He may have them at his devotion whensoever He shall have need of them He must make choice of and take into all His Higher Councels two or three of the Religious either Iesuits Dominicans or Franciscans that he may bind the Clergy the faster to Himself and that his Councellours may be the more Circumspect and may in their Determinations have more Authority In all Wars that he takes in hand every one of his Chief Commanders must have an Adjutant joyned to him out of the Clergy for by this meanes the Souldiers will hearken to their Commands with the more Reverence neither is any thing to be done without their being first acquainted therewith But especially the Stipends of all Poor Maimed Souldiers are to be distributed to them by the hands of those of the Clergy for this is the Misery of Spain that they pay their mony and know neither how nor to whom And by this meanes under the Banner of Religionâ— He shall both make the Pope more firm to him and shall also establish his own Empire and so complying with Divine Fate He shall raigne the more happily and be the more Fortunate Neither ought He ever to commend to the Pope for Ecclesiastical Dignities and Preferments such persons as are not fit for the same that so He may have the greater crediâ— with the Pope and that those Persons whose wisedom and parts He hath commended to him may be the more approved and esteemed He must alwayes likewise be making Proposals and laying down the wayes by which the Infidels are to be set upon and he must be earnest with the Pope that he proclaime that all such Princes are worthy to be deposed that shall any way impede or hinder such Religious Expeditions He shall do well also to build Hospitals Almes-houses and the like Charitable Places which as they are profitable and give encouragement to the Souldiery so may they serve also as so many Seminaries both for Souldiers and Artificers for the contriving of Engines for war in which Houses Maimed Souldiers and Engineers may be carefully lookt unto and may also have Indulgencies proposed unto them as shall be shewed hereafter He must also be sure that whatsoever Expeditions He shall undertake they shall be approved of by the Pope that so they may be commended by all Christians and also that the Craft of the Spaniard may be the lesse suspected and that the Pope also himself may be the more ingaged to see the same brought to good effect He must declare also to the World that He conceives the Right of Empire to consist not in Armes alone contrary to the Opinion of the Roman Scipio who being askt by a certain Spanish Commander What Right hâ— had to Spain answered him only by shewing him the Armie he had brought against it but in the Auspicious Faâ—e of Christianitie According to what Iephta answered when he was askt the same question Iud. 11.24 Wilt not thou possesse that which Chemosh thy God giveth thee to possesse So whomsoever the Lord our God shall drive out from before us them will we possesse Whatsoever therefore the Spaniard getteth under the Victorious Banner of Christ it is his own Right And this I speak in reference to the Spaniards Subduing of the New World which is blamed by so many For seeing that the Indians had Violated the Law of Nature the King of Spain invading them upon the Interest of the Christian Religion whose Handmaid the Law of Nature is their Country is his lawful possession in like manner as Moses seized upon the Holy Land after that the iniquities of the Amorites were once grown full So also the Turkes having possessed themselves of Constantinople under the Conduct and Fortune of Mahomet for our sins they possesse it now as their own Right as if Chemosh had given it themâ— But neither are all meanes of recovering that Empire again denied us therefore when as we shall have repented of that sin which was the cause that we lost it namely the Discord of the Christian World For then the Angel of that Empire which now defends and takes care of It not for that false Macon's sake whom It invokes but by reason of the just Judgment of God shall come over unto Us. And these Arguments are of very great moment for the defending or as I may better call it the Justifying of those Expeditions the justice of which Lactantius especially lib. de Iustitia Dei and Cajetan 2â— 2x. and some other of our later Writers understood not But now it seems to me very expedient for the inducing of the Pope to stand wholly for the King of Spain and that the Fate of Christianity may advance His Monarchy if that King Philip would promise the Pope that He whereto the rest of the Christian Princes should give their assent would observe inviolably that Constitution of the Emperour Constantine wherein he affirms That in all Causes and from what Powers and Courts of Judicature soever Appeales may be made to the Tribunals of the Bishops who are called by Him Angeli Dei Gods Angels and Dei terrestres Gods on Earth For when the Pope shall once find this promptnesse and readinesse of Mind in him He cannot chuse but alwaies be a friend unto him Neither can this be any diminution at all of the Dignity of the King for the rest of the Christian Princes will never give their consent hereto without all doubt and so all businesses will be betwixt the Pope and Him onely to be managed But in case that They should also give their assents to this all Causes would presently be put necessarily into the Popes hands so that the King of Spain having united his Monarchy to the Popes He should that way also have Dominion over the rest And that this may not prove prejudicial to him He may erâ—ct some kind of Supreme Councel and Court of Judicature into which there shall be admitted Two Bishops and His own Confessor and Himself also as a Clergy Man shall have a Power of Voting there for as much as the Kings Eldest Son is alwaies to be initiated into the Order of the Clergy and to this Councel there should be liberty of Appeal as from all other Tribunals so from that even of the Bishops also in case they shall oppresse either their own or the Kings Subjects For by this means the King shall in effect be the sole Judge not onely of all other Courts but even of that of the Bishops too as being Himself one of the Holy Order of the Clergy And by this means He shall evade that dangerous opinion of D. Rota who sayes that The Kings Subjects when they are hardly dealt withal by the Prelats may appeal to the Supreme Councel of Spain Which Assertion is certainly both an unworthy and an Heretical one and is of dangerous consequence also to the King for it tends to the rendring Him odious to his people and diminisheth rather then encreaseth His
Authority as we find it testified by daily Experience Or else it may indeed be desired at the Popes hands that it should be so and it may also be declared that the King is willing to yield that in all Causes whatsoever there should be Appeales to the Pope if so be that it may be but every where allowed to appeal first to a Councel of Three Bishops or else that Appeales in all Causes of the Laity shall come at length to the Pope but passing first by degrees through a Councel consisting of two Bishops and the King and so to be referred afterward to a General Councel and last of all to come to the Pope for Appeals from General Councels are very seldome heard of and besides the very Name of a Councel is hateful to the Pope So that in conclusion the determination of all Causes will alwaies rest with the King who by this means shall be a Gainer where he seems to be a Loser CHAP. VII What may be ufrther added concerning Prudence and Opportunity THat Prudence ought in the first place to agree in all things with Divine Fate hath already been shewed it remaineth now that we speak of all the rest of the parts of Prudence and shew whitherto all its Vertues and especially Opportunity ought to be referred for as much as it is the property of Prudence to know how to make use of Occasion We have already also declared upon what Interests and under what Confederacy with the Pope the Monarchy of Spain ought to proceed at least as far as was fit to be committed to writing for the most secret Arcana and Mysteries of State are not thus to be made Publick It is therefore Manifest that the Occasion which the King of Spain hath consists chiefly in this that his Neighbouring Enemies are weak and at discord among themselves touching both Points of Religion and matters of State but his Remoter Enemies are more Powerful so that these if his weaker Neighbours were once overcome seem the more easily conquerable The Spaniard hath besides a Notable Occasion from the Extraordinary advantage of Navigation and by his having Dominion in all places round about the whole Earth in a Circle And it seems to me that the attaining to the Empire of the whole World is a very feasible businesse for Him to bring about if there could be such an Uniting of things together by degrees as I shall shew hereafter according to the General Rules of Politick Prudence Where we shall at length come to Particular Actions examined according to Nearer and Remoter Relations But first of all the Politick Relation of Spain at home is to be strengthened and afterwards the Forrain is to be looked after Thus therefore I proceed on to the businesse CHAP. VIII The Causes by which the Spanish Monarchy may be enlarged and become lesse THe Occasions by which the Spanish Monarchy may be kept up or perhaps be enlarged also are these First of all The Virtue of the King Secondly the Goodnesse of the Lawes thirdly the Wisdome of the Councel fourthly the Iustice of the Officers of State fiftly the Obedience of the Barons sixtly the Multitude and good Discipline of Souldiers and Commanders Seventhly a Full Treasury Eightly the Mutual Love of the People among themselves and toward their King Ninthly Good Preachers in their Sermons speaking for subjection to Kings Tenthly the Good Agreement betwixt his own Kingdomes and the Disagreement betwixt his Neighbours And on the contrary this Monarchy hath these things that may be the ruine of it as First A wicked King Secondly Bad Lawes Thirdly an Ignorant Councel Fourthly Vnjust Officers of State Fifthly a Disobedient Nobility Sixthly the Want of Souldiers and Commanders and those He hath not well disciplined Seventhly Want of Mony Eighthly The Mutual Hatred of the People among themselves and toward their King Ninthly False Prophets or else perhaps True ones that may rise up against Monarchy Tenthly The Discord of his Own Kingdomes and the Agreement among others All which things are Prudently to be considered and weighed seeing that the present Disagreement among the Enemies of Spain and his Power at Sea all over the World have rendred the Attempt not only of maintaining but of enlarging this so great a Monarchy very feasible CHAP. IX Of the King HE cannot govern the World that cannot govern an Empire neither can he rule an Empire that cannot a Kingdom nor he a Kingdom that cannnot a Province nor he a Province that cannot a City nor he a City that cannot a Village nor he a Village that cannot a Family nor he a Family that cannot a single house nor he a single house that cannot govern himself neither can he govern himself that cannot reduce his affections and bring them within the compasse of Reason which very thinâ— no man is able to do except he submit himself to the will of God For whosoever rebels against God who is the Supreme Wisdom against him shall all things that are subordinate to him rebel also and that justly and by the Law of Retaliation which is most just in all both Governments and Actions of Men. Having therefore weighed in onr mind and coâ—sidered all the Ideas and Formes of Humane Government we say that the King of Spains endeavours must be that He may arrive to the Highest pitch of Wisdom that may be For every Virtue is an Affection of the Mind consisting in a certain Mean beyound which if it arise or fall beneath it it comes to be a Vice Now it is Reason that constitutes this Mean And therefore we are to say that Actions alone do not render a man Vertuous but to this purpose there is required also a Natural Inclination in the Person which is derived both from the Complexion of his Parents from the Aire and from the Stars Seeing therefore that the Kingdom of Spain is not an Electtive one but descends by succession I say that the King ought to have but one wife for to have more is contrary to Reason it self which is to be of a tall Stature and she must be both fruitful and Eloquent and must excel all other women in the endowments both of Body and Mind Neither must he look after the Noblensse of her Family only for so she may chance to be barren or may some other waies be not so pleasing to Him and he should be overwhelmed with all those mischieifs that Henry the Eighth was or the Duke of Mantua Whence Francis the Duke of Tuscany might seem to deserve commendation if he had married Blanch only because he wanted an Heir to succeed him The King is likewise to exercise the Act of Copulation with his Queen under a Fortunate Planet onely and after Digestion is finished and besides he must not do this till after he hath abstained some reasonable time from the said Act to the end that his seed may be the more fruitful and when ever he hath any thing to do with his
his Neighbours the Switzers and the Grisons and let Him chuse out of these Nations Thirty Thousand Souldiers to whom He shall in the mean time allow half pay till such time as He shall have Occasion to use them according as the Venetians are wont to do and this Army let him make use of for the repelling of any powerful Enemy assaulting hâ—m But yet lest these people encreasing their numbers should themselveâ— invade the Duchy of Millan which thing we know to have happened heretofore in the time of the Romans I would have this Army to be divided and some part of it to be sent into the Netherlands and another to Naples and there may some of them also be sent abroad as far as the West-Indies that so serving him abroad in His Wars they may at length be all destroyed And certainly should this People but keep at home and not go so much abroad to Wars as they do but should unite their forces together it would be a very easie matter for them to subdue all Italy but now whiles that they serve some of them under this Prince and some under that in their wars there is no great reason to fear any such thing of them However it would be a very good way to divide them as we have shewed and to send them abroad several waies The second thing that the Italians are wont to threaten the Spaniard with is that perhaps They may enter into a League with the Pope and the King of France to the Prejudice of Spain But this conceipt of theirs also the King of Spain may easily elude because no one of them dares do any thing without the Pope and the King of France as being not able of himself to defend himself much lesse to attempt any thing against others unlesse it be by chance and by taking some extraordinary Advantage as the Venetians did heretofore at what time the Popes were at War with the Emperours and when the Transalpines made bold to march over into Italy And therefore iâ— so be the King of Spain have but the Pope on his side He hath no need at all to fear the Princes of Italy neither indeed is there any Change made in any State or Dominion in Italy without the Pope and the Pope alone hath been the cause of all the Mutations that have happened in the Kingdom of Naples And in case the Pope should take up Arms against any Party or against any Common-Wealth in Italy He would presently prove the Conquerour by having recourse immediately to his wonted Helps such as are His giving out Indulgences against it and his absolving the subjects from the Oathes they have taken to be true to the same and by calling in others to His Assistance as Pope Iulius the second did at that time when He Excommunicated the Venetians at which time they were utterly crushed by him Now my Counsel to the King of Spain is that He would yeeld to the Pope and do whatsoever He would have and that He would give His Commands abroad as Constantine the Emperour heretofore did namely that the Pope shall have supream Authority in Last Appeals and so likewise that Two Bishops with the King who then holds the place of a Clergy man be Judges in all causes that shall be devolved unto them by way of Last Appeals And let it be agreed upon betwixt him and the Pope that what Princes soever shall refuse to submit hereto they shall be deprived by their Authority For if some of the Princes of Italy or indeed if all of them should fall off from the Pope the King of Spain who is the Vindicater of the Pontifical Authority being assisted by Croisados and other Aides from the Pope would by degrees ruin them all one after another or else bring them in Subjection under himself and thus whiles he yields to the Pope He is sure to have both His Affections surely united to Him and His power assisting him and he shall withal make himself Maâ—ter of the Princes of Italy's Dominions And this may possibly hereafter come to passe although as matters now stand all that the King can do is to make it his businesse to keep these Princes at difference amongst themselves and to make either the Duke of Parma or some other of them Sure to Him and then He need care but little for any of the rest Let him also give the Venetians the Tittle of being The Fathers of Italy and let him desire of them the favour to have some of the Principal of them sent to him whom he may imploy as Iudges in the Netherlands because that this Nation doth more willingly admit of Italians then Spaniards and of all Italians of the Venetian rather then any other and upon These Venetians so imployed by him let him confer the Dignities of Barons And seeing that it is known to every man that the Venetians are both very Just and also free from Ambition and so the fitter to be made use of if not for the gaining of any New Dominions yet certainly for the keeping of what are already gotten let the King so order the matter as that the Hollanders may be brought to desire Lawes to be prescribed them by the Venetians of which I shall say more hereafter And if by these Arts He could so far prevaile with them as to get them to give over their travelling to Alexandria and â—yria to traffick there and to take up a trade of Merchandise with those in the West-Indies as the Portuguez have done He would by this meanes in time make Himself Lord of the Venetians as He hath already of the Genoeses Now that he may also secure himself in the mean time from the Venetians it would be his best Course to provide himself of such a Navy as I spake of before and He should likewise do well to make use of the Archduke of Carinthia and His Neighbours the Grisons in his wars by this meanes to fright the Venetians the more And besides let him give entertainment to all such persons as are banished by the Florentines or by the Venetians and receive them into his service in his wars and he may do well to bestow extraordinary rewards upon them too that by this meanes he may draw others of them also over to him who may serve under him if neeed be even against their owne Native Country Which indeed was the frequent practise of the Duke of Millan and also many times of the King of France when for the same reason he invited in to him all the Banished Genoeses and Florentines And for the same reason also the Strozza's Piccolominies and the Lord Peter de Medicis might in these our times strike no small terrour into the Great Duke of Florence If therefore the King would have these Princes of Italy to continue at variance among themselves let him take heed how he strikes any fear into them for Fear is the onely meanes to unite them together and
THOMAS CAMPANELLA An Italian FRIAR And Second MACHIAVEL His advice to the King of Spain for attaining the universal Monarchy of the World Particularly concerning England Scotland and Ireland how to raise Division between KING and PARLIAMENT to alter the Government from a Kingdome to a Commonwealth Thereby embroiling England in Civil war to divert the English from disturbing the Spaniard in bringing the Indian Treasure into Spain Also for reducing Holland by procuring war betwixt England Holland and other Sea-faring Countries affirming as most certain that if the King of Spain become master of England and the Low Countries he will quickly be Sole Monarch of all Europe and the greatest part of the new world Translated into English by Ed. Chilmead and published for awakening the English to prevent the approaching ruine of their Nation With an admonitorie Preface by WILLIAM PRYNNE of Lincolnes-Inne Esquire LONDON Printed for Philemon Stephens at the Gilded Lyon in St. Pauls Church-Yard Mr. WILLIAM PRYNNE his premonitory Epistle concerning Campanella's discourse of the Spanish Monarchy To the Ingenuous Reader THou hast here presented to thy serious perusal by an able hand a faithful English Translation of a discourse touching the SPANISH MONARCHY penned by Thomas Campanella a famous Italian Frier and second Machiavel about the end of Queen Elizabeths Reign prescribing sundry politick plots to the King of Spain how to make himself sole Temporal and the Pope sole Spiritual Monarch of the world in general and of England Scotland and Ireland and Holland in particular laid down in the 25. and â—7 chapters by sowing the seeds of division and intestine wars between England Scotland Ireland and the Netherlands eithâ—r by changing our Hereditary Kingdom into a Commonwealth or at least into an Elective Kingship and other policies there laid down to destroy our temporal Kingly Government and by broaching new Opinions and Sects in Religion and by scattering the seed of Schism and division in the natural sciences and promoting the study of Astrology to undermine our Church and Religion and usher in Popery by insensible degrees by Romish Emissaries If thou wilt but seriously peruse these Chapters and compare them with the counsels projects proceedings new models of Government and wars with the Scots and Hollanders of the late Agitators and general Council of Officers in the Army and their Anti-Parliamentary Conventicles ever since the year 1647. till this present thou wilt most clearly discern and ingenuously confess that they punctually pursued Campanella his projects to advance the Popes and Spaniards Monarchy over our three Kingdoms and the Netherlands and reduce them under their unsupportable Tyranny both in Civils and Spirituals wherein they have now made either ignorantly or affectedly such an unhappy dismal progress by subverting our ancient Kingly Government to metamorphose us into a Commonwealth which hath crumbled our formerly united Kingdoms Churches into so many opposite irreconcileable Sects Factions Parties Interests undermining oppressing each other by impoverishing our Kâ—ngdoms destroying their Trades and eating them up to the very bones by a perpetual domineering all swaying Army and intolerable endless Taxes Excises Militia's Imposts Free-quarters and all sortâ— of violences and oppressions and leaving us no legal visible Head Authority Council Parliament Governours Judicatures to which they can flie for protection or advise that unless Gods infinite mercy interpose they are in all probability ready to be invaded overcome and swallowed up by the united forces of these Combined Enemies and to incur that fatal doom which Christ himself hath predicted to every Kingdome and City in our present condition Mat. 12.25 Every Kingdome divided against it self Is brought to desolation and every City or House divided against it self shall not stand Which Campanella laying for his ground made it his Master-piece to set down straâ—agems to divide us and other Kingdoms and Nations against and between themselves to bring them first to desolation by themselves that so the Spaniard and Pope might without much difficulty seise upon them whiles in that condition which imminent danger and approaching ruine we have no probable means left to prevent but by a speedy cordial Christian union between our lawful KING long exiled Head and members and happy restitution of our Hereditary King Peers and English Parliaments to their ancient just Rights and Priviledges according to our sacred Oathes Protestations Vow League Covenant and an avowed future renunciation of all Campanella's Jesuitical Popish Spanish Counsels Plots Innovations dividings which I leave thee to contemplate Concluding with this memorable observation and passage of St. Basil the great in his Ascetica This holy Saint of God being very much perplexed in his mind at the manifold Schismes and vehement dissentions then in the Church of Christ between Christians Bishops and Ministers themselves renting the Church with opinions and practices contrary to the commands of the Lord Jesus Christ and diligently enquiring and much doubting what should be the true cause thereof at last that text in the Book oâ— Iudges coming into his mind Every one did that which was right in his own eyes the cauâ—e whereoâ— is dâ—clared in the premised words In those dayes there was no KING in Israel after some consideration and meditation thereupon he concluded not as a paradox but undoubted truth that the very râ—ason why there was then so great contention and fighting amongst Christians in the Church of Christ was the contempt of that great true and only KING of all Men whilst every one departed both from the doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ and did set up his own cogitations and definitions by his own authority as his rule and would rather Command against the Lord then be subject to the Lord and governed by him When I pondered these things with my self and stood amazed at this enormous impiety and would yet further search out the truth hereofâ— I was perswaded that the aforesaid cause was true in this as it was in other affairs of this life For I saw all the multitude to be a well compounded State and to Consent and Consist together so long only as obedience was yielded to some one Supream KING of them all and on the other side That dissention and division of every kind and also Polyarchy to arise from hence if there being no KING every man obtained licence to do what he pleased I have sometime seen even a swarm of Bees out of the Law of Nature to wage War and to follow their own KING in order and I have seen and read many such things of them and thoâ—e who are busied about such things know much more so that what I have said may be proved true from hence For it is the propertye and peculiar of those who regard the command of one and use one KING that they be well and Vnanimously disposed between themselves therefore all dissention and discord is both an Index and Prognostick of that contumacy wherein the Principality of one is
Turkish Empire shall be Lord of the whole Earth The House of Spain then can never attaine to any great Monarchy according to Fate but only by the adhering to Italy the Roman Empire which is the German the Right Head The King of Spain therefore is to use his utmost endeavour that he may be chosen Emperour seeing that not only God but even Human Prudence also may inform us that by that meanes he may attain to what ever his heart can wish A beginning of which thing appeared plain enough in Charles the Fifth King of Spain who being also Emperour and being assisted with the whole power of Italy and Spain overcame those of Tunis and the King of France and conquered all Germany in so much that Solyman seeing the prosperous Fortune of this Prince had good Cause to say that it behooved him to take heed of Charles neither would he though he were stronger then He fight with Him under the Walls of Vienna We see therefore that which way the Fates incline the same also goes all the rest of the Fortune and so on the other side all things must needs be successelesse that are â—aken in hand under a Reluctant Faâ—e I shall here also open another Mystery namely that all Empires according to the Prophesy of Noaâ— do descend from the Sons of Iaphet God shall enlarge Japhet and he shall dwell in the tents of Sem and Cham shall be his Servant And from Cham are to descend none but Slaves and Tyrants who are indeed Slaves as I have elsewhere proved Wherefore the Turkish Empire comes from Iaphet by Magog and as to the Law from Sem by the Line of Ishmael from whom Mahumet descended as it hath allwaies been observed to fall out that the Northern People which are fierce and by the armes of Iaphet still Victorious have yet received Lawes and Rules from the wiser Southern People who were the Ofspring of Sem. And yet the Empire sometimes hath otherwise had a succession of Tyrants also who have descended from Cham though by the intervention of the German who is descended from Iaphet as the Spaniard himself derives his Line from Iaphet by Tubal like as concerning the Law the Roman Christianity doth derive it self from â—em in respect of Christ who is a true Sem by the Line of Isaac Seeing therefore Dominion was promised to Iaphet it belongeth chiefly to the Spaniards who are more nearly and by a firmer alliance descended from the Law-giver then the Turks and their Victorie drives on to this end that they may dwell in the House of Sem seeing that they possesse the Greatest part of Italy by the Investiture of the Pope who is descended from Sem Of whom this is no fit occasion to say any more although I willingly would do so and indeed ought I shall only add here that they cannot according to Fate come to be Lords of all unlesse they become the Deliverers of the Church and set it free from out of the hands of the Babylonians that is to say of the Turks and Hereticks Upon this account they conquered the Moores God bestowing upon them so great an Empire as their reward Now it is evident that the Church is in subjection to Babylon as long as it is Militant and I have formerly shewed elsewhere that it doâ—h yet retain the dayes of Tuesday and Friday and the moneths of August and Iuly which were theirs of the Roman Babylon and the Church now suffers most grievous Persecutions under the Babylonian Infidels both in Africk Asia and Europe and especially in Germany France England and Polaâ—d This discourse therefore is to be listened unto with attentive eares because that all the Iewish Affaires were a Type and figure of those of the Christians He therefore that shall deliver the Church out of these evills shall become the Universal Monarch because He shall perform the Office of the Christian Cyrus whom God shall raise up as Esay saith to subdue the whole World to restore Ierusalâ—m to remove their Captivity and to build a temple to the God of Heaven and Earth wherein shall be set up the Continual Sacrifice as is foretold by Daniel Esay and Esdras Cyrus also was of the Linage of Iaphet by the Medes and notwithstanding that the Turk is descended of the same stock also yet shall He not perform the Office because that He is become an Enemy by setting up another Contrary Law The French in the time of Charlemagne arrogated this Office to themselves who by their often delivering the Pope out of the hands of the Princes of Italy the Lombards and the Gotâ—s arrived to so great power that they became formidable to all and the said Charlemagne might have come to have been Universal Monarch of the World had not his sons been at Variance among themselves but had managed their Empire rightly and as they ought to have done But the discords that were betwixt the Christians and â—he following Heresy raigning at this day broke the neck of the French Empire at least took away from it all hope of ever arriving to the height of so much greatnesse But the Spaniards by being continually rooting out of the Moors became powerful but contrariwise Constantinople because it deserted the Pope and adhered to Arrius Sabellius and others came to destruction The Venetians also have by the Popes meanes arrived to a great height because that they assisted him against Frederick So that it is manifest that he that shall take any enterprize in hand under a Favourable Fate shall have all happy successe therein but on the contrary he that shall rush on upon any undertaking under a Crosse and Vnwilling Fate shall find the Event also quite contrary to his desires Which may also be demonstrated out of Reasons of Policy For he tâ—at maintaines the Popes Interest maintaines the Universal Right of all Christendom which depends upon the Pope For this Cause is accounted both a Just and a Religious one and therefore all men will take it up And the Opinion also of Religion overcomes all other causes as we â—ave already shewed elsewhere and shall further shew hereafter Add hereto that the Pope is the Universal Moderator and Judge of all things to whom all people have their recourse and yeild obedience to him as to their God and Deliverer as on the contrary the Sweden Saxon and the Constantinopolitan Princes as being enemies to and Stubborn opposers of Him are rejected and deserted by them Therefore the Office of Cyrus belongs to the King of Spain who being now honoured by the Pope with the Title of The Catholick King may easily arrive to the Principality of the whole World and we see that he hath already followed his Footsteeps in having delivered the Church heretofore out of the hands of the Moors of Granado as he hath lately done from the Hereticks of England the Law-Countries and France and He maintaines besides with yearly Revenues so many Bishops Cardinals and
and Pythagoras for otherwise he must needs come to ruine by changing the Auspicia Regni the Fortune of the Kingdom as I may call it whose dependance is from Faith in Christ and then the People will immediately betake themselves to their Armes and revolt from him Neither indeed have any Monarchies been either more certainly or more miserably brought to destruction then when they have changed their Religion as is testified by Histories And then again the Pope and the rest of the Princes of Christendom would joyn their whole strengths together and would in a very litle time root him out of his Kingdom of Naples Millan and consequently also of the New World the rest of his Dominions And although these things were not done to Henry the VIII of England nor yet to the Duke of â—â—xony because their Territories were encompassed within small though well fortified Bounds yet for all that did they fail of succession and so their States went away from them And we have examples hereof also in Ieroboam Iehu Iulian the Apostate and others who for having changed their Religion incurred the hatred of their People and brought destruction upon themselves Unlesse we shall say that the Pope hath no power at all in Temporal things nor is any whit above either any other of the Bishops or theirs Surrogates or Chaplains in Authority or degree which is evidently contradictory to Gods Ordination by which He hath been constituted a Regal Priest and hath been armed with both the Swords as well the Civill as the Spiritual For were it otherwise Christ should be a very mean Law-giver and should be lesse then Melchisedech who was both King and Priest together which addeth both the greater Majesty as well as security to any Kingdom as I have proved in my Treatise Touching Monarchy against Dante who looking only upon the Priesthood of Aaron allowes to the Pope nothing but Spiritualties and Tithes only And which is more this impugnes also all Reasons of Policy because the Pope can never want those that will take up Armes in His defence in case He should not be able to defend Himself and that either by being moved thereunto through Zeal to Religion as the Countesse Matilda did against the Emperour Henry or else out of Emulation or some interest of Faction as it was in the Case of the Venetians making war upon the Emperour Frederick whom they compelled to kisse the Popes Foot or for both these reasons as when King Pipin and Charles the Great took up Armes in assistance of the Pope against the Lombards and others who waged war against him Thus we see that the Constantinopolitan Empire came to be destroyed for the Apostasy of Iulian and Constantius in like manner as all the Fredericks Henries and other Kings also of Naples suffered for the same Cause as often as they denied their Obedience to the Pope And certainly the Opinion and Beliefe which hath prevailed upon the Minds of all People touching the Christian Religion is of very great force and moves them to defend It to the utmost of their power so that whensoever the Pope hath excommunicated any Prince He doth at the same instant ruine him also Do but observe I pray you to what state Ferraria is reduced at this day But we have discoursed more copiously of this in the Treatise of Monarchy It is lastly against all Policy too for the Pope withholds the rest of the Princes of Christendom from invading Spain as he doth the King of Spain from invading them by continually composing their differences in like manner as he divided India betwixt the Portugals and the Spaniards and thus hath several times made peace betwixt the Spaniards and the French Venetians and Genowaies and so likewise betwixt Pisa and Florence which yet he would not so easily be able to do by the meer Reverence they bear to Religion For here in these Cases they have an eye as well to the force of Armes as to Religion for He that is in the wrong Cause may justly suspect the Popes joyning of his strength to that of his Antagonist and so for this reason he will the more readily obey the Popes Injunction as I have declared formerly in the forementioned Treatise And the King of Spain if he but declare himself for and stand up in the defence of the Pope shall be sure to have alwayes the assistance of His Forces at his devotion at any time which will be a good means of confirming his Kingdom to him And therefore I conceave it very necessary according to the Fate of Christendom that if the King of Spain would arrive to an Universal Monarchy He must declare himself publiquely to have his dependance from the Pope and command it to be published all abroad throughout the World that himself is the Cyrus that was before typified and the Catholick King that is the Universal Monarch of the World declaring this his Monarchy by his Religious Counsels and pious Actions and passing also by many litigious Controversies which he hath with the Pope and dwelling in the Tents of Sem making it appear to all the World that He is the Chief Defender of Christian Religion that depends wholly upon the Pope of Rome calling together also the Christian Princes to consult about the recovery of those Countreys they have lost and are at this day in the hands of Hereticks and Turks and He must proceed to the causing of such to be excommunicated as shall deny their assistance herein and lastly he must also take care that Pious and diligent Preachers be sent abroad into the World to promote this businesse For the Plain truth of it is that the Pope picks quarrels sometimes with the King of Spain for no other reason but only because he is afraid that in case he should subdue the King of France and the Princes of Italy hee would then make Him only as his Chaplain And this is the reason why He desires that they should alwayes be at variance one with another that so in case either of them should fall off from Himâ— by reason either of Apostasy or some quarrel or other He might have the other to assist him And this is the reason why he stirred up the Western Empire against the Eastern onely because they had forsaken their former Religion had had many Clashings with the Pope about It. But now if King Philip will but do that which is his duty as is before declared and will but give way to the Pope in some things which he pretends His Right and will besides send some Bishops and Cardinals into the Belgiâ—k Provinces and to the New world to dispose of and order things there he will by this meanes both free the Pope from this suspition and shall withall effect his own desires seeing that it is evident that the Pope by his Indulgencies and Croysados brings him in more mony then those Dignities which he bestowes upon Cardinals Archbishops Bishops and
the Princes of Italy and that by reason of their Union in point of Religion I say moreover that He cannot suffer any Notable Overthrow â—nlesse it be by some very Potent Prince such a One as the great Turk is who yet lying so very far remote from him as Alexander the Great of old did from the Romans cannot so quickly ruin him whereas on the Contrary any Peaceable Agreement of the Christians among themselves if so be it were but Firm and Lasting would utterly confound the Turk And therefore I say that although King Philips Kingdomes lye scattered far and near yet his enemies also lye far asunder one from another and therefore it is clear that his Emulators the Italians Tuscans and Venetians will never enter into a Combination against him unlesse he First give them some evident cause and wrong them very much Neither indeed will the Pope ever suffer any acts of Hostility to be done against His Catholick Majesty and besides it is also most certain that the Catholick Princes both out of fear of the Hereticks and also of the Authority of the Pope will never attempt any such thing And the Hereticks are at very great Variance also amongst themselves and for this reason Germany being divided into severall small Republicks cannot do him any harm at all and it is besides part of it made subject to the House of Austria and the Archdukes thereof by the Emperours and part also to certain Archbishops who are withall secular Princes as namely the Archbishops of Mâ—ntz of Colen Trevers Salsburg Strasburg and Bamberg and part also to the Dukes of Bavaria so that the Protestants can by no meanes make any Insurrection against the King of Spain The Lower Germany also is divided into more Common-Wealths then the other all which bear Armes against the King of Spain though it be only to defend themselves and not to offend Him And of this number are the Provinces of Holland Frisland and Zealand Besides the Upper and the Lower Germanies differ very much in their Religion which we may also say of the Danes Norwegians Transylvanians Gotlanders Polonians French Switzers and Grisons so that the King hath no need at all to fear that these should ever all joyn together against him and besides the King retains a great part of these Nations in pay and by that means keeps them his friends and then the King of Poland and the Prince of Transylvania are allied to him by Marriage and so are in league and amity with him So that He hath no body to stand in fear of but only the King of France and the King of England which two Princes by reason of their being of different Religions can never agree together Now although the King of Spain cannot as yet subdue the King of France yet it makes very much for His Interest that the King of France being absolved by the Pope is returned again to the Obedience of the Church For otherwise he would have been the Head of all the Transalpine Hereticks and would have marcht with an Army of them over into Italy to the great Prejudice both of the Pope and of our King which None of the Hereticks hath to this day adventured to do merely for want of a Powerful General to head them Then besides there is a Division broken out in France betwixt the Catholicks and the Hereticks and which is the chiefest thing of all there are in that Kingdome many Potent Bishops who would not by any means see Spain ruined And lastly our Kings Subjects do not come into the field with Lances Swords and Horses as the French use to do but they come into it armed with Guns which are a kind of Arms that are fitter for the defending of strong Holds and Fortifications then for the setting upon an Enemy in an open Field And hence it is that the French are able indeed to resist all the Spaniards Attempts but they cannot overcome them for in this case the very Princes and States of Italy who have to this day alwaies held with the French would go over to the Spaniard for it is their Design to keep the Ballance alwaies so even betwixt these two Nations as that neither of them may preponderate and bear down the Scales and so make a Prey of the Other which Hiero King of Syracuse heretofore laboured to do betwixt the Romans and the Carthaginians although he failed of his purpose Besides the King of France cannot march with an Army into Spain by reason of the Fortified Places and Castles that lye in his way and are kept by the Spaniards who are very well skilled in defending such Places Neither can he so soon march out with an Army against Millan or Naples but that the King of Spain can be much sooner in France with an Army and shall so force him to return back again and defend his own Kingdom Neither did the King of France ever passe over into Italy unlesse when he was assisted by the Pope as the Expedition of Charles of Anjou testifies or except he were called in by some Prince or State of Italy as Charles the Eighth was called in by the Duke of Millan which yet at this time can hardly be done again For the Italians were now afraid that they would bring in a New Religion with them And besides it is a usual thing that that Prince that first calls Forraigners in to his aide shall be first ruined by them for he must necessarily entertain them and allow them Quarters who after they have overcome the adverse Party will joyn with them and so drive out Him who called them first in Examples of this we have in the Sforza's Castruccio's and the Florentines with many others and also in the Pope himself although his own Papal Authority restored him again And therefore the Spaniard hath no need to fear the King of France much And as for the English he hath much lesse reason to stand in fear of them seeing they are shut up within an Island and we seldome see Islanders get any sure footing and make themselves Masters of any part of a Forraign Continent And therefore it is sufficient for them if they can keep their own only they send out their Ships to fetch in Prizes by Sea but for this Mischief I shall hereafter set down a Remedy Only let the King of Spain take care that the English joyn not their Navy with the Hollanders Scots Danes Norwegians and Danzickers for if they should they might then be able to overrun all Spain as the Alans Goths and Vandals did of old And yet seeing that these Nations differ all in Religion and the King of Spain doth craftily under hand sow new seeds of Dissention amongst them there is no great cause to fear that they should joyn their forces together â—pon any design Let us now see what Spain is able to do within it self and by what means it may become Greater and enlarge its Territories laying down this
Emperours Conrade and Frederick made several expeditions into those parts not for the taking in of any New Countries but only for the keeping of what the others had formerly gotten yet for all there was not any thing at all done by them worth the speaking of But now there ought to be care taken in this businesse that all may share alike in what shall be gotten for otherwise the Design would be quite spoiled and never come to any thing For as in a Clock if there be any one Exorbitant or Irregular Wheel it spoiles the whole Harmony and mutual Agreement that should be in it so likewise in all Associations if there be any Deficiency in one Part it proves to be the cause of the Dissolution of the whole Union A clear example whereof we have in the League that was made betwixt the Popes Paul III. and Pius V. the King of Spain and the Venetians which though it were managed with the greatest diligence and eagernesse on all sides that could be and with Incredible successe also yet it came all to nothing at last and that meerly for this one reason namely because that it did not equally concern the Interests of all of them that That Expedition should be so carefully undertaken and so diligently carried on For Spain hath no great advantage by any thing that is done against the Eastern People which yet is most beneficial to the Venetians in like manner as it is of litle or no concernment to the Venetians what ever is done against Africk which yet is of very great advantage to Spain And this is the reason that the Venetians who stand in fear of the Power the Turk hath in the East and the Spaniards who are afraid of their Neighbours of Algier can never unanimously go on together against the Enemy with equal courage and desires And by this means the Pope lying in the mean time in the midst betwixt them both and being forced to be at a great charge yet hath no benefit at all thereby But to return to our Present discourse again whence we have digressed There is yet another way whereby the Turkish Empire might be overthrown and that is in case that some one of His Chief Commanders in war who was at first a Christian such as were Cicala Occhiali and Scandeâ—beg should be prevailed withal by such large Promises as should be made him as namely that he should have some Christian Province given him for his reward to betray the Turkish Navy unto us if at least He have it committed to his charge or else in case he hath been appointed by the Great Turk to manage any Kingdom under him as His Viceroy he should then have the possession of that Kingdom promised him as suppose of Tunis Algier or the like For there is no doubt to be made but that such a one had rather be the Sole Absolute Lord of any Kingdom whatsoever it be and so to have the Power of transmitting it over to his Posterity then to be but a kind of Nobler Slave to the Great Turk having neither Power in his liâ—e time to give away any thing to his friends nor at his death to leave any thing to them And I am verily perswaded that there is nothing that keeps these men from attempting such a Rebellion against the Turk more then because they dispaire of ever being able to bring any such their Undertakings to effect as not daring to confide in the Christians or to rely upon them for Assistance Yet if they were but sincerely and Ingenuously dealt withal I am clearly of opinion that they might be brought to this It may also so happen that some such Gallant Vindicator of the Peoples Liberty may spring up among the Turks themselves as was Moses the Hebrew among the Subjects of Pharaoh King of Egypt and such a One in case the Great Turk should entrust him with any great Authority or Charge might questionlesse be able to do him an infinite deal of Mischief There might also a General Association be made amongst the Christians by whom He might be brought to a Pitch'd Battel as we said before and might have one or two such Notable Blowes given him by them that he should be never able to hold up his head again because that he hath not any Nobles that might relieve him in such a case And this might the more easily be done because that he hath within his Dominions an Infinite Number both of Christians and Iewes who if they but once saw him overthrown would all presently come over to Us. And yet in the procuring of such an Association as this there would be required either very much Patience in the Pope and the King of Spain or else a very great necessity that should force All of them to joyne together Now these Princes should all be bound by mutual Covenants drawn up betwixt them that every one of them should have a Proportionable Share of what soever shall be gotten by the said expedition and also that those that have gotten possession of their own share shall assist the rest also in the getting of theirs after the Example of Reuben and Dan who after they had possessed themselves of the Country that lay on this side Iordan were then to assist their brethren in the subduing of the further part of it that lay beyond Iordan There ought also to be a persuasion wrought into All and every one of these Princes that by the King of Assyria in the Scriptures is prefigured unto us the Great Turk who after he hath destroyed the Kingdom of Israel that is to say the Kingdom of the East or that of Constantinople He will then next overthrow the Kingdom of Iudah that is of the West except they repent them of their Heresy and return again into the Bosomâ— of the Church of Rome which is our Jerusalem as I have written in my Christian Monarchy and that so together with the Empire the Priesthood also will be lost and will passe over into the New World as I have there demonstrated by Political Reasons except they take the Course here set down before them And perhaps also it may hereafter so come to passe And when the Turk who is the Typical Cyrus is destroyed then shall the Church be renewed again It is therefore most Necessary that all Christendom should joyn their forces together for the destruction of this Ravenous Wolf who by his Strength and Cunning hath taken from us Two Empires and Two Hundred Kingdomes mean while that we do nothing but fall together by the Eares one with another But if this cannot be brought about the Persians must then be persuaded to joyn with the Ethiopians Muscovites and Polonians as hath been said before And I do believe also that the Great Turks Bassaes and other of his Subjects would quickly be got to fall off from him if so be they could but be once fully perswaded assured that they should each of them