DISCOVRSE VPON THE AFFAIRE of the League VNDER the Raignes of Francis the second and Charles the ninth France was exceedingly molested with ciuill warres the youth of these two Princes was the principall cause thereof Each would haue the managing of affaires A contestation was betwixt Queene Catherine their mother and the Princes of the blood and vnder them the houses wich had most power were those of Guise and Montmorancy which had quietly ruled Henry the second their Father Francis of Lorraine Duke of Guise bore the partie of Catherine Annas Duke of Montmorancy tooke part with the Princes of the blood Likewise there was amongst them difference of Religion The warres about Religion were great and bloodie and lasted euen to the death of Charles the ninth and his brother Henry the third succeeded him He was of age capable to gouerne he had goodly qualities and gaue hopes of a happy Reigne At his comming to the Crowne Henry testified a desire to lead a peaceable life but it was rather for to plunge himselfe in idlenesse and pleasures then to reigne well Henry Duke of Guise sonne of Francis a Prince endowed with great qualities and full of loftie thoughts seeing the King and his Brother without children and the first Princes of the blood to make profession of the Protestant Religion is bold to aspire vnto the Royaltie and to gett thither makes himselfe Protecteur of the Catholikes and the Persecutour of the Protestāts against whom he stirred vp diuers warres Henry of Bourbon King of Nauarre first Prince of the blood Chief of the Protestant partie and a Prince adorned with an heroïque vertue successfully waged diuers warres in fauour of the Protestants Here be three Henry's Chiefs of three seueral parties in France who haue euery one their interest The King to maintaine his lawfull authoritie The Duke of Guise to possesse the Kings place and the King of Nauarre to hinder the King of France his ruine which was indeed his owne and of his partie which made him subsist in reputation The first of these through weakenesse lets himselfe be induced to make warre vpon the King of Nauarre The second makes himselfe Head of the Catholike partie The third becomes Protectour of the Protestāts So that as he who ought to haue commaunded others is very happie to haue place onely in the partie of the Duke of Guise who therein came so farre with him that when he was kill'd in the yeare 1588. he was vpon the point to make him be declared to the States of the Realme incapable to reigne and the Princes of the blood to succeed him Philipp King of Spaine who had allwaies an eye open to his great designe foments this businesse fauours the Duke of Guise at Rome helps him with money in France le ts him not want for any thing and euen after his death continues his assistance to his Brother Charles Duke of Mayne The King seeing himselfe abandonn'd of all the great Townes of his Realme and of the most part of his Nobilitie casts himselfe into the armes of the King of Nauarre who by his assistance retireth him almost from the hands of his enemies which held him besieged within Tours he brings him as triumphant before his Capitall Cittie of Paris where by the stab of a knife he dyed and left the Kingdome to the King of Nauarre in the yeare 1589. This Prince seeing himselfe eleuated to so high a dignitie was inuited by the change of his condition to make change of his interest and quitting that which he had held euen till then he embraced that of France He had great oppositions caused by Philip as well by his practises at Rome as by his assistance to the League of France allwaies vnder pretext of his great zeale for the Catholike Religion During the time that Henry is a Protestant Philip maintaines that he cannot reigne causeth him to be excommunicated his Subjects to be dispensed from the oath of allegeance setteth his kingdome in prey that by this meanes he might gett it as easily as Ferdinand got the Kingdome of Nauarre from his Predecessour When he giues hope to turne Catholike Philip declareth that he is an Hypocrite and that hauing beene relapsed he can neuer lawfully reigne he aideth his enemies with money and armes sufficient to weaken both parties but not to ruine the one in such sort as that the other might subsist without him willing to wearie them whom he maintained to the end that they should be constrained to giue themselues vp to him Henry on his part shewes vnto Queene ELIZABETH and the Vnited Prouinces with the Protestants of Germanie and the Swisses what interest they had all in the cause He receiued great assistance from them all and euen secretly from Ferdinand great Duke of Tuscanie a Prince of great vnderstanding and who judged that the acquisition of France to the King of Spaine was to subject all the other Princes But the Republike of Venice onely amongst all the Catholike States did without delay acknowledge him King of France after the death of his Predecessour So wellas with all these aides and his owne valour he resisted in the very beginning and afterwards hauing obtained diuers victories and his affaires beginning to prosper he was considered as a great Prince From thence forward the People wearie of their miseries beganne to disabuse themselues and to giue no more such credence as they had done to their Preachers the Nobilitie to thinke vpon the side that prosper'd the Gouernours of Townes to assure their affaires with the strongest and the Principalls of the partie to conserue what dignitie soeuer they had beene raised vnto All these commotions caused the Leaguers to assemble the States Philip takes occasion from such an extremitie for to perswade them that the onely remedie to restablish their affaires was to choose a King and offers his daughter to him whom they chose This was the apple of discord The Duke of Mayne principall Commaunder could not pretend to haue her he being allreadie married nor would suffer that another should lest himselfe from being Master should become a Seruant His Nephew the Duke of Guise was inticed with this daintie bit The Duke of Nemours his Vnkle had as good an appetite as he The Duke of Mercueur pretended the Dutchie of Britanie to belong to him by his Wife The eldest sonne of the Duke of Lorraine as head of the familie was also mentioned So that Philip thought by this discord to draw them to make choice of him While these things were a doing Henry turnes Catholike This change made some of the principall Townes and Gouernours to declare themselues on his parte and the other beganne to treate in the Court of Rome Philip neglects nothing no more then the chiefest Leaguers for to impeache that Henry be not acknowledged a good Catholike and a long time hindered his Ambassadour from hauing Audience At the length Clement VIII then Pope seeing well that he was establishing
himselfe without him resolued to graunt that which he could not hinder and to acknowledge him for King it being à maxime of Rome to gouerne according to euents to the end that shee loose not that reuerence and respect which Shee endeauours throughly to preserue and without which her autoritie would be but a small matter Philip fallen from such an hope continues his assistance neuerthelesse to the residue of the Leaguers Besides he inciteth Emanuel Duke of Sauoy at that time his sonne-in-law to set vpon Prouence thereby to diuert him from the pursuite of his claime to the Dutchie of Milaine in right of his wife's dowrie Henry seeing this obstinacie declares himselfe openly and denounceth warre against Philip. The successe thereof was various and yet after the recouerie of Amiens by Henry Philip seeing himselfe very neere his graue his Sonne yong and Henry in the vigour of his age he resolued on a peace which was concluded at Veruins the yeare 1597. wherein he restoreth all that he held of France and then died It behooueth now to consider the interest of the Princes inueloped in this affaire what faultes they therein committed and what were the euents thereof Henry the third whose interest consisted in not suffering diuerse factions in his Kingdome in preseruing the Princes of the blood since he had noe children of his owne and in keeping vnder those which lifted vp themselues to the prejudice of his Royall authoritie yet he did quite contrarie For he fomented the said factions in stead of extinguishing them and euen joined with the one to destroy the other He made continuall warre vpon the Princes of the blood at the persuasion of those who desired to see their ruine for to raise themselues in their places and he authorized in the commaund of his armies those that aspired to the vsurpation of his Kingdome He did yet worse for when he beganne to perceiue their plot he would preuent it by a remedie which wrought his owne destruction to wit by casting himselfe into an affected and vnusuall deuotion not stirring from the Cloisters of Monkes thinking by this meanes to take from the Duke of Guise the credit that he had gotten amongst the Catholickes who held him for their Chief But there arriued the contrarie for he became contemptible to his people who chased him from his capitall citie of Paris and all the great Townes of his Kingdome reuolted from him they also reduced him to such a pitifull case that in the end a Monke had the boldnesse to kill him which was the fruite of his negligence and ill conduct Henry Duke of Guise succeeding a Father and and Vnkle both great personages and who had had in the precedent Reignes great part in the commaund of Armies in the conduct of affaires and he thinking himselfe no whit inferiour to them neither in courage nor in vertue conceiues the most haughtie designe that a man borne the Subiect of a Prince could vndertake that is to vsurpe the place of his Souueraigne The occasion seemes most fauourable to him He has already this aduantage of gaining by the labour of his Father it being a thing most difficult that the life of one man alone should be able to worke such a change He incountereth a King without children and of the humour of those vnder whom such projects might be attempted He findeth a Kingdome rent by factions and assaulted with the most dangerous of all Ciuill warres which was for the difference of Religion He sees the first Princes of the blood in the weakest faction the King of Spaine readie to assist all those that trouble France and the Popes interessed euery way to persecute the Protestants The matter standing thus he full of hopes neglecteth nothing to accomplish his designe He was a goodly man gracefull courteous liberall and valiant He imployes all these gifts of nature to insinuate himselfe amongst the Nobilitie Gentrie and Commonaltie He shewes himselfe very zealous of the Catholike Religion not by haunting the Cloisters and walking thorough the streets in Procession but by persecuting the Protestants and declaring himselfe their mortall Ennemie He maintaines his intelligences at Rome and in Spaine allwaies vnder the pretence of Religion He workes the Preachers to set him in veneration amongst the People and to make the King be declared a fauorour of Heretickes hypocriticall vicious and idle So as by such meanes he had eleuated his designe euen to the last step when vpon the very point of execution he was grossely wanting both to his interest and to his owne selfe which was in this that after hauing chased his King from his chiefe Citie leuied armes against him made publike declarations thereof and then made peace with him as with his equall yet euen then he intrusted his life to him when he would haue made him be deposed his businesse being not of that sort as it might be permitted to faile twice Henry the fourth had two parts to act For whilst he was onely King of Nauarre first Prince of the blood and Protectour of the Protestants of France his interest was to imploy all his industrie and credit both within and without the Kingdome to defend the said Protestants to the end that they might defend him For which purpose he did what he could to hinder the Duke of Guise from seising the Crowne whereunto he had interest as presumptiue heire thereof and to make himselfe knowne to Henry the third not onely in qualitie of Chief of the Protestants but also as first Prince of the blood to whom the interest of preseruing the Kings personne and Estate was as deere to him as himselfe to the end that at his need he should make noe scruple to haue recourse vnto him Which succeeded so well with him that after the Duke of Guise his death and the reuolt of his Kingdome he had not a more assured refuge then to put himselfe into his hands When he was King of France there behooued a great dexteritie to demeane himselfe discreetly both towards the Catholikes and the Protestants incensed one against the other by so long and bloody Ciuill warres These gloried in hauing a King of their Religion but those could not endure the same and threatned to abandon him if he did not turne to theirs His businesse now was to preserue his old friends and not to loose the new He promises the one not to refuse instruction and continues with the other in the exercise of his Religion In the meane while he serues his owne turne of both together to fight against his ennemies In the tediousnesse of these warres euery man was wearied Many of the Leaguers like not a Spanish King but yet they would not haue a Protestant King The Catholikes that serued Henry growing impatient to see him continue in this Religiō presse him to embrace theirs and come so farre as to make a third part against him These considerations made him resolue at length to turne his Religion And by this
meanes he kept the Catholikes that followed him thereby also he gained newe ones from the partie of the Leaguers and he lost not the Protestants who he well knew could neuer be taken in the number of his enemies without destroying the pretext of Religion which alone maintained them So as that this Prince complying with the time knew how to take his aduantages so fitly that he had good successe in his affaires Philipp who had a designe to the Christian Monarchie and imagining that the maine obstacle which he should therein meet with was the puissance of France he embraces the occasion offer'd vnto him for to ruine the same He aptly serues his purpose by the ill gouernment of the King and by the ambition of the Duke of Guise He inciteth the first to expell the Protestants out of his Kingdome by which way so euer giueth him his owne example offereth him his assistance publisheth his great zeale at Rome exhorts the Pope to ioyne with him in such a pursuite On the other side he vnderhand exciteth the second to continue courageously his designe assists him with money and Counsell And by such deuises he makes himselfe esteemed in France as the chiefest prop of their Religion He makes a diuision betwixt the King and the Protestants of Europe he authoriseth the Duke of Guise amongst the Catholikes of France he incenceth the people against the Princes of the blood and remoueth so much as he can the the children of the Familie from the gouernment of the Realme for to introduce Strangers there No other consideration diuerteth him from his profound designe he holds that allwaies couered vnder the vaile of Pietie and of his great zeale to the Catholike Religion He trauelles there step by step without being impatient through the length of the way or precipitated through any accident After the Duke of Guise his death in stead of leauing off the worke he became more resolute He assists his Brother and the whole partie so much the more vigorously as he beleeued there was more need and euen thought assuredly that it would be more easie for him now to make an aduantageous gaine thereby then in the life time of the said Duke Because that the whole faction hauing more need of him he could more easily reduce them to his owne will In so much as he aduanced the businesse so forward that the Kingdome of France escaped not his hands but by miracle And if he had beene content onely to dissipate it in stead of getting it intirely he had therein obtain'd his ends And this is the onely fault that he committed against his interest in this Affaire For had he considered the affection this Nation beares towards her Kings the detestation shee has of the Spanish dominion besides her naturall sicklenesse as also the reputation of the clemencie of Henry IIII. he would not haue beene so obstinate as to goe about to surmount things impossible and would haue contented himselfe to part the Realme among seuerall personnes And aftewards vpon the differences that are wont to happen betweene vsurpers it would haue beene farre more easie for him to gett by peece-meale what he would haue carried all at once Howsoeuer it would haue beene a gaine great enough to him to diuide this mightie Kingdome the which being Vnited does euery where impeach the amplification of Spaine THE SECOND DISCOVRSE VPON THE WARRE OF SAVOY IT seemed that the Peace of Veruins had restabished a solid tranquillitie to Christendome and that these two mightie Powers of France and Spaine wearied of troubling each other had beene glad to tast of rest But as it is ordinarie that in all accords which are made between Princes and Soueraigne States there men leaue vndecided the Claimes about Which they cannot agree So likewise in this Peace the restitution of the Marquisate of Saluces was remitted to another season in such wise as Henry afther hauing imployed some yeares to setle againe the affaires of his Realme in good order he resolued to question the Duke of Sauoy for the inuasion of the said Marquisate insomuch as he made him plainly vnderstād that he would haue it restored This peece although little is of very great importance It is the Port of Italie whereby the French might passe either to assault or succour it Those that feared their power had reason to withstand the designe of Henry but those that feared any other fauoured him So the interests of Italie were diuided Emanuel Duke of Sauoy as the most interessed of all in the businesse vses all meanes to diuert this Tempest He solliciteth the King of Spaine not to forsake him and gaineth the Popes Nephew Cardinal Aldobrandin to procure the Popes fauour But being exceedingly confident of his dexteritie and adresse he resolued to goe into France to the end that vnder the pretence of treating this affaire he might gaine some of the principall Ministers of Henry and raise a broile within the Kingdome herein he was at great cost and vsed such sleights that he failed but very little of his purpose Neuerthelesse being too confident of a thing vncertaine and hauing too much neglected the meanes of his true assurance he became so surprised that within three Moneths he was dispoyled of all Bresse and Sauoy This rude beginning awak'd him He continues his practises in France he hasteth the succour of Spaine and seekes the intercession of the Pope who to this effect sendeth the Cardinall Aldobrandin towards Henry for to treate the same In the meane while euery one armeth some to assault Piemont others to defend it but the mediation of the Peace was the strongest For it was concluded in the yeare 1600. wherein Sauoy was render'd to the Duke and Bresse remained to Henry for exchange of the Marquisdome of Saluces That which made Henry commit this errour against his interest was the desire he had to tast of repose it being a thing certaine that a man ordinarily flatters himselfe in that whereunto his fancie carries him This Prince naturally loued his pleasures and the necessitie of his affaires allwaies engaged him to labour So as now seeing himselfe at peace in his Relme and beleeuing he had done enough for his honour he chose rather to take a recompence for the said Marquisate then to imbarke himselfe in a long warre This Peace touched Ferdinand great Duke of Tuscanie so much to the heart for the prejudice that it brought to the libertie of the Princes of the Italie that he offered to breake it by the meanes of 200000. crownes wherewith He and the States of Venice should furnish the Cardinall Aldobrandin But Henry would not hearken to it In this affaire and the sequele thereof there are two things remarkable Viz. The losse which France hath sustained by leauing the Marquisate of Saluces and the aduantage that one gets by gaining the Nephewes of the Pope By the first the French-man has lost all credit in the affaires of Italie and the Spaniard remaines Master
well extinct but that from time to time the cinders thereof haue caused new flames Ferdinand supported rather by the justice of his cause then by his owne forces implored the aide of all the Prince which by common interest were obliged not to suffer such an outrage Marie in whose hands at that time lay the gouernment of France thinking of nothing more during the minoritie of the King her sonne then to maintaine her selfe in peace shee beleeued shee had enough to doe to smother the factions of the Kingdome and to appease by all meanes those that were capable to resist her authoritie So shee regarded the commotions of Italie no further then to endeauour to asswage them and shee imployed her credit to induce the Pope to interpose between the two parties for their accord The King of Spaine considered the beginning of this discord after another manner For perceiuing the aduantage that might from thence accrue vnto him he intermedled so farre in all the whole course of this affaire as he failed but very little to draw from thence aduantages proportionall to his designes The Princes of Italie whilst the game was playing looked on without medling therewith The grand Duke vndertooke the defence of the Duke of Mantua beleeuing he was obliged by his proper interest to assist the weaker against the stronger besides the particular reasons that incited him thereunto The Duke of Sauoye seeing the small aduancement that he could hope for from his entreprise hearkened to an accord which was proposed to him and letting the businesse be put to a treatie he contented himselfe with the glorie that he durst vndertake to vsurpe vpon his neighbour and so all this goodly designe vanish'd it to smoake euen as it had beene plotted against all reason it being not the interest of a Duke of Sauoye now of any other Prince of Italie to imbroile himselfe with his neighbours since all the aduantage that can 〈◊〉 aid from their 〈◊〉 is to see the difference reconciled by the power of one of these two Kings which cannot be without manifest danger This businesse so ended the King of Spaine who had an eye euer vpon Piemont as a piece that lay fitt for him saught a plausible pretext to quarell the Duke of Sauoye For considering France out of case to medle with the affaires of Italie the Duke of Sauoye by the late warre exhausted both of men and money and the other Princes of Italie disunited betwixt themselues He thought fit to take this time to enter in to Piemont hoping as he had had the glorie to be arbitratour of the first controuersie without gaining so fauourable an occasion for his particular profitt he would make amends for his default by reinflaming a second warre He inuaded then the Territories of the Duke of Sauoye where finding more resistance then he expected he was in the end fayne to make peace It is true that France bestirred herselfe in this second occasion but the principall commendation therein is due to the Marshall de Lesdiguiâ—et who in all this warre albeit that he followed his particular ends engaged France to embrace her true interest as shee ought to haue done in the former commotion This second trouble being appeased the most vnderstanding men judged well that Italie was not to continue long time in peace Because they saw Ferdinand Duke of Mantua childlesse and his brother Vincent leading so disordered a life as they beleeued he could not liue long and the euent was answerable to their opinion For after Ferdinand's death Vincent continuing the disorders whereunto he had formerly accustomed his body died leauing his cousin Charles de Gonzague Duke of Neuers heire of his Estates who alone by all right could pretend there The death of Vincent although it was well enough foreseene yet it astonished all the Princes of Italie in such a manner as euery one beganne seriously to consider his affaires The Venetians foreseeing that the Spaniards could not endure the inheritance should be conferred on the Duke of Neuers and that therefore they would diuert the Emperour from giuing him the inuestiture they resolued to doe their best for to frustrate their designes supposing it would be a cast too preâ—udiciall to them to see a Prince depending on the House of Austria established in an Estate set in the middest of their owne That which most troubled the Republike was the siege of Rochelle where the King of France was so ingaged that he had not any hope to be free a long time The Pope was agitated with the same motiues as the Republicke of Venice but he could not so openly shew vnto the King the desire which he had to disengage him from thence least he should thereby witnesse that his particular interest was more preualent then that of the Catholike Church for the honour whereof they pleaded in depressing the Huguenots The other Princes of Italie kept close not daring to shew which way their inclination was bent The Duke of Sauoye onely imagined that he might profit by thâ—s warre and vpon the good opinion that he had of himselfe was perswaded that he might share the conquest of Montferrat with the house of Austria The King of Spaine tâ—king his aduantage by the siege of Rochelle and by the presumption of the Duke of Sauoye thought fit to take his opportunitie to seise vpon Cazal Wee must confesse that his designe was well conceiued and with great likelylood of a fortunate successe Hitherto the Spaniards had in euery thing so well taken their time that it seemed a thing impossible to crosse their designes neuerthelesse the wheele of their good fortunes beganne here to stop and from hence forward wee haue seene a continuall company of ill accidents befall them whiâ—h last euen to this day For Loüys by an incredible diligence and resolution takes Rochelle in despite of the English forceth the Streight of Suze relieueth Cazal and so endangers the Dutchie of Milaine that had it not beene for the troubles in Languedork which he desired to make an end of he might haue carried it away from the King of Spaine at the first blow The Spaniards secure themselues and recouering the paths of their ordinarie prudence seise vpon the Grisons cause most mightie Armies to passe that way send Marquesse Spinola to the gouernment of Milaine raise an armie in Italie and besiege Cazal anew Lewys sendeth strong forces into Piemont The Duke of Sauoye would amuse him with hopes of a peace but he met with his match with such an vndaunted courage that both in sight of him and Spinola he forced from him Pignerol which will be an euerlasting memoriall to posteritie of the Raigne of Lewis The siege of Cazal continues The pestilence rageth in both the two armies The Venetians receiue an ouerthrow towards the Mantuan The citie of Mantua is surprised Notwithstanding all these accidents Lewis assembles new forces and prouides to relieue Cazal In the meane time he falles sicke at Lyons The Spaniard sowes dissention in his Counsell which interrupteth the course of so many heroïke actions and after so many stormes past one seemes vpon the point to suffer shipwracke in the hauen There appeared his vertue against whom all these deuises were contriued for at length he got out of this Labyrinth by the clue of honour The King recouers his health Cazal is brauely relieued and the Duke of Mantua not onely reestablished in his Dominions but which will seeme incredible to after ages he is inuested therein by the Emperour The Grizons are set at libertie Italie is freed from the armies of Strangers the port lies open to her assistance and for diuers defections of the Duke of Lorraine they make sure of his Estates by which meanes the communication of Italie with Flanders in barred See here the true and liuely table of these differences where note first of all the Duke of Sauoye his fault in hauing imagined that he should share Moniferrat with the House of Austria in despite of France it being a case most euident that he could not faile to be dispoyled by the one or the other or by both two together if extraordinarie indulgence had not beene vsed towards him It is also a thing wholly manifest that the Duke of Lorraine hath forsakeÌ„ the maxime of his true interest in taking by a fiâ—t of jollitie the partie of the Empeâ—our against that of France in a season when the House of Austria was so vnable to dâ—fend herselfe and that of France so free to enterprise As for the Emperour he cannot excuse himselfe for hauing inuaded Italie before he was sure of Germanie and for hauing quitted the pretence of Religion which hath so much serued him in oppressing the Duke of Mantua being a great Catholike The resolution of France will be for euer memorable which notwithstanding the siege of Roehelle assisted by the English and the warre in Languedoc which the Spaniard made shew to foment has not albeit euer abandonned her true maximes in assisting powerfully her Neigbours and euery where dashing the projects of Spaine Whence I conclude that the glorie of the King the greatnesse of his State and the eminent reputation that he now enjoyeth will continue as long as he shall remaine constant in this resolution FINIS