that Dauid had by diuers wyues and so great perill to the kingdome The comparison of Israell and England and subiects of Dauid The consideration whereof made Dauid carefull to end the controuersie in his life-time But now amongst vs the contention for the crowne when God hath once taken you hence if by like meanes by you it be not preuented is like to bee amongst the children of diuerse families and therfore the more deadlie and consequentlie the more dangerous Wherefore as the state of Israell then mooued Dauid to make his successor knowne so nowe the state of England ought to moue you for herein he did but that which Moses example taught him to doe and therefore that which as a king he was bound to doe Againe it is euident in the story that the Lord did lyke and allowe of his so doing and therefore there was obedience therein to the Lordes will for mans owne will-works he neuer delighteth in An example then it is to follow in the like case to all good Kings and Queenes and as a mirrour it remayneth still to all such to teache them to doe the like when like neede requyreth For whatsoeuer is written in the Scripture Application of the former examples to her Maiestie Rom. 15. 4. is written for our learning Think therefore moste gratious soueraigne that these facts of Moses and Dauid are thus recorded in the holiestoric not onlie that you should knowe that God his Magistrates thus gouerned but especiallie that hereby you may learne to gouerne to the safetie of your subiectes as they did Thus you see that neither perill to their persons nor feare of Eclipsing of their owne present honors could stay either of these from gouerning to the safetie of their people and yet they had sufficient wisdome to foresee what might befall them that way And therefore if it were vertue and obedience to God in them and so no worke of supererogation as sufficientlie it hath alreadie appeared how can it be but a falt and disobedience to his holy will in your Maiestie if vppon so vrgent and iust occasion as they or euer any Prince had you refuse to doe as they did Further we reade that when Esay the Prophet brought Hezekiah word that he should set his house in order for that hee should die that the king wept sore of Esay 38. 1. 2. The fift argument from the example of Ezechiah who wept when he heard that he should die becaus then there was no heire apparant to succeed him which his weeping S. Augustine vppon Esay affirmeth this to bee the principall cause that if theÌ„ he had died he had died without an heyre apparant And very well may it be so for if it had so falne out to his griefe he foresawe that not onely great calamities and troubles therevpon would haue ensued to his people but also that it was some testimonie of the Lords wrath towards him if in him God should haue ceased from performing his promise to Dauid of neuer leauing him without one to sit on his throne after him which caused him rather to weepe then the newes of his death saieth Augustine And to vse a good proofe for the truth heereof this is certaine that Manasses his heire that succeeded him was not either borne or begotten when he so wept For it is said that he was but twelue yeares old when he began to raigne and Ezechiah vppon his repentance had 15. yeares added to his life after thus he had wept Least therefore your Maiesty haue iust cause bitterly to weepe for the denying of this mercie to your naturall people euen then when you woulde moste gladelie haue comfort and consolation and doe moste ferventlie craue it at the Lords hand Sweet Ladie prouide aforehand that there may be one known who of right is to sit vppon your throne after you when you be gone to the Lord. The rather most noble soueraigne The sixt argument from the example of her Maiesties father King Henrie the eight your Maiestie is to take these examples to heart and to imitate them because your owne most noble Father King Henrie the eight of famous memory shewed himself as appeareth not onelie by diverse statutes made in his time and by him produced to that end but also by his wordes yet in Chronicle to his great â—â—â—â—ton pag. â—â—76 honor and renowne most carefull willing to imitate the same for it is chronicled that hee saide thus in Parliament to his subiects When wee remember our mortalitie and that we must die then do we think that our doings in our life-life-time are cleerlie defaced and worthie of no memorie if wee leaue you in trouble at the time of our death for if our true heire be not knowne at the time of our death see what mischief and trouble shall succeede to you and your children Marke gracious Queene your deare father in his wisdom fore-saw wonderfull miseries immediatlie and directlie arising from his leaving of his subiectes without succession knowne and established and that of his compassion and commiseration that therein hee had of his naturall subiectes hee was a prouoker of them that therein sufficient order might bee taken to preuent it Marke also that hee contented not himself with ruling of them well and protecting of them in safetie peace whilest hee himself liued but that his care for them stretched to their children childrens children God for his Christs sake grant your grace to proue his naturall childe heerein But that it might appeare that vppon sound aduise and good experience he had spoken the former words he addeth a dole-full president saying vnto his Nobles The experience whereof some of you haue heard what mischief and man slaughter continued in this Realme betwixt the houses of Yorke and Lancaster By which dissention this Realme had like clearlie to haue bene destroied O Christian and sweet words worthie such an heroicall and mightie Potentate of the world truly worthy to be written in letters of gold and alwaies to be carried and drawne in a Table before the eies of all his successors to the worldes end for though the things done by him in his life-time for the good of his people were manie and great euen such as ought neuer to be for gotten yet see he counted al them clearlie defaced and worthie of no memorie if before his death to prevent the mischiefs that otherwise would ensue to his subiects hee did not make knowne vnto them who of right ought to succeede The lamentable euils that befell this land by the dissension of the houses of Yorke and Lancaster proceeded hence that the right of succession was not cleered and established him yea it seemeth by his speach that he was of opinion as indeed it may be well gathered that all the euils that came to this Land by the dissention of the two houses of Yorke and Lancaster whiche were infinite arose even hence that ther had not sufficient care
villanies wil be freelie in euerie corner committed Oh therfore but once to think that this land is like to come to these woful calamities will teare anie godlie pitifull or natural English hart in peeces Beholde therefore most gracious Ladie your Nobles Commons yea euen all your people men weomen and children lye prostrate now before your feete most lamentably humblie beseeching you to saue them and to preserue them from these heapes of confusions and chaos of miseries and most instantlie with bitter teares beg at your handes that you leaue them not who are now most readie to lay downe their liues for you in this lamentable miserable case to lose their liues with all that they haue and all at the beck and pleasure of euerie furious peasant Remember that Moses tooke the people without a certaine knowne head and governour as sheepe without a sheep-herd and that your most noble father fore-saw that no better then the fore-rehearsed calamities would be the state of this land if hee had died before hee had made his heire knowne yea that hee imputed all the miseries that this land had abode through the contention betwixt the two houses of Yorke and Lancaster to this to wit that the order right of successiō had not bene in former time carefullie enough looked vnto made publikely knowne And so you may perceiue that herein we doe not forecast more perils then these wise and graue persons haue done in the like case Yet for further That calamities doth befal any nation where the Prince dieth without a knowne successor proued by the example of the Israelites The booke of Iudges ground of this our fore-casting of perils the whol book of the Iudges of Israel serueth most fitlie for through that book we see how that when soeuer they were left without a knowne gouernour as in those times they were often they fell into extream miseries were straight brought into slauerie vnder the hands of their enemies the Cananites the Moabites the Midianites the Amalekites Philistins in which state sometimes they continued 18. yeeres sometimes 40. yeeres sometimes more sometimes lesse Wee reade also that Alexander the great when hee Of Alexanders empire Arrianus Q. Curtius had made himself the greatest Emperor in the world yet dying not determining of his successor before hee died but leaving his noble Empire to them that could catche it and hold it that therevpon immediatly after his death there grew most hote fierce bloodie warres amongst his noble Dukes Captaines and so in the end his kingdome or Empire was rent and torne into as manie severall kingdomes as he had noble Dukes able to take them and keep them Wee Of Scotland after Alex. 3. read also in the Scottish Chronicles of Alexander the third king there who lived in the time of Edward the first King of England that hee dying leauing his heire and successor vnknowne it came to passe that vppon his death his kingdome was torne into two parts the one part following one Bayllioll studied to make him King and the other fauoring one Brussius sought to advance him But in the meane time whiles thus the title was in debating it appeareth in the storie that the whole kingdome was brought to extreame desolation But what need we in this case to peruse forrain stories O that your Maiestie would but remember And of England after Lucius and Gorbodug the miserable state of this land after King Lucius and after the death of King Gorbodug and his two sonnes Ferrex and Porrex for you shall in those hystories finde that the root and fountaine of all those lamentable miseries of 15. and 50. yeares civill dissension grewe of this that then the land was left without a certain known successor Yea infinite be the stories in all Chronicles that lay forth most doleful sequels alwaies of this And sure wee are such is your Maiesties wisdom that you must needs fore-see that if you should so leaue vs it wer neuer more likely that thervpō would follow the extreamest miseries that euer befell kingdome Wherfore once again most mercifull Lady cast your pitifull merciful eies vpon your noble Realme all your subiectes who with stretched out hands cry vnto you to shewe mercie vnto them in this point in delaying no longer to the hazard of the spilling of all their bloode and losing all their good to make knowne vnto them who of right is to succeede you O sweete Ladie let this long longed for and looked for most necessary drop of mercie drippe nowe at last downe from you to the chearing and comforting of all your true English subiects and so shal you establish your throne in mercie and purchase vnto your self the moste glorious title of a most mercifull Queene to the comfort of your owne conscience both before God and man and to your perpetuall good name and fame with all posteritie The 9. argument is from the safety honor and profit which will ensue the establishing of a successor both to her maiesty and to her subiectes But to prouoke you the more easilie to yeeld to shew this especial point of mercy cōsider yet further that so to do is not onlie verie necessarie both for you vs in respect of both our safeties and also that it is not onlie profitable to vs but also euen very profitable and honorable to you both in respect of God man That it is verie necessarie and profitable for vs the contemplation of the good that wee shall reape and quyetlie enioye by it and the viewe of the euill that directlie shall therby be turned from vs maketh it most euident And that it is necessary for you also yea profitable honourable as we haue said diuersly it may appeare for first it cannot be denyed that amongst all the meanes that otherwise Princes haue amongst men in this world to make them selues strong by and to sit safe in their throne this is a principall one That they alienate not the hearts of their subiectes from them by their vnkinde and mercielesse dealing towardes them For howe stronglie soever Salomon left his sonne Rehoboam established in his kingdome yet hee by listning rather to the counsell of young greene heades about him then Princes that woulde establishe their thrones must deale kindlie with their subiectes plant in their hearts lone and affection 1. King 1◠to the advise of the graue and auncient and so by his vnkinde and hard answere to his subiects alienating the heartes of them grew so weak that a mean man a servant of his Ieroboam by name rose vp against him and ten Tribes of twelue farre the greater part of his kingdom revolted from him did cleaue to Ieroboam and neither hee nor anie of his successors could euer recouer them againe And on the otherside there is no one thing in the foresaid respect more necessarie profitable and honorable to anie King Queene or Emperour
regarde of all these exceeding benefites you are not bounde to serue the Lorde with all your soule with all your strength Fiftlie whither you do not think that it is an especiall dutie that Princes owe vnto God and their people to doe what may be done to preserue them and their posterities from all evils mischief Sixtlie whither you do not plainly palpablie feele and fore-see that if you leaue your people without a known successor that then it must needes followe that you shall leaue both Gods religion his people your dominions in evident hazarde of extreame confusion and vtter overthrow Seventhlie whither you do not think that in your life-time to make knowne your successour bee not by all likeliehood the best and onlie way to prevent all these dolefull evils Eightlie whither then you doe not think it a grevous sin in you if you should not doe the best that lieth in you by making your successor knowne to prevent these perils to your whole people Ninthlie and whither that therefore if these perils bee not prevented you though a Queene shall not come one day before the tribunall seate of God the revenger of all vngodlines to make straight accompt of this greevous sinne Lastlie whither in the meane time it bee not a meane greatlie to your perill thereby not only presentlie to harden the hearts of your subiectes against you but also to provoke the Lord to bee angrie with you and so to withdrawe his hedge and strong wall of defence from about you if anie humaine perswasion whatsoever continue you still in this vnnaturall sinne TRue and vnfained loue doeth even The conclusion of the whole treatise and exhortation enlarged with two new arguments the one from the ignominie which is like to befall to her Maiesties person afâ—er her death for wanting the honor of buriall the other from the danger the conusellors are like to fall into after her decease for not procuring the establishing of a successor as though by their default her Maiestie had neglected the same force vs to vtter vnto you our most deare and natural Soveraigne that when soever it sall please God to touche you with the pangs of death as die most certainlie you shall and howe soone is knowne to none but to the Lord onlie if your Maiestie doe not settle the succession in your life-time which God for his mercies sake long prolong we do greatlie feare that your grace shall then finde such a troubled soule and conscience yea ten thousand helles in your soule even such bitter vexation of soule hart for the perilling of the Church of God and of your naturall countrie as to be released therof you would giue the whole world if you had it Of true loue to your Maiestie and of a reverent regarde that wee haue vnto your honour and good name after your decease wee beseeche your Maiestie to consider whither your noble person is like to come to that honorable burial that your honorable progenitours haue had or that as we doubt not your grace will take order for by your testament or whither anie part of yourwil shal be performed by your executors if your successor be not setled before your death It may be that this is a matter neither thought of nor yet doubted of by your highnes but that you holde it as a cleere and vndoubted matter or question To let your maiestie vnderstand our opinions herein we do thinke it our duties Wee doe assure our selues that the breath shall be no sooner out of your body if your successor be not setled in your life-time but that al your nobility counsellours and whole people will be vp in armes with all the speede they may yea their care and haste to arme themselues will be so earnest that they will thinke themselues moste happie that can first draw themselues and their power into the fielde and then there will be as many kings proclaimed as there will be competitors the which will be fowre or fiue at the least though all haue not the like right so that then your executors will be so busied to set vp a new king yea it is likelie two or three that they shall not possiblie haue one howres leysure to attend nor once thinke of your buriall or will and then it is to be feared yea vndoubtedlie to be iudged that your noble person shall lye vpon the earth vnburied as a dolefull spectacle to the worlde but chieflie to such as dearelie loue you The shame and infamie hereof wee beseeche your grace to be careful of and true and vnfained loue yea our duties do force vs to warne your maiestie of it for it would be a wonderfull sorow to a great number of our hearts if your noble person being the restorer of true religioÌ„ should come to that shame as to lye vnburied Againe we feare if your maiestie do not prevent these perils before your death that after the dissolution of your life you shall leaue behind you such a name of infamie througout the whole world even in such an opprobrious manner that the forethinking therof cannot we do perswade our selues but deepelie grieue wound your honorable pitifull tender heart especiallie sithence your wisdome and kinde heart cannot but foresee that those whome you shall leaue behinde you which bee of naturall kinred or beare anie heartie or true loue and affection towardes you will daylie die a thousand deathes to heare the evils that shall be howrelie vsed in vile reports songs and rymes against your noble person may not with truth defend you for that you haue not dutifullie prevented the overthrow of the Church of God and of your noble kingdome but haue suffered both to be subverted even by the most cruell meanes that may be to wit by the mercilesse shedding of rivers of innocent blood by all those endlesse bloodie battailes which shal be fought in that cause and al for that you haue not shewed pitie mercy in the setling of the succession of the imperial crown of your noble realm This is not al for your privie counsellors which you shal leaue aliue after you who of feare to trouble you haue suffered you to sleepe in quiet as though you had no iust cause to take care for the safetie of the Church of God and of your countrie and also in that they haue not incessantlie called vpon you thereby stirring you vp with all ferventnesse to prevent these intolerable evils shall in all likelyhoode pay full dearelie for their silence after your decease For wee cannot perswade our selues but that the realme wil call them to a sharpe accompt for suffering the Church of God and the crowne of England to be vtterlie subverted And well they shall deserve it both at the Lords hand and of this their worthy and natiue countrie if it should so fall out for they tooke their corporall oathes to be true counsellours vnto this noble realme Counsellers sworne aswell
christian nobility and commons and the christian Scottish king his christian nobilitie commons albeit the imperiall crowne of this worthie realme shoulde be given after her highnes decease from the said Scottish king sithence hee and his nobilitie may hereby plainelie and evidentlie see that we kindlie desire and imbrace his loue and neither envie him nor his title neyther yet his rule nor government but desire onlie that the right may be carefullie and vprightlie examined sought our given to him to whom of right it duelie appertaineth wherby God may giue a blessing to both these noble Realmes for this heavenly iustice by means whereof the vnnaturall and vngodlie subversion of both these worthie common-wealthes may be avoyded If the Scottish king were conferred with in this matter of great importance as much concerning his safetie and the safetie of his realme as the safetie of our state and shoulde refuse and denie this godlie and quiet triall offered in the ellevinth question thereby perilling both these worthie Common-wealthes it would wound all hearts And God in his iustice would revenge himselfe who is the Lord of anger and the mighty revenger Nahum 1. 2. And the Prophet Ezekiell saith As Ezech. 35. 6. I liue saith the Lord God I will prepare thee vnto blood except thou hate blood even blood shall pursue thee FINIS A TREATISE CONTAINING M. WENTWORTHS IVDGEMENT CONCERNING THE PERSON OF THE TRVE and lawfull successor to these Realmes of England and Ireland WHEREIN THE TITLE IS BRIEFLY AND PLAINLIE SET down DOLMANS objections refuted and inconveniences remoued Made two yeeres before his death but published a yeere after his death for the publick benefite of this Realme IMPRINTED 1598. A TREATISE CONTAINING M. VVentvvorth his Iudgement of the heire apparant SIR I haue receaved your letters by the which you craue my opinion for the drift of DOLMANS book and further what I think for the person of the true sucessor Sir my iudgement in my own conceit is but weak and I would The occasion of this treatise bee loath to diue into such questions as may encrease my affliction But yet as conscience doeth binde mee to communicate my small measure of knowledge vpon good respects with al those that seek not to entrap me as the late L. Chancellour did at the Counsell table but to enforme themselves of the right in a matter so highly importing them that they may be able to discerne betweene errour and truth So I am first to discharge this duty to you and to those your freinds whom you doe mention by reason of manie other great bonds I pray you bee carefull how you impart it the times are ticklish and the handling of this question verie dangerous although conscience and sound policie doe require that even they who forbid it should moste of all others searche it out and earnestlie debate it for as wee nowe finde in experience by this book the most dangerous practise which the enemies and traitours to our state could ever haue vsed for the vndermining of the same is by such seditious and pernitious courses to overwhelme the light right of succession with so great darknes as the iudgements not onlie of the multitude but even of manie of the better sort may be dazeled and when the time of trial shal come they may be striken with such a dump and amazement as they shall not discerne what to doe or whom to follow So the mercilesse sword shall giue iudgement with them that may be strongest and our country which is now populous wealthie renowmed for valour shal be by our owne hand dispeopled wasted tread vnder foote and made a by-word by the proud enemie Al which might bee easilie prevented if it would please God to moue our dread soveraigne to take to hart that humble petition which in the conscience of my bounden dutie to God her Maiestie and my countrie I did exhibite to her highnesse and for which now I patiently suffer thogh most guiltlesse not only in my own conceit but even in the judgement of my Lorde Tresurer who as hee affirmed at the counsell table had three severall times perused my book and found no thing but what he thought to be true and stood assured would at last come to passe But as he then said her Maiesty had determined that that question should be suppressed so long as ever shee lived Good Sir God hath his owne work going on which no man shall stay whither it be for our good as I hope most hartilie wishe or otherwaies and on his will I willinglie rest that hath appointed a time for everie purpose vnder heaven As for the booke this is my opinion in few words That no man can in reason expecte to gather grapes of thornes or The authors opinion of Dolmans book thinke anie good can be intended to our Queene and countrie by a Spanish harted papist His name doth forewarne you of his deceite which cleerelie appeareth in everie part of his booke His purpose is plaine to worke our dissension debate and destruction The booke is no fuller of lynes then of lies which are countenanced most times with the credite of noble men other whiles floorished and glazed with sentences and textes of Scripture impudentlie disswading the tryall of succession which everie favorer of our good doth wish it giveth title to manie who haue no reason to be touched with anie such matter and closlie impeaches the right and governement of our gracious Queene It is wiselie suppressed not for that it carries anie other force or greater matter then grosse forgeries and palpable lies but because our people are weak and simple in this question and may bee easilie seduced beeing barred to looke into it notwithstanding they stand charged by their dutie to God their countrie to examine and search out the same I haue not a litle stoode with some of my friends whither this question was more to be regarded then the matter of discipline And I thinke by such practises we haue sufficient proofe that this is the foundation and pillar on which the Realme and Religion doeth rest It is to no purpose to answere him for we shall never be without gainsayers even against the cleerest truthes yet in this my discourse I will briefly touch in their owne places some things which hee hath craftilie foisted in applying himselfe closlie and covertlie to the dispositions of our nation especially of the common sort that hee may the more forceablie perswade the doubtfulnes of the right of succession and so distract vs in mindes and turne our forces against our selues As for anie thing els that is in the said booke I say with Salomon that a foole is not to be answered in his foolishnes when the answering may imply some estimation or conceite of that which of it selfe is iust nothinge but yet by answering may be thought to be something For my opinion of the right of succession it were fitter it