way to auoyde all reuenges of iniuries donne to the king of Spaine And that his vniust accusing of innocent mē of treason could colour his owne exceeding treasons that hathe broughte the realme into such present misery and deliuered it vnto so-many ensuing perills and dangers as it now dothe attend For it is he that neither of conscyence nor any other cause but meerly for his owne ambitiō hathe wrought the mutation and change of religion where of such wonderfull inconueniēces haue followed It is he that hathe procured the enmytie which Englād hathe at this present with so-many Christian Princes and states chiefly with the most potent King of the world It is he that for the prosecuting of his impious intentions hathe sent foorthe so-many thousandes of the naturall people of the realme to be cōsumed in forreyne countries It is he that hathe caused so-many great and generall exactions and that hathe exhausted the treasure of the Queene realme for the maintenāce of rebells and purchasing of enemyes to his naturall country It is he that hathe bene the occasion that the Queene contrary to her owne honor and the well lyking of her other counselors which she most affected hathe made so many offers of mariage to forreyne princes and yet notwithstanding hathe euer vtterly perswaded her from mariage thereby to bury her posteritie in her owne body It is he that was one of the most principall contriuers of the deuysed plott for the trecherous slaughter of the Scottish Queene which will redownde vnto the eternall infamy of England and dothe threaten a continuall reuenge It his he that because he could not somtyme establish such heyr apparent as he listed hathe lefte the succession of the crowne so confusedly among somany competitors bothe within and without the realme which tendeth vnto the effusiō of the blood of infynite thowsandes more then alredy he hathe brought to distruction It is he that hathe bene the causer of al the inconueniences troobles and daungers that the realme hathe alredy past or dothe presently sustaine or hereafter may suffer being now brought into such a labyrinth of calamities as neuer the same nor any other can be remēbred to haue bene brought vnto And as this hathe bene wrought by himself and not by Catholykes so himself and not Catholykes is iustly therefore to be accused and blamed And howsoeuer he do now in supreame aucthoritie falsly impute vnto others the crymes of treasons and trecheries yf the matter might come to any equall hearing before indifferēt iudges it should cleerely be prooued that he which wisheth the reformation of his country cannot be a traitor to his country but that Cecill being the causer of the most enormious euills thereof is a traitor himself and the greatest that euer England nowrished and farr more noysome and pernitious to the realme then euer were the Spencers Peeter of Gauerstone or any other that euer abused either Prince or people And because no man dare frame an endytement against him I will heere omit many other articles of highe treasō but yf any will vndertake to iustifie his actions in his course of gouernment let him know that there is sufficiēt matter of reply reserued for him which is not extracted out of Mother Hubberds tale of the false fox and his crooked cubbes but is to be vttred in plaine prose and shal lay open to the world his birth his lyf and perhaps his death seing his detestable actions are such as do aske vengeance of heauen and earth It is a lamentable grief to consider that the manifold harmes which comonly the afflicted subiects do suffer the Princes themselues do neuer feele and that the perills dangers wherein they do stand are kept from their sight and knowlege by such as in whome they repose ouermuch trust and confidence vntill with violence they do fall vpon their owne heades and comonly when all remedy is past to auoyde thē And thus the great euills which are caused by one man do redownde vnto the vniuersall harme both of the Prince and people How greatly dangerous is it then for any Prince to be wholy led and conducted by the perswasiō of one man and to deliuer the possessiō of his or her eares vnto the deceitfull tonge of a flatterer By such meanes was the puisant Emperor Charlemaigne misguyded whose ouer-great affyance in the wicked counsell of one only Gano was the occasion of wōderfull harmes that fell bothe vpon himself and his people which great inconuenience is by a moderne Poet greatly lamēted who amōg other his verses to the same purpose hathe these ensuing Ben saria il dritto che tornasse il danno Solamente sù quei che l'error fanno And happy were it for the Queene realme of England yf all the sustayned or expected harmes of that Prince or people being directly caused by one man might iustly redownd vpon the causer himself But more happy had it bene to haue sought in tyme by iust satisfaction of iniuries to haue auoided the deserued reuēges of thē But most infortunate is it that he which hathe bene the beginner of these mischieues hathe no meaning to redresse them is yet permitted to plunge the realme into what further calamities himself listeth and to hazard the shedding of the best bloud of the Nobilitie and People for the only establishing of his owne house and posteritie to make the ruinated families of the one the dead bodies of the other the steppes to moūt vnto his entended height He commaundeth bothe England and Scotland he laboureth incessantly with the Queene to make his eldest sonne deputy of Ireland and as it is aforesaid entendeth to match his grandchild with the Lady Arbella so to put in for a kingdome yf not for the Monarchie of Albion And for the better contriuing of the whole domination to himself he hathe lately brought in his second sonne to be of the Queenes councell and keper of her priuy seale the which of wyse-men is much maruailed at and the rather for that the Queene is reputed learned and therefore seemeth to be the more ouerseene in the choise of so il shapen and crooked a counselor hauing neither wisdome nor experience to forgett the precept of the graue Philosopher who giueth espetial warning of such so marked by nature in these woordes Caue ab his quos natura signauit And albeit she had forgotten such wise aduice of so aunciēt an author I wish she had called to mynde the woordes of a later thoughe of lesse aucthoritie which perhaps for her recreation she may somtyme haue red who in his Macaronicall verses giueth good notes to beware of such deformed creatures saying in admiration O Deus a guerzis Zoppis gobbisque cauendum est Nulla fides gobbis mancum mihi credite Zoppis Si sguersus bonus est inter miracula scribam And yf her Ma tie had bene disposed to prefer him it seemeth vnto me that to haue made
expedition of warr It shalbe nedelesse to examine the righte that Don Anthonio pretendeth to the crowne of that country since it is soone answered in his illegitimation VVhich being by M. Cecill dispensed withall albeit he be but vicar generall and not the supreme head himself requireth no further question Don Anthonio then accompaigned with Sir Iohn Norrice and Sir Frauncis Drake departed from Englād with aboue 20. thousand soldiers and mariners Don Anthonio with full resolution to take possession of Portugall but M. Drake with a farr other secret designement which being vttred by him self vnto the queene I would be lothe here to repeat were it not for feare of leauing the reader in erronius suspitiōs M. Drake forsoothe did promisse the Q. very cōfidently to bring the king of Spaine to kisse her pantofle or els to bring him I know not to what woful lamentation But such was the disastrous effect of that iorney that neither Don Anthonio obtained his expected kingdome nor Captaine Drake would once enter on shore in Portugall to take the king of Spaine with him VVhereof two mighty inconueniences haue ensued the one is that the realme of Portugall is still possessed by the right owner and the other that the Queenes pantofle is yet vnkist by the kinge of Spaine Neuerthelesse excepting some 2. or 3. thowsād all the rest of the soldiers and mariners shewed more valour thē their leaders for that they neuer returned back againe but either remained still in Portugall or aboute that coast It is further to be noted that albeit in that voyage they could not effectuate their desyre against their enemyes they did yet without partialitie so set vpon their freindes that they seazed vpon 50. shippes of the Easterlinges which were bound to Spaine with marchandize and caried those away with them and so returned home vnto Plimouthe VVhere enen at their very landing there hapned a more strāg encounter thē before in the whole iorney they had found For the women of Plimouth whose husbandes by ill vsage were lost in that voyage being armed with distaues other vnusuall weapōs without any respect vnto kingship or knighthoode began so fiersly to assault Dō Anthonio Drake that they were faine to defend them selues by force of legges This voyage being thus ended the progresse thereof was printed and published both in Latin and English But the author thereof in myne opinion mighte well haue spared his paines because all mē manifestly knew without booke what successe the said voyage had had VVhat sithence hathe bene dōne in the sending of Shippes and forces towardes the Terceraes and els where and the successes thereof being ryf in our memorie I will here omitt and proceed to giue the reader such satisfactiō as the scope of the premisses haue directed me vnto Not withstanding the manifold iniuries donne by the English vnto the king of Spaine where-of many haue here bene recyted the most of thē do lie opē to the view of the whole world it is strange that they cannot yet conteyne their malice against him within the limites of ciuill speeches who not only permitting euery hedgeminister and cōtemptible person to raile vpon him at his pleasure to make this base kynde of dealing more authenticall haue not letted in the very preambles and fore frontes of sundrie late proclamations to note him to be ambitious an vsurper and a Tyrant and in this later to call him the only disturber of the vniuersall peace of Christēdome VVhich vnseemely disordered speeches dothe il beseme the publike writinges of Princes which ought to haue no affinitie with defamatorie libells A thing which the King of Spaine hathe euer detested to do against thē or other his enemyes who leaveth the directnes of his cause to sustaine it self without the credit which mighte be giuen thereunto by railing Let vs therefore now consider whether thesaid King hathe soughte the disturbance of the state of England or of any other potentate or state Christian or whether any may iustly complaine that euer he hathe endeuored to patronize himself of their crownes or countries or to encroache or incorporate oughte of theirs vnto his considering his incomparable greatnesse the neere situation of his and their dominions Let vs looke first into Italy whether the territories of the Church Venice Piemont Florence Genua or any other prince or state els have cause to cōplaine Looke whether he hathe bene offensiue to Lorraine Treuers Cleue Colē Liege or to the Esterlinges Did not the realme of Portugall next vnto him stand in it self with all the iles and remote places belonging to thesame in all peace and securitie til by iust discent the tytle of all fell vnto him and do not the people now liue vnder him excepting the trooble they sustaine by the English in as great felicitie as euer they did vnder any their former princes vvhat great impudēcie is it then for any so palpably to be-lie him in whome the cleane contrary to their slaunderous reproches is most euydēt to the end that the vniust calumnies of the aduersary may be more apparent let vs also consider the Kinges procedinges aswell towardes some other Christian princes as to the Queene and realme of England in particular First it is very manifest that after his departure from the lowe countries at which tyme he peaceably possessed those the rest of his kingdomes and dominions his firme resolutiō was for the generall defence of Christendome to make warr against the Turk and other Mahomertaines And to that end he first vpon his peace made with Fraunce called all his forces of Spaniardes and others oute of Flaunders and sent them into Italy and thence employed them against the enemies of Christianitie First at Pinion de velis then to Zerbi then to La Racha and other places of Africa And the Isle of Malta being strongly besieged in very great perill to be lost he sent thether a great army to succor it and defeated the forces of the Turk He also prouided such troopes for the yeare ensuing which he sent thether vnder the conduct of the Marquis of Piscara that the Turk was forced to giue ouer leave his second enterprize albeit he came very strongly prouided for the taking thereof therein to recouer his honor lost the yeare before And after all this the king of Spaine for the more repose and tranquilitie of Christendome ioyned in league against the Turk with the Pope the Venetians whereof followed the great victory obtained by Don Iohn de Austria his generall at Lepanto These pointes albeit but briefly touched may serue for a demonstration of his princely resolution to maintaine the concord of Christians and to offend their comō enemy Yea the king of Tunis being by the Turk expulsed he restored him again vnto his kingdome But moste redy he was to giue aid and assistance to Christian princes VVhen being oppressed by the insolencie of their rebells they desired his
A DECLARATION OF THE TRVE CAVSES OF THE GREAT TROVBLES PRESVPPOSED TO BE INTENded against the realme of England VVherein the indifferent reader shall manifestly perceaue by whome and by what meanes the realme is broughte into these pretented perills Seene and allowed Anno M. D.LXXXXII TO THE INDIFFERENT READER THE present estate that the realme of England is in a fewe yeares come vnto and the sundry aduersites sustayned by the inhabitāts of the same are such and somany as the lamentable and generall cries and complaintes of the oppressed multytude cā declare them to exceede all those of all ages past in the memorie of man And yet of the redresse of these calamities so litle hope is giuen that nought els but the terrors of farr greater trobles are daily sounded in the eares of the afflicted people which can be to no other end then to enduce them to beare such further extreame misery and pouertie as by the newe intended exactions pressures pillages they are lyke to be broughte vnto But strāge it is to consider that the auoydance of such great daungers as are pretended vnto the realme and expected as is insinuated by a spanish inuasion is neither soughte nor desyred by geuing that king satisfaction of the manifeste iniuries don vnto him nor in the restitution of his townes and cities wrongfully possessed by the English But falsly supposed to consist in the persecuting and killing of a fewe poore priests and Iesuytes within the realme that there do secretly practize their priestly functions to the consolation of such afflicted Catholikes as liue within the same or to the conuersion of such well mynded protestants as will not obstinately refuse to vnderstand their owne errors when they are made manifest vnto them by which meanes many are confirmed in Catholike religion and some numbers brought from heresy to embrace the truthe which albeit the malice of the aduersary hath not letted to withstād euen with the effusiō of bloud yet cōsidering that the force of truthe is great and dothe preuaile the violence of the enemy is also mightely encreased who directly seeking the lyues and goods of Catholikes for their conscyence and religiō laboreth by all meanes possible to make the cause of their sufferance to some to be for treason Vnder pretext whereof by a late proclamation published in London in Nouember last 1592. in the name of the Queene theire are yet more exquisite meanes of inquisition deuysed to bring them vnto the slaughter then were euer vsed afore And because all men can not without some demonstration so rightly discerne the truthe of this case and the causes of the supposed perills as it is requisyte for euery man to know and the sway of the tyme not permitting the same otherwise to be vttered they are in the ensuing treatise briefly set downe In the which albeit that euery fryuolous point of the aforesaid proclamation be not expresly answered yet is the intention of the inuētor thereof directly impugned and the iust blame imputed where it is iustly deserued It may therefore please the discreet reader laying a syde all partialitie with an in different eye to behold the manifest truth that shal in this treatise be laid open vnto him the which for his owne safty he must vse with secreesie and sylence because of the great a-do that the great Lord Threcherer will kepe to depresse and conceile it from the sight and knowlege of the world the which may serue for one especial motiue to prooue that he knoweth himselfe to be guilty in conscience yf he haue any at al. And thus leauing the reader out of the matter ensuing with some addition of somthing here omitted to make a commentarie vpon Chaucers prophesie I wish him well to fare from Colen the 26. of Marche 1592. Of the fained happinesse of England The vaunt of the pretended Gospel NO triumphes of the Gospells lighte But truthe that shyneth cleere Not vvordes but actions iust and righte Makes vertue to apeere See then vvhat force this faith hath found More then of elder dayes And let the vices that abound Confirme the present praise The boast of continual peace The tokens of continued peace By plenty best are shovven But signes of vvarr that dothe not ceasse By comon vvants are knovven Such is the peace vve then preferr And eke our plenty so That thovvsands hath consumde in vvarr And millions left in vvo The present feare of troubles And all expyred dayes and yeares And fained pleasures past Conuerted are to sundry feares Of dangers at the last VVould God no former cause had beene Reuenges to attend Since happynesse is euer seene Best by the happy end WHen Queene Marie that lately possessed the crovvne and kingdome of England had resigned her soule vnto God and her bodie to nature the lordes spirituall and tēporall the comons of the realme receaued into that crovvne and dignitie the lady Elizabeth her sister à Princesse yonge and beautifull and aboundantly adorned with the giftes of nature and princely education The King of Spaine albeit he had bene maried vnto the deceased Queene yet did he neuer seke to possesse himself of the crowne nor to appropriate vnto him any Cities Castels Portes or other places within the realme nor in any sorte to oppugne the entrance of the newe Queene but in all loue and actes of amitie he did manifest his well lyking of her highe aduauncement aswell in the geuing vnto her all his late wyves Iewels which were of great value as in his earnestly labouring with the French for the restitution of Calis to the encrease of her dominions A litle before the death of the aforesaid Queene there was à treaty of peace begun betwene England Spaine and Fraunce including by consequēce Scotlād Flaunders the which peace notwithstanding the aforesaid Queenes deceasse went forward and was fully concluded Thus stood the realme of England shortly after this Queenes coming to the crowne in perfect peace and amitie with all the countries next adioyning and those also neither in ciuil broyles among themselues nor in dissention with their neighbours abrode The Moores of Granada liued in obedience to the king of Spaine the names of Huguenots and Gheuses were in Fraūce and Flaunders vtterly vnknowne and vnhard 〈◊〉 and in Scotland was no contention for gouernement But as the Serpent being subtiler then all the beasts of the feild did somtyme seduce the first woman and Queene of the world to breake the cōmaundemēt of God wherby herself was forced to exile and her posteritie made subiect for euer after to such infinite calamities So wanted there not now a fly Sicophant to suggest this princesse to breake the vnitie of Gods Churche and eft-soones to prosecute such violent attempts against other princes the old allies of her predecessors as thereby herself and realme is brought vnto these present feares and to expect such insuing daungers as God may permit to fall vpon them Very probable it is that the Queene so
whyle that these lesse iniuries were continued a matter of farr greater mischief was practized to witt the rebellion of the kinges naturall subiectes of his Netherlandes VVhere the people by reason of their great welth were brought vnto pride the nobillitie throughe ouer-lauish expences declyned vnto pouerty and the newnesse libertie of heresy redy to fynde acceptance with either party they were the sooner and more easely seduced by the English The first attēpt being begū by certaine rogues vagabōdes appointed to the spoiling of Churches lefte the name of Gheuses to those rebelles euer after and these Gheuses being thus stirred vp there was to begin withall 60 thousād poūd sterling sent ouer vnto the prince of Orange for the leuying of those Ryters that he broughte against the duke of Alua. The which somme of mony was paide by sir Thomas Gressam in Antwerp By these attemptes and practizes the king was cōstreyned to withdrawe the forces that he had intended bent against infidells to employ them in his owne countries against his owne subiects VVith whome being nowe enbranled in warres there was sent by sea from Spaine for the paymēt of his soldiers aboute the somme of 600. thovvsand ducats the which mony was ceased vpō in the west partes of Englād notwithstāding the Q. had giuen her pasporte for the saf passage thereof by which meanes the kinges affaires were greatly let and hindred and thereupon followed a generall arrest of all marchants shippes and goodes in the lowe countries And this action tending to some further great inconueniēce the councell assembled at Hampton court and consulted at sundries tymes in the Queenes presence whether it were best openly to breake with the king of Spaine or not and after long deliberation the whole bodie of the councell concluded not to breake with him in any vvise But to make present restitution of the said mony for diuers causes and the rather for that they had but late before displeased the French king in assisting his Huguenotes and taking his townes and might not vvithout imminent perill incurr the enmitie of two such potēt princes But notvvithstanding this their generall resolution being also consented vnto by the Queene M. Cecill did aftervvardes secretly persvvade her vnto the cōtrarie whereby the decree made by the vvhole body of the councell was brokē contrarie to the prerogatiue of the councell of Englād which is knovvne to be greater thē the auctoritie of any kinges councell els in Europe And hereupon was the arrest of marchants goodes continued and a stay of trafyke betwene Spaine England and the lovv countries for three yeares together to the vndoing and detriment asvvell of many of the subiects of England as of sundrie the marchantes of the other countries But in the meane vvhile al such fugitiues and traitors as had in the lovve countries cōmitted any enormious crimes or could pilfer or violētly robbe or take away any thing from the king or his other subiects were receyued and harbored in England which vvas novv become the open receptacle of churchrobbers and priest-kilers Yea the very belles of the steeples of Churches vvere caried into England and there cast into artillery And one called Monsieur de Lumay being also fled thether receyued there such instructions that he came ouer into Holland surprised the tovvne of Briell vvhich vvas the first tovvne in all those partes rhat vvas possessed by manifest rebelliō and the presidēt that Flushing and diuers other townes shortly after followed And to assist them in these proceedinges there were sent ouer with troopes of English forces Morgan Sir Humfrey Gilbert and Chester And then followed North Cotton Candish and Norris all being Coronells coming the therwith whole regiments And albeit these supplies were still continued and men mustred and pressed perforce to go ouer vnto this seruice yet was it colourably shadowed to be don without cōsent of superior aucthoritie and the sending of thē thereby dis-auowed But on the other syde when any English for their encreasse of knowlege in military affaires did come ouer or did intēd to come ouet to serue the king of Spaine they were either before their departure or vpon their returne imprisoned and punished I may not heere omitt that after the warres of Barbarie made by Sebastian king of Portugall wherein the Mahometaines were assisted with munitiō against the Christians by the English and thesaid King was slaine the nobillitie and people of the realme of Portugall hauing according to their lawes and customes receyued the Cardinall as the eldest of the blood royal to be their king and he being very aged and not lykely to marry and haue issue were entred into consultation about the succession of the crowne which being vnderstood in England and also that the Cardinall was enclyned vnto the king of Spaine as his next heire there was an Embassador forth-vvith sent ouer from England to offer the Portugales assistance for the exclusion of the king of Spaine But this and the former practizes being cloked vvith much conning vvere either deemed able to passe vnespied or els these kyndes of molestatiōs vvere not thought sufficient And therefore it vvas held necessary to attēpt the robbing of the kinges treasure els vvhere the better therevvith to maintaine his rebelles against him in the lovve countries And albeit M. Haukins and some others had had but ill successe in such attemptes before there vvas novv one Franncis Drake sent foorthe vnto the VVest Indies vvhere in the streight of Darien vnderstanding of certaine mules that vvere to passe laden vvith gold and siluer from Panama to Nombre de Dios he put himself in ambuscade vvith an hundred shot and sett vppon tvvo vvhole companies of mules vvhich came only vvith their driuers and there very resolutely tooke avvay their gold not being able to cary the siluer vvith him throughe the mountaines And coming tvvo dayes after to the house of Crosses he slevv 6. or 7. marchantes and valiantly sett the house on fyre vvherin vvas burnt the value of 200. thovvsand ducats in marchandize And so he retyred home againe tovvardes England vvhere not longe after for that he had giuē such good proof of his dexteritie it vvas determyned that he should be employed againe as being the fitest man to atchiue an enterprize of stealing And therefore vvith shippes vvel furnished and prouided for his purpose he vvas sent foorth to attēd lie in vvaite for more of the Kinges his subiects treasure And in the southe seas on the back-syde of America vvhere no pirates had bene before him and therefore the lesse prouision made to vvithstand them there he and his company met vvith a ship in the porte of Valparizo vvherin vvere but 8. Spaniardes vvho taking the English for freindes receyued them on boord vvhere being once entred they couragiously tooke out of it 37. thousand ducats in gold And at another place called Taurapaza they boldly ventred on shore vnto a Spaniard that