Selected quad for the lemma: cause_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
cause_n	henry_n	king_n	pope_n	2,794	5	6.8846	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A29487	[A Brief] vindication of the Parliamentary proceedings against the late King James II proving that the right of succession to government (by nearness of blood) is not by the law of God or nature, but by politick institution : with several instances of deposing evil princes, shewing, that no prince hath any title originally but by the consent of the people.		1689 (1689)	Wing B4656; ESTC R17719	41,711	76

rendred useless 't will be natural to conclude That the Means we have used were the only effectual ones for our Peace and Happiness and that one Restauration is enough in an Age. Now there are some superficial Objections made against the Deposition of the late King viz. That many Kings have been privately Assassinated but that we hear of none who have been publickly Deposed by the Jurisdiction of a National Council or Assembly without the Limits of our own Kingdom In Answer to which I shall endeavour to make it appear That it hath been the practice of all Nations and at all times to assert their Jurisdiction as we have done by the Deposition of Evil Princes whenever they had the means to effect it And we may safely bid any of our Neighbouring Kingdoms who have not been in our Circumstances to cast the first Stone at us Now as previous to our main design we shall lay down this Position and shew our Reasons for it That as Government and Authority in general is from God so the particular Forms and Magistrates are left to the Election of the People that is Whether they 'l have Democracy which is Popular Government by the People it self as Athens Thebes and many other Cities of Greece had in old times or as the Cantons or Switzers at this day have or else Aristocracy which is the Government of some certain Chosen number of the best as the Romans many years were govern'd by Consuls and Senators which the States of Holland imitate at this day Or else Monarchy which is the Regiment of one and this of an Emperour King Duke Earl or the like These particular Forms I say are not determin'd by God or Nature as Government in general is for then they should be all one in all Nations as the other is seeing God and Nature are one to all but it is left to every Nation and Country to chuse that Form of Government which they shall like best which Aristotle proveth throughout all the second and fourth Books of his Politicks very largely laying down divers kinds of Governments in his days as in Greece that of the Milesians Lacedemonians Candians and others and sheweth the Causes of their difference which he attributes to the diversity of Mens Natures Customs Educations and other such Causes that inclined them to make Choice of such or such Forms And this might be proved also by infinite other Examples both of Time past and present and in all Nations and Countries which have not had only different Forms of Government the one from the other but even among themselves at one time one Form and another at other times For the Romans first had Kings and after rejecting them for their Evil Government they chose Consuls which were two Governours for every Year whose Authority they limited by a multitude of Senators which were of their Council and these mens Power was restrained also by adding Tribunes of the People and sometimes Dictators and finally they came to be governed last of all by Emperours The like may be said of Carthage in Africa and many Cities and Commonwealths of Greece which in divers Seasons and upon divers Causes have taken different Forms of Government to themselves The like we see in Europe at this Day Naples hath a King for its Sovereign Rome the Pope Venice and Genoua have Senators and Dukes but their Dukes have little Authority Florence Mantua Parma Vrbin and Savoy have their Dukes only without Senatours and their Power is Absolute Milan was once a Kingdom but now a Dukedom Burgundy and Lorain had once Kings and after Dukes and now Kings again Bohemia and Polonia were formerly Dukedoms and now are Kingdoms The like may be said of France after the expulsion of the Romans which was first a Monarchy under Pharamond their first King and so continued for many years under Clodion Merovis Childerik and Clodovaeus their first Christian Kings but after it was divided into four Kingdoms one of Paris another of Soissons the third of Orleance and the fourth of Metz and so it continued for many years but afterwards it was one Monarchy again England also was first a Monarchy under the Britains and then a Province under the Romans and after an Heptarchy under the Saxons and now a Monarchy again under the English And all this by Gods permission and approbation who in token thereof suffered his own Peculiar People of Israel to be under divers manners of Government in divers Times as first under Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob then under Captains as Moses Joshua and the like then under Judges as Othniel Ehud and Gideon then under High-Priests as Ely and Samuel then under Kings as Saul David and the rest and then under Captains and High-Priests again as Zorobabel Judas Machabeus and his Brethren until the Government was taken from them and they brought under the Power of the Romans Wherefore there can be no doubt but that the Commonwealth hath power to chuse their own Form of Government as also to change the same upon reasonable Causes as we shall make appear they have done in all Times and Countries and God no doubt approveth what the Realm determineth in this Point for otherwise nothing could be certain for on these Changes depend the Titles of all Princes and Potentates from the foundation of the World and if they should not be justifiable we must condemn as Illegal the Acts and Jurisdiction of almost all the Princes and Governours that ever have Reign'd which were great rashness and folly to do In like manner it is evident That as the Commonwealth hath Authority to chuse and change her Government so hath she also to limit the same with what Laws and Conditions she pleaseth from whence ensueth the diversity of Power which each of the former Governments had as the Dukes of Venice at this day are for their Lives except in certain Cases wherein they may be Deposed and those of Genoua only for two years and their Power is very small and much limited and their Heirs have no Claim or Pretence at all after them to that Dignity as the Children and next of Kin of other Dukes of Italy have thô in different sort also For that the Dukedoms of Vrbin and Parma are limited only to the Heirs Males and for defect thereof to return to the Pope or See of Rome Florence and Mantua are to return to the Empire for like defects and not to pass to the Heirs Female or next of Kin as Savoy and others do And now if we respect God and Nature as well might all these Governments follow one Law as so different for that neither God nor Nature prescribeth any of these particular Forms but concurreth with that the Commonwealth appointeth and so it is to be believ'd That God concur'd as well with Italy when it had but one Prince as now when it hath so many and the like also with Switzerland which once was one Commonwealth under Dukes

That it was never done to any Prince before Henry the Fifth All which Points do demonstrate that it 's the Coronation and Admission that makes a true and perfect King let the Title by Succession be what it will and that the Consent of the Realm is of much greater consequence than nearness of Blood. This may be prov'd by many Examples in England where Admission has prevail'd against Right of Succession as in William Rufus who succeeded the Conquerour and King Henry the First his Brother in King Stephen King John and others who only by Admission of the Realm were Kings against the order of Succession To these we may add Henry and Edward both Sirnamed the Fourth whose Entrances to the Crown if we well consider we shall find that both of them founded the best and surest part of their Titles upon the Election and Consent of the People And both of them having Remorse of Conscience at their dying days being they put so many Men to death for maintenance of their Rights and Titles had no better way to appease their own Minds but by thinking they were plac'd on the Throne by the Voice of the Realm and consequently might lawfully defend the same and punish such as intended to deprive them Moreover if we look into the Actions of Princes in all Ages we shall find that such Kings as were most politick and had the least doubt or suspicion of Troubles about the Title after their Deaths have caused their Sons to be Crown'd in their own days as trusting more to that than to their Title by Succession thô they were never so lawfully and lineally descended And of this I could alledge many Examples out of divers Countreys but specially in France since the last Line of Capetus came to that Crown for Hugh Capetus himself procured Robert his eldest Son to be Crown'd in his own days and Robert did the same for his youngest Son Henry Henry also did entreat the States of France to Admit and Crown Philip the First his eldest Son in his own time and this Kings Son Lewis did the same to both his Sons first to Philip and after his death to Lewis the younger And for the same cause the Prince of Spain is Swore and admitted by the Realm during his Fachers Reign The same Consideration also moved King David to Crown his Son Solomon in his own days And finally our King Henry the Second of England considering the alteration the Realm had made in admitting King Stephen before him against the order of Lineal Succession and fearing the like might happen after him caused his eldest Son Henry to be Crowned in his life time But this Device had but ill success for King Henry the younger made War upon King Henry the elder and got both the Kings of France and Scotland and many Nobles both of England and Normandy to take his part for which cause 't is probable that this thing has never since that time been us'd in England But yet hereby its evident what the Opinion of the World was in those days of the force of Coronation and Admission of the Commonwealth and how little the propinquity of Blood prevailed without it I might bring insinite Examples from the Grecians and Romans to this purpose but that it may be ojbected that they are too old and far fetch'd Examples and ought not to be Presidents to us in these Ages Wherefore I shall only give some few Examples of the Jews being they were Gods Elect People and so fit Presidents for us to follow and then hasten to those of kiter Times First then Thô God made Saul a true and lawful King and consequently gave him all the Kingly Priviledges Benefits and Prerogatives belonging to that degree and state whereof one was That his Children should succeed after him in the Crown yet after his death God suffered not any of his Generation to succeed him tho' he left behind a numerous Issue and among others Ishbosheth a Prince of 40 yeras old whom Abner the General Captain of that Nation follow'd for a time as their lawful Lord and Master by Succession until God check'd them for it and induc'd them to reject him and to receive David newly elected King who was a Stranger by Birth and no Kin to the King deceased Now if any one shall say that it was for the Sin of Saul whom God had rejected I do confes it and yet it makes nothing against our purpose being we do not pretend that a Prince who is next in Blood can justly be put back unless for his own defects or those of his Ancestors And it 's to be noted That Jonathan who was a good Man and much praised in Holy Writ being slain in the Battle and leaving a Son named Mephibosheth who was also put back tho'b y nearess of Blood he had great interest in the Succession and much before David and that only for ought appears upon the account of Saul his Grandfather After David succeeded Solomon who was his younger and tenth Son and the fourth only by Bathsheba tho' Adonijah the Heir apparent seeing his Father old and ready to dye had call'd many of the great Men of that State both Spiritual and Temporal intending to have proclaimed himself Heir apparent to the Crown but Bathsheba and Nathan the Prophet coming to the old King as he lay on his Bed put him in mind of his Promise to Bathsheba made for preferring of her Son telling him which pleased him well Quod occuli totius Israel in eum respicerent ut indicaret eis quis sederet in solio suo post ipsum Which was as much as to say That the whole Commonewealth referr'd it to his choice which of his Sons should Reign after him Upon these Reasons and Perswasions the old King was content they should take Solomon out of hand and put him on the Kings own Mule and carry him about the Streets of Jerusalem accompanied with his Guards and crying with found of Trumpets Long live King Solomon Hereby we may learn That these and the like determinations of the People about admitting or refusing of Princes to Reign or not to Reign over them when their Designs are to good Ends and for just Respects and Causes are allowed also by God and many times are his own special Drifts and Dispositions thô they seem to come from Man. Whereof there can be no more evident Proof than that which ensued afterwards to Prince Rehoboam the lawful Son and Heir to King Solomon who refusing to take away some hard and heavy Impositions laid on the People by Solomon his Father lost ten of the twelve Tribes who refused to admit him for their King but chose rather one Jeroboam that was a meer Stranger and God allowed thereof 1 King. 12.21 as the Scripture in express words testifies For when Rehoboam took himself to be openly injur'd would by Arms have pursu'd his Title and had gathered an Hundred and fourscore Thousand