and the Cardinal and for the Homage he had offered to do it in his own name but not his wives according to the Maxims of the Salick Lawes whereof we have spoken already But these complaints were but pretexts to cover the designe they had to seize upon the Dutchy which is upon the passage into Germany thereby to get a footing there with more facility so that they might be hindered by nothing from conquering the better part thereof For if the Eagle could not be taken whole and alive they were resolved to have some of her feathers at least and so leave her without strength and vigour After Nancy quickly followed all tho rest of the Dutchy under certain colours which offered themselves without being sought And all Lorraine And this Country being thus subdued by his Eminences activity nothing which was on that side of the Rheyn could escape him His wisdom was drvine he disposed of the influence of the Starrs and of this lower world at his pleasure but there was a power infinitly just above him which brought both him and all he had gotten by unlawfull wayes into dust Oh ye Flatterers Plagues of this corrupt Age And you Mercenary Pens instruments of all mischief who have employed all your talents upon the excessive praises of one of the greater persons that ever wore the Purple Why have you not been content to represent his fine actions to the world in a more modest and true style without mingling therewith the contempt of the infinite Essence and of Princes unjustly oppressed Why doe thou accuse of pride and ambition such as repell force by force and seek revenge after they have been attacked Open your eyes to what hath happened and doth yet daily happen and look upon the end It is laid that the good Cause shall triumph at last and you shall agree with me that afflictions will one time be Universall The King of France having given order for the building of a Cittadell to a Town which in apparence was but borrowed put himself upon the way towards Paris and the Duke of Lorraine towards Germany to charge the Swedes neer Hagnenaw The Encounter neer Haguenaw where his Foot ran basely away without fighting at all as his Enemies Horse also did after a furious combat But he with his was not able to force their Foot which defended it self bravely It was here at Andernack a Town seated upon the Rheyn that Monsieur de Rantsaw a Gentleman of Holstein gave a high account of himself and this was the first step whereby he ascended to the dignity of Marshall of France But let us go seek Wallenstein upon the Confines of Poland and leave the French the care of disposing of Lorraine for the expences of their journey into Germany whereof because it is a Land of Conquest every one must have his share CHAP. XXXI Wallenstein defeats the Swedes in Silesia The Colonians or they of Colein retract the Accord made before Nancy The Tragicall death of the said Wallenstein VVHilest the Princes and States which were enemies to the House of Austria rejoyced extreamly to see the Eagle lose her strength under their noses by the weakening of so many Provinces by so much blood-shed by the totall occupation or seazure of all Lorraine and by so many rubs and traverses as the Hollanders gave the King of Spaine who yet like a good Physician defened her with his forces and fortified her His money from the Indies with his Aurum potabile or liquor of life from the Indies it seemed high time to that ambitious General to hatch his pernicious designes for that by so many brave actions as he had performed he thought he deserved to wear a Crown though it were at the charge of his Masters Behold here the most ungratefull of mortalls and the most dangerous of all the Emperours enemies who was likely to have effected alone that which all the rest together had not been able to do Desire of revenge and ambition made him forget his duty and cruelty moved him to undertake this detestable Treason He sent Generall Holck into Misnia who reduced many Towns and even Leipsick it self for the third time but a contagious sicknesse stopped the course of his prosperity and greatnesse He was a Dane borne and a Gentleman that had acquired reputation in Stralsund whereof he was Governour and after the peace was made he obtained the honour of commanding an Army in the Emperours service Galasso passed into Silesia and Wallenstein not being well satisfied concerning the conditions of Peace The Swedes defeated towards Stenaw the 18. of October 1633. followed him with the Body of the Army and employed so much promptitude and addresse that he surprized the Enemies near Stenaw defeated the Horse which was much in number and surrounded the Food which yeelded and put into his hands above six score Colours with all the Baggage and Artillery Whereupon all Silesia instantly submitted and it was firmly beleeved that he endeavoured to bring back the war to the mouth of the Baltick Sea to recall the Swedes to defend that passage by which they entred and sent home their booty But he on the other side did the direct contrary and as if he had been vanquished marched from Pomerania and sent Generall Henry Count de la Tour with Tubal and his forces to take up their Winter quarters in the Emperours Hereditary Lands Which proceeding amazed the Court at Vienna gave the Swedes time and means to recollect and discovered to the whole world what he had hatched in his soul None made any profit of this victory but they of Colein who were much encouraged by it and consequently they declared that they could not ratily the Treaty which they had made with the King of France nor receive any Garrison of his into their City but that he might put four hundred men into Andernach The Colonians will not ratisy the Agreement made with the King of France and as many at Zonts founding their excuses upon the insolence of the people In effect the Citizens being singularly affected to the Emperour memeed both the Magistrate and the Clergy it self to beat them of Town if there were any more speech of changing their Master Let us now shew the tragical end of the ungratefull Wallenstein for since we have already seen the recompence of his services let us also publish the just punishment of his crimes and treasons Biron was advanced to the high dignity of Marshall of France to crown his vertnes and his head was strucken off by the publick Executioner for having plotted against his Master This said Wallenstein whom the Emperour had made Duke of Frithland collected his forces near Eguer in Bohemia gave them three moneths pay and made them take an oath to himself without mentioning the Emperour at all Thus the Impostume brakes ' ambition brought forth Rebellion all was discovered and his practice with the Swedes
finding himselfe decaying employed the small strength he had left upon the care of his foul and the quiet of his Kingdom The death of Lewis the Just He declared the Queen Regent or Governesse of his Sonne the King recommended Cardinal Mazâ—â—â—n to her and then rendred up his spirit to God This Prince alwayes loved Justice and was carried to warre more by the ambition of his Minister then any motive of his own and consequently would have been glad to see a Peace made which he much instanced before his decease He destroyed the Huguenot Party which gave jealousie and obscured his Majesty after which he assisted the Duke of Nevers in his succession to the Dutchy of Mantua seazed upon Lorrain made an Ally-ance with the King of Sweden and all the Protestants against the Emperour and waged warre both against him and the King of Spain under the pretexts which we have already recounted The Bâ—â—tail of Rocroy glorious to the French Don Francisco de Melo went to besiege Rocroy 1643. with a most gallant Army but having declared the Duke of Alburquerque a young Portuguese Lord Generall of the Horse he so much offended the Officers thereof that when the French came they would not do their duty but forthwith began to run so that all the Foot was defeated by the Duke of Angnien now Prince of Conde This victory was very great in which Generall Gassion gave a high character of himself and was the cause of the taking of Theonâ—ille And Melo was so much discredited that the King was constrained to call him away and give the government to the Marquis of Castel-rodrigo who kept it till the Arch-Duke Leopold arrived The successe of the Armies was various and if one Party lost a Battail the Allies got another so that there could not faile to come a totall mine CARDINAL MAZARINE Rgoywood focit P Stent excudit These were two of the most memorable Battails of our Age the one whereof hapned in the moneth of May and in the beginning of the raigne of Lewis the fourteenth given-by-God by the conduct of the young Duke of Angulen and the other towards the end of November under that of the Duke of Lorrain and they may be compared to those of Leipsick and Nortlinghen After this glorious Victory the French treated with him but without any fruit at all For he had been once at Paris to be jeered and he would returne thither no more but with forces to take his revenge Wherefore he marched back to the Low-Countries took Falkenstein a strong place in his way and left the command of the brave Army to Francis Baron of Mercy who after having taken Rotweil went and besieged Vberling a place of importance upon the Lack seazest upon before by Stratagem for want of good Gard but it yeelded now upon composition for want of Victuals sower moneths after In the meau time the Garrison of Brisack mutinied for want of pay and whilest the disorder lasted there was found a certain Marchant who offered about fower hundred thousand Rixdollers but General Erlach by his care brake this bargain and punished five or six of the Authours of the sedition General Mercy having fayled to retake Hoheniwiel by treaty left it blocked up by five Forts and went to attack Friburgh and Brisgaco where we will leave him till the valliant Duke of Anguien came and disolodged him and see in what tearms the Swedes are We said that Generall Torstonton having been compelled to raise the Siege from before Friburgh marched and planted himself upon the Elbe General Counixmarck slept not in the interim but skipped up and down to and fro with so much speed and activity that he always surprized his Enemies and never returned without booty Crackow was sent into Pomeranid to make a diversion but he had not the wit to faise the Siege of Domitz not resist Connixmark though enough to runne away though Poland Torstenton went into Moravia where he beat Bucham and came back into Misnid At the beginning of December he entred Holstein with so much promptitude that he was seen passe before Hamburgh when he was thought to be upon the Fronteer of Bohemia The Swedes enter into Hollstein 1643. At that same time came news that Gustave Horns was entred into Scania with an Army of twelve thousand men whereat all the world was amazed and men began to beleeve that the Imperialists would grow to respire by this new War but it proved quite contrary for they made no protis of it at all and the Swedes marched our to earry the terrour to the very Gates of Vienna Let us speak a little of the pretexts of this expedition since the Danes themselves were ignorant of the cause which could not well be found but in the Generall Maxime This the French and Weymariant were beaten and the Swedes gone out of Germany to ingago themselves in a frest quarrel so that the Imperialists had fine sport and did wonders CHAP. XV Of the Warre of Denmark with all the circumstances thereof NEver did Fortune more undertake the Swedish Interest then in this War and never was good King Christian in more danger of being stripped of his States then in this perillous conjuncture It is said that that great Astrologer Ticho Brahe had foretold him that he should be droven out of his Kingdome that he should depart with a staffe in his hand and that this immutable fate should defal him in the moneth of Jannary in the year 1644. I know not whether this report be true but sure I am that the prediction was false though yet there were once very great apparence and probability that it would come to pass For had the Swedes been able to snap the ships and Barks which were in a certain haven of that Province as their designe was to do they would easily have entred into the Isle of Fune and crastily rendred themselves masters of the whole Kingdom at unawares and without striking stroake The war of the Swedes against the Dams But the most premeditated Enterprizes are sometimes hindred and overthrown by a meer matter of nothing for the Soule of great designes is silence and he who knows not how to keep that will never bring any thing to good effect The Swedes fayled not of themselves but God only made them faile The King was strucken with as much amazement at the first notice of this invasion as it a thunderbolt had fallen upon his head and writing to his Resident at the Haghe he commanded him to tell the States General that this irruption seemed so strange to him And why that he would father have believed that the Sky would fall then that he should see the Swedes enter into his dominions But what could move the Swedes to begin a new War having so great a one already in Germany and knowing that this latter endangered the losse of all their conquests yea of their very Kingdom it self For the reasons which they
the most probable judgement is that he was commanded not to advance unlesse the League were first concluded upon the the same terms that it was between the French and the Swedes which it was conceived that the Danes could not refuse in regard that the Emperour came to extinguish the fire amongst them whilest he left it burning at home and for that being leagued together they might restore things to the same stare wherein they were before the warre especially since the interest of that kingdom apart seemed to require it thereby to dessen and abase the Swedish potencie King Christian deceived These reasons were strong and inclined the King to the match but he was not absolute and so the Dunkerkers came not the Imperialists returned and left the business to be mannaged by the Danes themselves who were sufficiently penitent when they heard that their Fleet was beaten by the Swedes to wit six as fair and stately ships as could be made taken and two fired And then the Treaty of peace went slowly and feebly on and La Tuillerie was not so hot as before For much of that which was granted before was now taken off and the King being of a different sense from the States reproached them with the disorder of the kingdom and told them that they were the cause of the ill successe of affaires The Swedes promised themselves no lesse then the Conquest of the whole kingdom since the principal strength thereof which consisted in the ships was very much maimed But the Kings vertue overpowring all his misfortunes he reassembled his whole Fleet before Copenbaghen to preserve the Isle of Zeland made the Peasants work upon the approaches and placed a good Guard to hinder ther the Descent or Disembarkment of the Swedes there which they were every minut projecting The Hollanders who have as much care of their interest as any Prince or Common-wealth in Christendome and who could not suffer the Swedes to be so puissant without betraying them and being morcover satisfied for some affronts which they pretended to have been done them as well in the Sound The Fleet of Holland before Copenhaghen as elsewhere and moved to compassion if there be any in matter of State by the troubles which this old Prince endured sent a Fleet under the conduct of Admiral Witteson who anchored before Copenhaghen and landed the Embassadours of the said Common-wealth The King conceiving this said Fleet to be come to assist his enemies was ready to defend self but the Embassadours moved him to a Peace and resumed the heat which La Tuillerie had left But the Swedes hoping to grow Masters of the whole kingdom and thereby continue the War in Germany the better would not hearken to it till seeing the said Embassadours so much in earnest and interest they suffered themselves willingly to be induced to it The peace madâ— In fine the Peace was concluded to the advantage of the Danes who renounced some Islands gave up some good Holds and King Christian being restored to rest and quiet died like a very good Christian some time after having reigned above fifty yeares He manifested by his death that the Prophecie was false and that Astrologers are men who very often abuse themselves by abusing others There was nothing remarkable in this war by land for the Danes but the generous resistance of the Garrison of Rensburgh which constrained the Swedes to quit that long Siege and the Enterprise of Bromorfund which issued happily for them CHAP. XVI Galasso retires out of Holstein Is ruined by Torstenson neare Magdeburgh The Battell of Lankewits The exploits of the French in Alsatia under the conduct of the Duke of Anguien The taking of Philipsburgh POsterity will not be able to comprehend how the Swedes could make warre in so many parts of the world and from whence they got so many men because though the Kingdom of Sweden be very great yet it is very desert and dispeopled in such sort as that in all these warres there never came sixty thousand men from thence by the confession of one of the Grandies of that nation it self I answer that two Reasons furnished them with so many and so strong Armies The former that almost all the Protestants leagued themselves with them like the Ivie to the tree and most of them believed that in the ruine of the Swedes was included that of all the Lutherans And the latter because Fortune being favourable to them favour turned also towards them principally in regard of plunder It is most certain that in Horus Army there were many women in the habit of men who like so many Amazons performed the actions of brave souldiers so much was the courage of this generous Nation inflamed by prosperity But let us go seek the Armies again Galasso ruined near Magdeburgh Galasso pitched his Camp near Magdeburgh and Torstenson a little above him who so much ruined him by famin rather then by skirmishes that he returned with very few men into Bohemia and his Charge whereof he had very ill acquitted himself was taken from him Coninxmarck one of the most prosperous and dexterous Captains of this Age Coninxmarck in the country of Bremen and another Papenheim in the Swedish Party after having defcated General Enkefurt returned into the Bishoprick of Bremer took Staden Boxtehawdt and all the Country whilest Torstenson marched into Bohemia Who could have believed but that after so great successe as accompanied the Bavarians and the departure of Torstenson with the chief forces the Imperialists would have every where redressed affaires We must confesse what we cannot deny which is that God clearly shewes his power by the disposal of several Governments For it was in vain that they blocked up Ohnitz in Moravia took Wolow in Silesia and made Ragosky some resistance However they put their Army on foot under the Orders of the Generals Goetz Hatzfeldt and other brave Officers to whom Iohn de Werdt joyned with sour thousand men The Battel of Lankow Inbtief a Batrail was given which was a long time ambiguous victory inclining sometimes to one side and sometimes to another General Goetz was slain in the beginning and Iohn de Werdt made so close an impression that he forced the Swades to retyre in confusion The Imperialists thinking the Day was theirs cast themselves according to their custom upon the Baggage where Generall Torstensons wife was who letting them alone awhile fell upon them at length with his reserve and put them all to flight He surprized them loaden with booty charged them off their horses easily routed them and went fighting with them above four Leagues long Unhappy for the Imperialists the 6. of March 1645. This was a most sensible defeat to the Imperial Party for it lest Bohemia as a prey and opened the passage into Morayin and the Empetours Hereditary lands as far as the Danub There were about three thousand killed upon the place four thousand prisoners
fatal to the French as Casal had been to the Spaniards nor was all that great preparation both of men The Prince of Comde in Catalunia and money able to save him from it For thinking to overcome a Place which had in vaine been attacked by two so great Warriers he besieged it whilest Harcourt was at Paris in great esteem where his vertue had already so far triumphed over all such as envyed him as that nothing was wanting but the issue of this Siege The King of Sweden when he was going to give the brave Count of Tilly battel was heard to utter these words If Fortune be against me it will not have been any grent affront to me to have lost against a man who hath alwayes been victorious but if she look upon me with a propitions eye what glory will be due to me for having surmounted a Mars who hath been alwayes invincible Besieges Lerida in vaine This young Alexander swolne with Victories continued the Siege but meeting with the same impossibilities the same disbandings and the strong relief which was near at hand he was faine to with draw himselfe from a place which was so disasterous to the French God hath limited Conquests and therefore let him come back into France Leaves the Country where he was reserved for great affairs For the horrible Change which hapned at Neaples the Comedy mingled with blood and the Tragedy interlarded with ridiculous accidents will not suffer us to stay any longer in Catalunia whether the King sent the Marshal of Schoonbergh who by a remarkable felicity repaired these disasters THE HISTORY OF THIS IRON AGE THE SECOND BOOK CHAP. I The tumu'ts at Naples begun by Thomaso Aniello and why The History of Conradine Prince of Swaveland His death The Sicilian Vespers or Even-Songs The History of Catenesa and of the Tragedies which happened at Naples PEace is an effect of Gods Grace and War another of his just Choler For since Charity is grown cold Faith almost dead and the wickednesse of man universall we must not wonder if the punishment of this present time be extended upon the whole Body of Christendom without exception of Age Sex or Condition But that which is most insupportable is the wicked have the winde in poupe and prosper and as the exhalations are ordinarily drawne from the vapours which offuscate or darken the Sun just so impunity of offences causes this disorder The Kingdom of Naples had been oft enough advertised of a scourge which was prepared for it by that Mountain near it which so often vomited up lumps of fire and sent it snowes of ashes but the Preservatives hindred not the disease The strange accidents happened in the kingdom of Naples in former ages The strange accidents which happened in this kingdom in the twelfth and thirteenth Age make us confesse that wickednesse parricides and perfidies were already known in those times but not so universally as in these For if there were found great vices amongst some great persons there were also found more vertues more piety and a quick and lively Faith in generall through all Christendom But at present Justice is trodden under foot mony does all vertue is made a laughing-stock even by them who boast to have drawn their Origin from it and vice being a la mode or in fashion is esteemed yea many sin rather by example then by inclination in this depraved Age and more to please the vicious then for that they approve of the vice By how much the more the Great ones retyre themselves from the Commons by so much the more do the Commons endeavour to withdraw themselves from their service But let us stay at Naples The infamous death to which Charles of Ainoâ—ü put Frederick Duke of Austria and his young Cousin Couradine the last Duke of the most ancient Imperial House of Swaveland for having sought his own Right which was taken from him by the Pope and given to the said Charles teaches us that this is not the first time that Soveraignes have ended their lives by the hand of an ordinary Executioner and that a good cause hath not alwayes a good issue For the three hundred French Gentlemen who were sacrificed to the spirits of these two Lords and the Torches of the Sicilian Vespers or Even-songs which were extinguished in the blood of the same nation tell us that vengeance hath alwayes been sweet and that it is most dangerous to put an irritated people into fury This Gatenesa from a mean Landress being grown the Nurse of a Prince and afterwards Governess of six Princesses one after another with such an absolute power upon their mindes and chiefly upon that of the last that she grew to dispose of the greatest Charges and Offices of the kingdom and distributed the best part thereof amongst her own children saw her self at last with all her family dragged to the execution Yea a King was hanged at the Grate of a window by consent of his wife and she some years after strangled by a just judgement of the Great Judge These were the miracles or rather the prodigies of those Ages which hapened all in the said kingdom with so many other as make us conclude that usurped possessions seldom pass to the fourth Heyr or else alwayes cause troubles Towards the end of the fourteenth Age this kingdom being revolted from Alfonso of Arragon the States thereof offered the Crown to Charles the eighth King of France who easily got it into his possession and the Neapolitans with the same facility shook off that yoke afterwards for being frustrated of their Charges and recalled the aforesaid Arragonian The French returned thither by the commandment of Lewis the twelfth who ought to share it with Ferdinand of Castill but they could not agree about the spoyles and so Gonsalvo rather by might then right drove them both our It hath been attacked since but not subdued and so remaines to the King of Spain Now the wars being grown hot both in Germany and the Low-Coumtries and the House of Austria finding her self taken to task by so many enemies the State of Neaples was oppressed by so many Imposts or Taxes that that House being strong and vigorous before became so lean and feeble that he could not longer carry so heavy a burthen This mischief began first to operate almost throughout all Sicily where the people constrained the Vice-King to take off the Imposts From thence it passed to Neaples and by that good success made the Ne politans take the same resolution and that by such meanes as you shall forthwith understand The beginning of the troubles at Neaples The tears of the poor peeople the advices and admonitions of some great ones the libells and burning of the Custome-Houses were all able to draw but faint promises of ease without any effect at all Whereupon a certain Fellow of the very dregs of the People who had dyed in the obscurity of his birth had
it is that he is blamed and that upon very probable arguments for not having made peace at Munster for the necessary rest and tranquility of the French and for the superlative advantage of France But Wherefore he did not make Peace he hoped to come to share stakes and conceived that the United Provinces would forsake their interests to follow his passion and his designes But God had otherwise disposed of it Why the Prince retyred himself The Prince of Conde being priviledged by his birth after having performed the Crown such services as surpasse the belief of man after having spilt his blood and exposed his life to so many hazards after having gained so many Battails and forced so many Towns was not able to digest an Imprisoment grounded upon conjectures which the brightnesse of his glory had ingendred in some distrustfull soules It is a great heart-sore to a generous spirit to have any other Guard imposed upon him then that of his â—â—us honour The information which was given him of that designe and then of the attempt projected upon his person as was reported moved him to endeavour to destroy his eneme which not being able to atchieve by almost a generall Insurrection he chose rather to withdraw then to see a man at Court who overshadowed him and made his heart swell with vengeance His Father retyred himself to Brussels The Father to save his honour had retyred himself also to Brussells and depositated his wife in the hands of that most vertuous Princesse the Cardinal Infanta And the Sonne to revenge the affront which he precended to have been done him and for which he could get no satisfaction in France took the same course sound the same protection and the honour to command the Armies The issue will shew us how to judge of the intentions and of the cause by the effects In fine every one would have the superiority and no body would stoop to make place for another For the Citizens of Paris The Cardinal of Râ—tz at the Bois de Vincennes who thought to finde their own interests in those of the Princes seeing the Game in danger to be lost easily disingaged themselves from the affections which they had vowel to them And the Cardinal of Râ—tz And Beaufort with the Duke of Orleans to Blois who had mediated the Kings return to Paris and rendred him superlative service was soon after carried prisoner to the Bois de Vincennes The Duke of Beaufort who had swumme in the affections of the Parisians not finding his safety any more amongst them retyred himself with the Duke of Orleans The reduction of Retel and Bourdeaux 1653. to Blois This last Field began with the taking of Retâ—l saw the Prince of Caâ—â—e with the whole Army in Picardy and the reduction of Bourdeaux God grant that the end therof may produce a peace for which so many people long and earnestly expect It must be looked for from his band for it is only he who can give it in our dayes it is he only who fights for us and who will graciously hear the prayers of his affected people The Duke of Guise returns into France Upon the intercession of this Prince the King of Spain set the Duke of Guise at liberty who was taken in the tumults of Neaples as hath been already said He retured into France but took not his intercessours part because he had not the same interests nor had received the same affronts Before we conclude our work we must passe once more into England to see how that Common-wealth is governed which as soon as it was out of the Cradle sell into a difference with that of Holland which had fought fourscore years for her liberty and in whose preservation the bordering Countries have their interest as we shall forthwith demonstrate The situation of Holland Holland is so situated and her number of shipping is so great that there arrive merchandizes from all the Havens of the world which are transported by the Hollanders to other parts as well by Sea as by the Navigable Rivers which surround it The People are very open and plain and govern their Trade with so much industry craft and cunning I speak in generall that they surpasse all other Nations of the Universe therein Now as the Liver in mans body makes the Chylus or Concocoction and diffuses the blood through all the vaines just so Holland receives the Merchandizes into her bowels and sends them through all the vaines of this world But the Liver being corrupted the body cannot long subsist so the Traffick being spoyled not only this Country but the other also would have too much to suffer Their knowledge in order to the Sea is so perfect and their proevidence so laudable that they seldom make shipwrack The English slight the friendship of the Hollanders All things being well considered it may be asked why that new Common-wealh being yet in her infancy full of danger and in the middle of so many enemies both at home and abroad sought not the friendship of this being almost conform in doctrine with her as also Aristocratical Government To which I answer that two Common-wealths so near one another which have but one and the same scope or ayme i.e. the Traffick are lesse able to agree then Rivals who court one Mistresse or two Neighbour-Kings Religion may do much to animate a people but profit mility and gain carries it quite away There is yet somewhat more for ambition makes face of the Piramide which doth not shew it self and is stolne from the eyes of the most clear-sighted persons Rome and Carihage were in perpetual controversies One of these two Republicks must needs perish to open the passage to the other for the Conquest of the Universe Whe prepare themselves for the war I leave the other reasons to be picked out by acuter wits and say that the States not being able to make any profit of theirs were constrained to lay about them for their own defence and to provide all approaches or Inlets They reinforced the Garrison of the Brill and of Zeland gave order to sit a good number of ships and to raise mony upon the people to furnish the expences whilest the English continued their hostilty But a certain faction flipt in amongst the people by such authours as were enemies to the publick quiet and we will first recount some particular misfortunes The tumult at Middleburgh 1653. was soon appeased That at Dort was yet of lesse consequence The fire which happened to the Town-house at Amsâ—erdam The Town house at Amsteâ—dam burnt 1652. brought some dammage and caused the hastening of that which was already begun to be built The audacity of the Seamen who brought back the vessels which remained in Hitland was repressed by the punishment of some amongst them A small â—â—nult appeased But a rash Commandment more unfortunately executed and which cost the life of some
usually happen about that season of the year withdrew themselves likewise into Harwich and Yarmouth Roades Let us leave them both labouring to repayre their ships without examining the number of the dead and wounded or lending eare to the cries and groanes of Widows and Orphanes which ring even to heaven it selfe in all parts of Europe to see what passed at that time in Guyenne and we shall meet by the way some Vessels richly loaden The French â—â—bes some ships of the Spaniands which Mons. de la Mâ—ilheraye carried in triumph from Spain to Nantes We have told you already that Bourdeaux had recourse to the Kings clemencie The reasons why Bourdeaux yealds the cause of which change was this The length of the siege the Plague Famin and more then all secret Intelligence and the Act of Oblivion prevayled for the King The â—pâ—nish Fleet â—â—rives too late In such sort as the Spanish Fleet which arrived two dayes after the accommodation returned into Spain to see the Admiral thereof beheaded and the Princesse of Condè retyred into the Low-Countries to her husband who after this reduction had no body lest in those parts who sides with him Indeed the tardity of the Spaniards and the proceeding of the Prince of Conty gave France glory and such as knew the affayres of the world matter to examine the reasons thereof All these successes were attributed to the Cardinals prudence who by destroying the Princes Party fortifyed his own and prepared himself to have the King annointed The tumult in Languedock passes like a flash for that tumult of Languedock between the Count of Rieux and them of the Religion which looked as if it would have caused an embarassement proved but a flash and forthwith disappeared so that the troubles were allayed in those two great Provinces and they in condition to see thenceforth no other forces there then they that are usually raysed for Catalunia The heat of the English recalls us speedily towards the North besides there passed nothing worthy of memory in the County of Rossillion After that bloody Navall Battail which makes the haire stand on the heads of such as hear it related and which looked as if it must needs have cooled the courage of these Champions for entring the lists any more which all Christendome beheld with terrour the English were the first who endeavoured to resume the Dance A tempest indâ—â—â—ages the English Fleet. but a horrible tempest arising made them repent their temerity and sent them back to their ports many of their ships being much incommodated In fine these most valorous Sea-souldiers gave the Belgick Lyon so many jerks and â—hogs that almost all the States of Europe foreseeing and apprehending this terrible Power desired to gain their amity amongst which the Swedes were not the last The Swedes make Amity with England to evidence that interest of State was not less near their hearts now then the pretext of Religion was formerly from which they drew so great advantage The Hollanders fearing lest the prosperity of their enemies should make them enterprize somewhat upon them by land as well as by water made the Country people take Arms and keep good Guard every where without neglecting what belonged to the Sea and the furnishing of Ships The Country people take Arms in Holland about which they laboured incessantly But this was not sufficient for they must chuse an Admirall who fell out to be Opdam of the most ancient House of Wassenaer who forthwith transported himself to Amsterdam Opdim Admirall and thence to Texel at the mouth of the North Sea to put all things in good order Eukhayse drawn out of the hands of the Rabble At the same time the Town of Enkâ—sen seated upon the South-Sea seven Leagues from Amsterdam was drawn out of the hands of the Rabble by means of some souldiers who entred very craftily whilest they were all running to the Town-house to heat a Proclamation This tumult was of so dangerous a consequence that it had dismounted the Magistrates but that of the Haghe about the young Prince A tumult at the Haghe and was begun by Children and augmented by some malicious persons who brake the glass-windowes of many houses made the Burghers or Townsmen run to their Arms and the Nobility get on horse-back to stop these petulances which deserved somewhat more then the rod. at Alckmaer That of Alckmaer had the same issue and was refrenated by the prudence of the Magistrates All which seditions had but one and the same Cause and their Pretexts were also very little different Indeed the Red-Lyon had very much to do both at home and abroad by the strength of his enemies Murmur against the States and by disunion of wills amongst his friends and such as were bound to the Helme were not a little exposed to the venimous traducements of evill tongues A tumult in England England felt also some Commotion for want of pay but that was smothered and no body stirred but some certain Seamen some whereof payd the score for all In the moueth of November the Holland Fleet having conducted another towards the Sownd and being fallen too near the Coasts was surprised by a suddain storme which cast many of the Ships so a ground A tempest afflicts the Holland Fleet. that they could not ger off into the Main and many poor Seamen miserably perished about a Musket-shot from the Mountains of Sand so that Fortune treated both parties alike in sight of the Coast laughed at their Enterprises but the more judicious sort of men foreseeing that at long running the Traffick would be utterly annihilated and the ruine of Holland advanced which was so much envied for her riches considered that a Peace though little glorious was better then a thousand triumphs The Embassadours of Holand return into England to begin the treaty of peace again Wherefore the States sent their Embassadours again to London to begin the Treaty for the last time and in case of refusal to tell the English that they would enter into a Confederation against them with some other Princes thereby to bring them to reason The confusion which was made by the plurality of voyces and the roaring of the Red Lyon rung so loud that the most considerate Lord Protector and his Parliament who regorged with booty taken from the Hollanders opened their ears to the Propositions of Peace But whilest these things were in agitation who would have believed but that many should needs be well disposed for the Kings eldest Son For the High-landers in Scotland had taken Arms and had received some from Holland the French spighted at the taking of their Fleet without a denunciation of war arrested all the English Merchants goods in Normandy the Hollanders made a shew of preparing themselves in good earnest for the war which yet notwithstanding they endeavored to shun as most pernicious to them Some beleeved