and irregularitie who after the example of their Master Bezas Resveille-matin do here as maliciously defame your Father as he did there your Majesties Grandmother Yet let us proceed and dive inâ—o the bottome and discover what they ayme at it is certaine they intend first to reforme the State and to suppresse Episcopall jurisdiction and casheere so many places of Baronies in the upper house and yet these men pretend to be friends and Patrons of Parliaments and order But by the words of the Practise of Princes I will make this appeare pag. 17. Ministers saith he are Christs Embassadours and therefore ought to have free libertie to speake in the word of the Lord to Kings anâ— Statesmen in good sort for things appertaining to the furtherance of Christs Kingdom and against such practises as hinder the same till they have thâ—t libertie Princes cannot say rightly that Christ hath his Embassadours or Kingdom received in their Courts which some undertake to prove cannot be till the Hieraâ—chie and Dominion of the Lord Bishops never by Christ ordained but forbidden be overthrown as dangerous to Protestant Princes and Staâ—es and so he stumbleth on à Malo in peius For first they would overthrow the Bishops and Councellors so as pag. 18. he directly saith Out of all which he that will may see that the losses dishonours and troubles that have fallen to this Land and indeed to our Religion and brethren in the Palatinate Germany and France have cheifly sprange from two fountaines First a corrupt Councell and Clergie in England then from a vaine policie of suppressing such Preachers and Parliament men as sought to discover the mischeife of treacherie I need not explaine their words being plaine enough nor seek to discover their intentions which the words reveale And surely the Bishops wer blinded if they should expect any favour or good allowance if God should so punish this Realme that your Majestie should dye without issue which God forbid for the Successor these men desire will deale with them as he did with the Luthâ—rans at Prague and according to the articles 1602. at Heidlebergh Totus Lutheranismus eorumliberi de medio tollantur Much more will he abolish Rochets and their titles for their Lands sake Notwithstanding this is not all for though they seeme to tax Bishops and Councellors yet they glance so farre as they dare at your Majestie and though they shoot at them they ayme at your perfidiouslie For marke their words and ponder them well pag. 11. men that take Gods word for their guide sc. that all the servants of that Prince are wicked that hearken to lyes they say that things can never go well with the Religion and State of England till the Councell which hath been so Dukeyfied be in a manner wholly changed and these men therefore count them fooles who think not if God should take away the King issuelesse and that the injured K. and Queen of Bohemia should come to the Crown things must needs mend which cannot except the Councell were also changed and made examples to keep others from the like treacherie So these men that take Gods word for their guide think if God take away the King issuelesse things must needs mend Surelie it is a speech untymelie and disloyall and uttered unseasonably the Queen being with Child and if not yet both of them being young and hopefull that speech did not become a good subject But could the State no otherwise mend except the King and Queen of Bohemia should beare and weare the Crown of England It seemeth so by these false Prophets For the Councellors must be made examples and punished for treacherie and the present King dares not do any thing but what they like and therefore the Scottish Minister did of late speake in Knoxes tone and Pereus That Princes may be deposed quando gravant conscientias subditorum And so this hot brayned Minister pag. 21. is become a Prophet for he is perswaded as he saith that who so live but a few yeares shall see a greater rott of Nobility and Prince-like Clergie then ever was seen in this Land which he gathereth from the never fayling word and truth of God as his words import So then it seemeth that great rott must be when the King dyeth issulesse and so they divine of your Majesties death and that is the day of the Lord they pray for They look for the rising of another Sunne which is treason to do before this be sett which now illuminateth England and God grant it may long and gloriously shine there I think surelie these men aliquid monstri alunt for they trust too much to faction and to a strong side for as T.T.T. said in Taverns ten healthes for one are drank to you forraigne Children more then to you and many weare Ribbands and favours as marks of their homage and loyalty to the Messias they look for I seeke not to prejudicate the Innocent but to advise your Majestie to use all due circumspection and be well armed against all treacherous plotts and projects For no tone sounds so ill in Kings eares as aspirations And I know well that in Queen Elizabeths time the Oath of association was publickly tendred to all Subjects for a lesse dangerous cause and against them that were in prison and miserie who had no such Tutors and School-masters as the Hollanders are Such quick-silver Ministers as the brood of the Palatinate we are not now troubled so much with Mar-Prelats as with Mar-Kings which is an accident unseparable from Calvinisme which never got sure footing in any Country but desolation followed Your Majestie may be pleased to call to mynd and set before your Eyes how miserably your Grandfather was made away of the disciples of Knox and how your Grandmother who had as good right and footing in Scotland as you have in England was deposed by the same spirits Remember also in what danger King Francis the second of France did stand by the conspiracie of Amboys and his brother Charles at Meaux by those Calvinists Praecones turbarum I speake nothing of Swedland nor of the Count of East-Freizeland whom not â seditione ferè totâ diditione pepulissent as Heisekenmus a learned Lutheran writeth and I will câ—nclude all with the reasons of these Calamities and tempests raised by the Consistorians which Sebastian Castalio giveth l. de praedestinat a man once nearely allyed to Calvin in divers opinions who maketh a difference between the true God and the God of Calvin He teacheth us that Calvins God ingendreth Children without mercie proud insolent and bloudie and that it cannot be otherwise he sheweth causes For that Calvins God is the Author of Sinne not by permission only but efficaciter and he predestinated the greatest part of the world not only to damnation but also to the cause of damnation and suggesteth to men wicked affections Wherefore if it be true that of malus corvus malâ—m ovum of evill
THE ANSWER TO Tom-Tell-Troth THE Practise of PRINCES and the LAMENTATIONS of the KIRKE Written By The Lord Baltismore late Secretary of STATE London Printed 1642. Most Gracious Prince I Know well what Reverence Subjects owe to their Soveraigne and am not ignorant of the puissance and Majesty of a King of great Brittaine believe I should not presume to write to so great a Monarch if the Loyalty of a Subject the honour of Your vertues and some particular obligations of my own did not command me to neglect all other respects and prefere Your safety honour and bonum publicum before any dangers or blame I foresee may incurre and the rather because I speake in your owne care only without publishing or imparting to others that which I delivered unto Your Majesty The cause is briefly thus Wandring abroad in the world I was informed of certaine secret conference in Holland and how to relieve the distressed estate of the Count Palatine and I have seene diverse discourses out of England of the necessity to maintaine the Ancient authority of Parliaments how to assure Religion from oppression and alteration and how to reforme the government there both in Church and Common-wealth audacious arguments and as insolently handled I meane not to trouble Your Highnesse with pedlors stuffe and so stale wares as Vox populi and votiva Angliae but to inform You of some books amongst many others T. T.Troth The practise of Princes and the lamentation of the Kirke which are the works of such Boutefeus as are able to set the whole State on fire imbroyle the Realm and aliene the hearts of people from their Prince for these Maskers under the Visards of Religion seeke to undermine Loyalty and either to ingage you abroad in forraigne wars or in danger Your person at home in Civill And yet I write not to confute these learned scriblers more worthy to be contemned then answered but to advertis Your Highnesse of them that by an obsta principiis you may upon such smoake prepare all things needfull to quench such a fire when it shall flame and first breake out which is may doe when you least looke for it For by nature these spirits are fiery hot spurs and fitter for any thing then that they most professe Piety and Patience And that they may plainely appeare in their own likenesse Your Highnesse may bee pleased to mark and consider how sawcily and presumptuously they contemne Monarches scorne and disgrace them The Emperour Tom Tell-Troth calls a quiet lumpe of Majesty and in scorne of him tells his Reader he cannot wrong a Mouse without the Spaniard which I think the K. of Denmarke Will not believe he mocks the K. of France and tells him he is not old enough to be wise and that he hearkneth to lying Prophets and to be led by spirits of illusion The King of Spaine he calleth the Catholike usurper and the great ingrosser of the West-Indies And which argueth a spirit of Frenzie he spareth no King for of King Iamâ—s himselfe he delivereth such a character as is both disloyall and most intollerable And first touching his maintenance of Religion he taxeth him mâ—st scandalouslâ— that he is only head of the Church Dormant there are so many corruptions in it that he hath more pulled downe the Church with his proceedings then raised it up by his writings and whereas he calleth himselfe defender of the Faith His faithfull Subjects saith he have just cause to question it for the Papists were never better defended as appeareth by the Kings private instruction to Iudges and prohibition of Pursevants And for his inclination to peace for which hee was most commended they wrest it wholly to his dishonour and professe they have too much cause to complaine of his unlimited peace and suspect that his peaceable disposition hath not proceeded so much out of his Christian pietie and justice as out of meere impotencie and basenesse of mind Besides touching his honour and reputation he flouts him for he saith a number of defects cover the glory of his Raigne and that the greaâ— stocke of Soveraigne reputation which our late Queene left us is quite banished and is to bee reckoned amongst other inventions we haâ—e lost through the injury of his time so as now great Brittaine is lesse in glory strength and riches then England was whereby our adverse parties have the triumph of the time and heâ— alledgeth the reasons because when Gundamore taught to juggle who knew the Kings secrets before most of His Councell so as discontent runs with a seditious voyce over the kingdome And in contempt of his choyce of a Treasurer they alledge that the Merchants feared the Court would pull down the Exchange because one of their occupation was made Treasurer so aâ— all things must be bought and sold But above all other scandalous defamations the description they make of a protestant King Page 25.26 27. is most transcendent and traiterous let him saith he excell in mischiefe let him act Nero Phalaris c. he shal not need to feâ—re nor weare a private Coate for he may have Lords temporall for hâ—s â—unuches spirituâ— for his mutes and whom hee will for his Incubus and kisse his Minions without shame Behold a Calvinist in puris naturalibus perfectly factious and under the Cloake of zeale Carnifex regum peruse Mariana and all the works of the Iesuites looke as curiously into their acts and proceedings as they were examined at Paris and you shall not find I such paradoxes of mischiefe and such prophane calumniations of Princes which may parallell and match these yet I can overmatch them or equall them for they murmure as much at Your Majesties own proceedings neither doth your Monarchie oâ— mild tempâ—r priviledge or exempt you from their tongue-shot and the poyson of Aspes in their lips The Author of the Practise of Princes printed 1630. in England pag. 11. saith that the people when King Iames died seeing our King that now is making great preparations and for ought we knew with great sinceritie Yet by the practise of the Duke and his faction retaining all his fathers Counsell which for the most part were Hispaniolized Frenchified Romanized or Neutralized and suffering some worse both spirituall and temporall to be added unto them all those forces were soone brought to nought Things are grown to a great deale worse passe then before and to the great greif of goodnesse and good men without Gods speciall mercy remedy lesse This is the picture and portraiture they make of your Government and they dare censure their Soveraign and like mad-men they also rave against your Councell pag. 13. what a miserable thing is it to see wicked Counsellors get such a hand over the King that he is wholly ruled by them neither dares he favour a good man nor his cause further then they admit Thus they currishlie barke against Kings and Councells and spitt upon the Crown like Friends of Democracies of confusion
King of England but ultra posse non est esse It is neither the fault nor the fallacie of Spaine and for the restitution of the Palatinate your Majestie well knoweth and I think hath discovered that there is a knot in that businesse which onely the Duke of Bavaria can untie The Emperour cannot except he would hazard to loose part of his owne inheritance the upper Austria and what if that cannot during the Duke of Baviers life be yet effected will you breake of all treaties with Spaine for a matter hee cannot compasse nor prevaile to effect Will you make a perpetuall deadly feud with Spaine because he cannot yet therein fully satisfie you It is a cause neither charitable nor politique for marke the reason and project of this silly states-man pag. 13 your children saith he perhaps may have committed a fault and though you thought good to purge them yet to let them still drinke of affliction you may be thought justus sed crudelis pater Well how should the King helpe his children and shew his royall wisedome as well as naturall affection and regard the kingdome as well as his cradle A secret treasure saith he lies hid in your peoples hearts wee will contribute more to redeeme the credit of our nation then to regaine the Palatinate men and mony are the engines of war send forces that shall be able to make their way thither Mark I humbly pray your Majestie how ignorance roveth and looseth it selfe and yet he saith as much as any other can object If you aske him shall they march into the Palatinate No saith he there is great difficulty to get thither the Palatinate is ill seated for us to warre in being remote from the sea and surrounded with enemies and the protestant league is beheaded which should have succoured you and therfore here solveth that you must not confirm the action to the bare Palatinate for so it will never have an end but draw it selfe into such a circle of troubles as wee may look twelve years hence to see two such armies keep one another at a bay in the Palatinate as now they doe in the low Countries So by this his Argument to recover the Palatinate you must not march thither For the reasons he wisely alleadgeth for that it is out of your way Is not this man in a labyrinth for hee wisheth a thing whereof hee hath no hope something hee would have done but he knoweth not what nor how what then qua spe quo concilis would he proceed heare a counterfeit Hanniball speak like a souldier give the Hollanders your helping hand and lend the Palatine an armie to dispose of as he shall see cause Consider well first that his plot is to relieve or revenge the Palatine but not to recover the Palatinate I hope your prudence and providence is such as you wil be assured how they wil imploy this army For if the Hâ—llanders must tutor him they will assaile Flanders or some parts of the Empire or invade Spaine or the Indies and your Majesty shall beare the name of the great Nimrod have all the blame and malice of your neighbours and yet the Palaâ—ine himselfe shall gaine nothing by these sharkers who serve onely their owne turne by you both and when you come to the account and reckoning for the charges you shall finde neither honour comfort profit thankfulnesse nor reputation by dealing with them Nay Tom T. T. in all his booke hath but one wise sentence and that touching them the Pedlers whom wee our selves set up for use are become our masters in the East-Indies and think themselves our fâ—llowes It is now given out in Holland that your Majestie meaneth not to make peace with Spaine but to confirme the treaties made with the Hollanders at Southampton before the last journey to Cales which report I cannot beleive for your wisedome may foresee many dangers and inconveniences by it it is neither for the benefit of your merchants nor for the wealth of your Realme nor the peace of Europe nor your owne safeâ—ie And I beleive France will finde in the end occasions to cast them off for the Gummarists and the Huganots draw in one line have suck't one nurse and like no royaltie Forget not your Amboyna and the imperious and cruell usage of our merchants in the east-Indies Forget not how scornefully they used Sir William Morison your Fathers Admirall of the narrow seas not without apparent contempt of your Majestie Forget not how thâ—y used your sea men and Fishers in Greâ—neland And call to remembrance how unthankfully they used Quâ—ene Elizabeth their Patrone and Protectour Anno 1594 whâ—n she seâ—t Sir Thomas Bodley to demand the mony she had laâ—ed out for them And as if they hated Royaltie and the King himselfe they cause and suffer to bee printed Tom Tell-truth and other malicious libells and scandalous to defame Majestie and bring it into contempt and secretly publish them in Brabant and Flanders Consider also how presumptuously they only use the fishing on your coasts without licence and challenge it as a due to them which the French never durst doe Besides you may discerne clearely what insolency Armata semper militia ever groweth unto and I can witnesse how falsely they dealt with the Earle of Leicester and my Lord Willoughby who was forced to write an Apology for himselfe against them And as for your glorious Father I protest for all his favours to them which were many and great yet how shamefully they spake of him both living and dead I cannot with modesty relate Nay they have dared to sheere the grasse from under their feete and laugh at his councell and therefore they have planted so many low-country-men in England to serve their turne who robbed you and transported all your gold thither that the States might make their benefit of it which your Starre-chamber can well witnesse and these men are yours externally theirs in heart and affection neither hath your Majesty cause to repose too much trust in them for their Astrologer Dr. Fink long since foretold them of a Starre rising out of the east which I perceive they long to see come into England that they might adore him But to speake freely and loyally it would be censured by forraigne Princes as a great weaknesse in so wise a Prince to hazzard your owne safety and the welfare of the Kingdome and the lives of your dearest Subjects for a cause so desperate And on the contrary part to enter into amity and league with your ancient confederates with Spaine and all men of judgement and impartiall hold it most honourable and profitable Your leagues with the house of Burgundy were ever wont to be tyed with a suâ—e knot and inviolable even by Hen. 2. Rich. the 1. and Hen 3. Edw. 1. bestowed upon Flandâ—rs and Brabant great pensions as it appeareth by the records of the Exchequer Edw. 3. loved no nation better and so did they him So long