suprema lex esto Esay 14.14 So to a King the peoples safety It was Lucifer's sin that he would be similis Altissimo like God himselfe which some Divines thus expound that he would rule as Lord ouer all other creatures sine vllâ obligatione ad earum custodiam seu servitium without any obligation or ty of duty in their protection or service whereas contrarywise hee ought to haue knowne that servituâ— eó maior est quo maior dominatio the more soueraignty the more service And therfore Menander an old Greeke Poët said Menand that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The onely Seruant in a family is the Master of the family So that to be a King is but Nobile servitium a noble kinde of service â—â—th the people can not be secure but by his care and his owne pillow must he stuffe with thistles that he may stuffe the pillowes of his people with downe A thing not obscurely signified by our blessed Saviour who was neuer so vexed and tormented in all his life-time as when hee ware the roabes and ensignes of a King Marke 15.17 Marke 15 when in a mockage they clad him with purple and crowned him with thornes and put a scepter of reede into his hand Such then being the cares vexations that are wont to attend vpon Kings the lesse wonder is it if in that aenigmatical parable propounded by Iotham Iudg. 9 Iudg 9.8 where the trees went forth to anoint a King ouer them the Oliue would not leaue his fatnesse to macerate himselfe with the cares of a kingdome nor the Fig-tree his sweetnesse to taste of the bitter-sweets of a kingdome not the Vine his fruitfulnesse chearing both God and man to afflict himselfe with the barren cares of a kingdome Onely Rhamnus the scratching and goaring barren bramble good for nothing but to make fewel for the sire he step 's out and profer's his service Verse 15. It yee will indeede saith he annoint me King ouer you Sub vâ—nbrâ meâ requiescite Come and put your trust vnder my shadow So that hee is worse than a bramble-King that will refuse to shade and shelter his people from the scorching heate of violence and wrongs It was an honorable title which was giuen to good King Dauid 1 Sam. 22 1 Sam. 22.2 which is also euen haereditary to our King 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as descending vnto him from his worthy Grandfather that he was the Poore man's King For there gathered vnto him saith the text all men that were in trouble and all men that were in debt and all those that were vexed in minde and he was their Prince Now how should a King gaine this Title to himselfe but by protecting securing his people or how should he better secure them than by returning for Vivat Rex Let the King liue Currat lex Let the Law haue his forth that is for their prayer for his safetie a warrant for their safety Not disarming taming his Laws as Heliogabalus in Lampridius did his Lyons Leopards I amprid Antâ—â—â— Heliogaâ—al vsing theÌ„ onely Ad terrorem delectamentum to affright others and delight himselfe but executing rigteous iustice and iudgement the true end why Princes are advanced to the throne 2 Chron. 9 2 Chron. 9.8 as that blessed Queene Elisibeth protested of herselfe in a speach to her Lords that her verdict went euer with â—he truth of her knowledge For Iustice saith that Great Moralist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or perfection of the Law Plutarch ad princ indoct the Law is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the worke of the Prince the Pâ—â—ce is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Image of GOD digesting and ordering all things As if he should say that a Prince is then indeede the Image of God when 〈◊〉 carefull to make good Lawes no lesse careful to execute them that his people liuing vnder him in security and safety may haue iust cause to pray for his safety Vivat Râ—x And so from the Personal part of the Supâ—lication which is Rex the King 2 VIVâ—T I come now to the Real which is Vivat Let him liue Vivat Let him liue or as all our English translations reade it God saue him Wherein 〈…〉 things And so in this one word Vivat there are two things implied The one is Dator the giuer of life God himselfe to whom the Supplication is directed The other Donum the gift of life for which the Supplication is commenced 1 DATOR â—â—al 75.6 1 First then of the Giuer As Dauid saith of promotion Psal 75 so may we of Saluation It comes neither from the East nor from the West nor from the South we may add no nor yet from the North but from God alone who settâ—s vp pull's downe who saue 's and destroy's at pleasure Kings are wont Occidere super ascensunt to set in the East that is to fall when they are in their ascendent or else at the very top of their ascent Psal 67.4 Act. 17.25 Theocoret epit dium decret l. 5. But it 's God onely that doth Ascendere super occâ—sum triumph ouer death it selfe Psal 67 He it is that giue 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Life and breath Act 17 and as Theodoret speakâ—s in â—â—â—om dâ—â—n decret doth not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 giue life but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saue life And not the life o beasts onely Psal 36.6 but of men too Thou Lord dost saue both man and beast Psal 36. And not of inferiour men onely but of Kings too For Ipse est it 's He and onely He that giue 's deliuerance vnto Kings Psal 144.10 Psal 144 As on the other side it 's He that doth Vindemiare spiritus principum Psal 76.12 Psal 76 discard Kings Queenes out of the stocke when pleaseth him or as the Metaphor imports tuck take away the Spirits of Princes as a man would tuck grapes And he is said to tuck them as grapes because as grapes they exhilarate the hearts of the people Fallax equus ad salutem A horse saith the Prophet David is but a vaine thing to saue a man Psal 33.17 Psal 33 And Vana salus hominis as vaine is the helpe of man saith the same Dauid Psal 60. that is Psal 60.11 the people can no more saue a King than can a horse All that they can doe is but onely salutare to wish and pray for his health as here they do It's God onely that can soluare giue him health and helpe him in the time of trouble God onely that hath life for his owne free-hold and can therefore say Assertive by way of oath Vivo ego dicit Dominus As I liue saith the Lord Ier. 22 Ier. 22.24 Kings themselues hold their liues but In Capite in chiefe as from him and can therfore say but Optative by way of wish or of prayer that which
is seene in the mouldering matter whereof hee is made so-likewise in the multiplicity of dangers wherwith he is encouÌ„tered 1 SPIRITVAL enemies Dangers both of Spiritual and of Corporal enemies Spiritual enemies to the natural life of a King are either his owne sins or the sins of the people 1 HIS OWN SINS 1 His owne sinnes when he is not aswell a Personal King over himselfe as a Polisike King over others when he hath not aswell Regnum rationis a kingdome of reason within him to maister his owne passions as Regnum nationis a kingdome of people without him to rule as his owne subiects 2 HIS PEOPLES SINS 2 And as the Kings sinnes so are also the sinnes of the people spirituall enemies to the naturall life of a King The wiseman telâ—â—s vs Prov. 5. that sin is bitter as wormewood Prov. 5.4 I will add that it hath one quality of wormewood more For wormewood saith Dioscorides is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dioscor l. 3. c. 26. offensiue to stomach and to head both because the fumes thereof arising from the stomach offend the head and so oft times the King who is the head is chastised and punish't for the sins of the people To what purpose then shall it be for you to cry Vivat Rex Let the King liue if the out-cry of your sins sound nothing but Moriatur Rex Let the King dy In vaine do your tongues pray for his life if your sins plot treason against his life The Greeks haue one word that signifies Heaven and Hell both and that 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and they haue another word that signifies God and the Divel both and that 's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And tell me I pray are there not many that liue as if they thought it all one whither they go to heaven or to hell all one whither to God or to the Divel To say nothing of lying and extortion the two beloved sins of your City do not the ruffians I say not of but about this Citie account drabbing and dicing swearing and swilling which indeed are foure Carnal Mortal vices to be their foure Cardinall and Moral virtues But as Iohn Baptist said of Christ Ioh. 3. He must encrease and I must decrease So Ioh. 3.30 if ye will haue the Kings life to encrease then must your sins decrease Your sins must be shortned that his dayes may be lengthned Moriantur peccata vs vivat Rex Let your sins dy that your King may liue Seeing then the death of sin is the life of the King Let me add to Viuat Rex Vivat Pro-rex Blessed be the godly and zealous care of him that is now his Maiesties Viceroy for the government of this honorable City who so carefully painefully laboureth to purge those more than Augâ—â— in Stables where these sins inhabit which indeed will not be purged but with a stiffe sircame Yea Let me also add one Vivat Rex more Let that other King liue a King but onely in name saue that hee is indeed a King of Preachers I meane the R. Reverend Bishop of this Dioecese than whom I dare say though God be blessed of late yeares there haue risen many yet there never arose among you a truer Iohn Baptist a man more zealous for the cause of the Lord of hosts and of his Soueraigne He as ready to cut downe â—n Gladio oris with the sword of his mouth as is his Maiesties Liefetenent Ore gladij with the edge of his sword Both resolving with S. Ierom Ierom. ep 61. that Ad tanta crimina patientem esse non oportet Where such sins reigne as reigne in and about this City there it 's a sin for either Magistrate or Minister to be patient every sin being a sworne-enemy to the natural life of a King 2 CORPORAL enemies But besides these spiritual enemies there are also corporal enemies to the natural life of the King sons of Belial that cast off the yoake of obedience to their Liege King and serue another King even the Prince of this world Io. 12.31 the Divell who is also their father and yet are they not so wise as to knowe their owne father like the Iewes Io. 8.33 V. 44. saying We are the seed of Abraham when yet Christ tell 's them Ye are of your father the Divell These be they that haue Vivat Rex God saue the King in their mouth but Vivat Papa God saue the Pope in their heart They say God saue the King but it is but only dicis causa for fashions sake like as roagues do when they are burnt in the hand they say it because they must say it With them Vivat Rex is but a false cry for even then when they say Vivat God saue him they rather wish Moriatur God haue him Aelius Spartian Antonin Geta. And as Bassianus Caracalla said of his owne Brother whome hee had slaine Sit Divus dum non sit Vivus Let him in God's name be a Saint so he be not a Man So I wish we had not too-too-good cause to be perswaded that they could be content to make out King St Iames so they might vnmake him King Iames to put him into their Kalender of Saints so they might put him out of the Catalogue of Kings The Frenchmen haue a proverb that Romam ad quaerendum sanctum Petrum eunt qui eum ante fores suas habent There are that goe to seeke S. Peter at Rome when they haue him before their dores And may it not likewise be said of vs that Antichristum Romae quaerimus domialimus we seeke Antichrist at Rome but we cherish him here at home Nay I pray God we haue not some of Solomon's Spiders among vs that take hold with their hands and are in Kings palaces as it is Prov. 30. Some in Court aswell as in Countrey that are of the poysoning Prov 30.28 and of the stabbing and of the fiering Religion who it were good they were soone swept downe with the besome of discipline Esa 14.23 lest in the end they sweepe downe all with the besome of destruction They haue learn'd of the Seedesmen of the Romish doctrine forged in the shop of that either Tricoronis or Tricornis Episcopus that three-crown'd or three-horn'd Bishop of Rome that treason against a King not Catholike by their Copy is no sin against God These these beloued the worse Subiects they are to their Prince the sitter subiects are they for you that shal bee Parliament-men to worke vpon Buisy not your heads in plotting and devising how to limit the poore Clergy to a stint of competency For where there is Competency in the tongue there is covetousnesse at least if not irreligion in the heart Study not how ye may curb Christ in his Ministers but rather how ye may subdue Antichrist in his members Remember nay I know ye cannot but remember the children of Edom Psal 137.7
long life because he is the cause of his owne ill No more can the people wish themselues any greater good than the life of the King because he is the cause of all their weale A King then being Totum populi the total-summe as I may say of all the peoples welfare good reason that Totus populus not some but all the people should iointly pray for His welfare that both Vox Votum their voice and their wish Chordula Cor their tongue-string and their heart-string Clamor Amor their loude shoute and their loue should sound in an vnison to make vp this sweet consort of Vivat Rex God saue the King that they should doe as the people doe in my text Clamare as it were rend and teare the very clouds with the cry and shoute of their prayers that they may pull downe a blessing of long life vpon the head of the King crying both vnâ voce with one voice that they haue Vnum Regem but one King vivâ voce with a loude on liuely voice that they may haue Vivum Regem a huing King Vivat Rex Thus far of Vivat Rex as it is a supplication It 's now more than time I should speake of it as it is an Acclamation or a voice of ioy and thanksgiuing vnto God and therefore now this second acception shall onely serue me for Application to the day Vivat Rex PART 2. ACCLAMATION fereuing for APPLICATION The ioints and passages of our ioy and thanksgiuing may be three 1 That we haue Regem a King 2ly That we haue Talem such a King who for his matchlesse Graces and virtues may more truely bee call'd a None-such Ps 118.24 3ly That this is the day Quem fecit Dominus which the Lord hath made nay rather In quo factus ast Dominus Wherein King Iames was made our Lord. It is the day of our reioycing for his Crowne and ought therefore to be the Crowne of our reioycing REIOICE that we haue 1 REGEM 1 First then reioice we that we haue a King Vixit Ragina we had a Queene who had shee liued wee should haue thought we had had no need of King Iames But now Vivit Rex we haue a King and while He liues we haue cause to say we haue no need of Queene Elsabeth Both of them so incomparably excellent that it must be the commendation of both that either of them was like the other Hieron epist l. 3. ep ad Eustoch She was a Queene of whom we might truly say as St Ierom said of that Roman Paula Vnius contempsit gloriam vrbis totius orbis opinione celebratur She contemn'd the glory of one City her name is pretious throughout the whole World Eurip. Hecub Or rather as Euripides said of Polyxena 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 setting aside her mortality she was a Goddesse here on earth Insomuch that Grammarians did even blush at their old rule of Masculinum dignius est Faminino The masculine gender is more worthy than the faeminine till King Iames as on this day came as our Dayes-man to arbitrate the matter and to vindicate the credit of His sexe It was not without cause that during the time of that short Inter-regnum or enter-space of reigne betweene the death of that blessed Queene and the entring of our blessed King to this kingdome Ios 7.5 our hearts did melt like water as did the hearts of the Israelties For what euils had we not then iust cause to expect But when the wine of all our comfort failed vs when the pitchers and vessels of our hearts ouerflowed with the water of sorow and compunction then did God euen the God of Iacob who is a most praesent and extemporary helpe in the needfull time of trouble of his owne free bounty and mercy turne our water our salt water into wine Then did our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or King grow vp as it were in an instant like the herbe Basil call'd Basilica or Regia berba which by some is also call'd Ocymum of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of the celerity and sodainnes of it's growth His title contrary to the hope of our foes and feare of our friends taking firme and peaceable footing in our land before his person and that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 without the effusion or shedding of any one drop either of bloud or of sweate So that as Iacob said to Laban Gen. 30.30 Gen. 30 Benedixit tibi Dominus ad introitum meum The Lord hath blessed thee by my comming So may our Iacob say to this land of ours And in a better sense may this Land of ours sing SOL RE ME FA that is SOLus REx ME FAcit It 's the King onely vnder God that mak'sane than could one of the Popes of whom the same song was set vp as a Pasquil in Rome meaning that onely the King of Spaine had made him Pope by giuing a Spanish fig to some of his praedecessors in that See And so as St Austin speakes of the sorowes ioyes of the righteous Tristitia nostra habet Quasi Aust in Ps 48. sed Laetitia nostra non habet Quasi Our sorow for Queene Elisabeth was but as it were sorow but our ioy for King Iames is ioy indeed 1 NOT A PLVRALITY Ioy indeede and greate ioy that we haue not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a plurality of Kings For Kings they say are impatient of copartners and kingdomes I am sure are as impatient of them as Kings themselues The world at some times can hardly endure the heate but of one Sun but certes if there were two Sunnes they would quite burne it vp It 's an old and for the most part a true rule in Oeconomy that hee that hath but one servant hath a whole servant he that hath two hath but halfe a servant but he that hath three hath never a servant And no lesse true is it in Policy of Kings who are Servipublici publike Servants for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A ruler Max. Tyr. dissert 20. â—ub fin or a King saith Max. Tyrius is seruant to many Masters One King a whole King two Kings halfe a King three Kings and never a King In 1 Macch. 1 we reade 1. Macch. 1.10 that after the death of King Alexander his seruants shared his kingdome among them and so the Macedonians in steed of one King had many Kings But see what followes in the very next words Et multiplicata sunt mala in terrâ and much wickednes encreased in the land O how happy then we that haue not Regem vnum in pluribus a King that is but one among many but Plures in vno many Kings in one The King of England the King of Scotland the King of France the King of Ireland all foure Kings in our one King So that he is not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dionys de divin nom l. 4. but