Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	great_a	king_n	prince_n	9,804	5	5.4951	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03893	A discourse vpon the present estate of France together with a copie of the kings letters patents, declaring his mind after his departure out of Paris : whereunto is added the copie of two letters written by the Duke of Guize / translated out of French and now newly reprinted, and corrected by E. Aggas.; Excellent et libre discours sur l'estat present de la France. English. 1588	Hurault, Michel, d. 1592.; Guise, Henri, duc de, 1550-1588.; Aggas, Edward.	1588 (1588)	STC 14004; ESTC S120854	55,651	70

onelie and yet within the space of one yeare they had neuer a one left or finally for that it was framed among the Catholikes who doo in number farre exceede the Protestants and who albeit they be not wholly in all and through al of the League do yet notwithstanding agree in this point that they wish the preseruation of their religion so seeme to fauour those that vndertake the defence thereof all which in deede do make this first faction to seeme the greatest at this time albeit that in troth it neither is neither can so continue I saide that the kinges was the lawfulest No man dare denie it So long as according to his owne will he ruled his people he onely was obeyed and so might still be if he list but this list must come vpon him betimes for if it lingereth but a little longer and that euerie man perceiue that in his dominions any man may lawfullie not onely disobey him but euen coope with him without danger he shall neuer recouer his authoritie God hath planted the meanes in his onely courage I said likewise that his faction was the weakest It is true albeit it seemeth otherwise yet it is so as by sundrie reasons we may prooue First the king who ruleth hath so behaued himselfe that euerie man knoweth that of the three heads of the three factions he is the weakest he standeth in greatest feare hee dareth enterprise least and contrariwise that he is the man against whome euerie man dare most safely and easely vndertake what they list He I say hath taken such a course that now he hath nothing left wherewith to detaine the mindes of his subiects in his obedience sauing onely the auncient regarde that they haue of their kings together with the custome of the realme which in truth are most mightie meanes in a peaceable estate and yet such a ciuill warre of foure yeares continuance onely is able as easely to subuert it as heretofore it hath don in shorter space at Rome and all other places where it hath lighted for it springeth onely of a contempt and disdaine of the Prince which are contrarie both to duetie and maiestie And then iudge you what one of thirtie yeares continuance as ours is may be able to doo Secondlie he is in his Realme the declining sunne and so weake in his declination that euen in his presence he seeth them dispute both by writings and weapons of him that shall rise after him In the dayes of the Romaine Caesars it was treason to speake of that that should happen after the Emperours death much lesse durst they name him that they thought should succeede Tiberius were able to say somewhat hereof who after a certaine sowne that he fell into in his olde age lying sicke in his bed was stifled by his heire Caligula a young florishing Prince for feare least the old man cōming againe to himselfe should put him to death only for that he was saluted as Emperour when all men tooke the other to be deceased So great was their power to keepe their autoritie inuiolable euen to their graues The Ottomans or Turkish Emperours will neuer suffer their children whose possibilities they can not endure to come neere them But if we must needes finde a domesticall example among our owne kings It is said that the mightie king Francis this mans grandfather being weake sicklie was in the beginning of May in his last yeare at his Castle of Fontainebleau where his sicknes on a time so encreased that he was thought to bee dead or not like long to liue Sodainely all the Court came running to the Dolphin Henrie who for the like gelousie of succession durst not in sixe or seuen yeares come neere his father euery one ranne to worship this new sonne so as almost no man of account tarried about the king Well the king for that time recouered and vpon the Ascention day a verie solemne festiuall daie in France beeing somewhat eased of his sicknesse this olde Prince ariseth decketh vp himselfe cōmeth out of his chamber painteth his haire his face to hide his age sicknesse appeareth himselfe in youthfull attire and in this arraie cōmeth forth to procession wherein himselfe carrieth the Cānopie ouer their Corpus Domini and at his returne vseth these speeches I will scarre them once yet ere I die It prooued true the case was altered for so soone as the kings recouerie was bruted abroade all the courtiers came dropping in by one and by one in great feare and the Dolphin yet once againe while his turne came remained as solitarie as his father had done This it was to be a king yea this it was to be feared How manie landes be there yet in the worlde wherein it is death to enquire who may pretend anie title to the Crowne after the Princes decease sith that is the thing that Princes doo couet to leaue most doubtfull Alas It is not so with our king his weakenesse hath giuen all the world leaue not onely in his presence to argue of his succession but also to some to endeuour to force him to prouide for it and to make his will as if there were no more for him to doo but euen to die His faint heart and the libertie to offende haue brought all to that passe that at this day a Frenchman may as bouldlie as a Spaniard say I am not on the kings side whereas thirtie yeare agoe such a word had beene blasphemie yea euen parricide Finally his want of courage is so dishonorable that my selfe being in a forraine lande in the presence of a mightie Prince confederate with the Crowne of France where there was some speech of our estate did heare one discoursing thereof vse these words That our King stoode but as an o in Ciphre which of it selfe can doo nothing but being added to anie other number encreaseth the value thereof I heard it and with great griefe blushed thereat euen for the shame of our Nation albeit the diuisions of our Realme which force vs to extraordinarie remedies had carried me thither for an other purpose then the particular seruice thereof neither was that speech any hinderance to the matter that I came about Thirdly he cannot assure him selfe of any of those whom he thinketh to be on his side for they are daunted because they see him quailed They dare not fixe themselues about him because they see him totter They dare not earnestly oppose them selues against those that warre against him because they see him suffer it and yet scarse so bolde as to complaine In this sort are all his Counsaile all his townes and all his subiectes growne into factions And I do verelie beleeue that among all those that are about his person hee perceiueth none except some one or two that are his owne creatures that hee dare assuredlie trust as hauing some other particular meaning then he or taking part with some one or other of his enemies For so

each after other of mariage and of children which might haue beene enough to haue daunted him howbeit all this notwithstanding beginning to feele his owne courage he was nothing astonished but for a time disguising his drifts he was content onelie to lay anker hold and in the meane time to insinuate himselfe into the Catholike faction according to the instructions of his familie wherein fortune was his friend besides he is of great valour some of his enterprises haue good successe so that togither with the fame and memorie of his father he by by framed himselfe through the ciuill warres which his vncle the Cardinal still kindled by one meanes or other to bee chiefe of the Catholike faction carrying fauour to those townes especiallie which the massacres had continued verie seditious and troublesome and he stood stil in feare of a Protestant Prince whose citizens hee entreated with great familiaritie courtesie and popular behauiors the chiefest and most assured tokens of a mind that aspireth to tirannie The late king Charles deceased without issue and this king married but hath no children moreouer he seemeth that the Crowne wanteth heires in direct line and that the Collaterals are called whereupon he draweth neere and already sheweth tokens that hee craueth a part It was giuen out in hugger mugger that he is the very stocke of Charles the great those of Valois are of the house of Capet who vsurped the Crowne of France from his house whereby there was some likelihood that he would scarce tarrie the death of the king now raigning and his brother the remnants of the children of France before he pleaded his succession against the Collaterals but would euen preuent them Nowe was there nothing more against him then peace for leaning onelie vppon the factious Catholikes and seditious townes faction he should therby lose his credit except the controuersie were renewed against the Protestants For as it is a plaine case that as ciuill warre nourisheth diuers factions in a state euen as certaine it is that a long peace ouerthroweth them all except the kings so as his onely remedie consisted in stirring vp of coales and returning vs vnto our ciuill weapons and then to enterprise according as occasion might serue And in deede in the yeare 1578 hee made such a league as this last but then was the king in his full authoritie and Monsieur his brother aliue who retained a number of french mindes and so consequently kept him short of a manie It was straightwaie quenched and wee rid of it for a little warre against the Huguonets which soone after was appeased Thus was France quiet for two or three yeares during the which it was incredible how many matters his troublesome ambitious cōsequently couragious stomack endured suffering himselfe to be pulled downe and eate and dronke in diuers maners so to eschew all suspition of this practise which during the time of the peace and the kings ablolute authoritie he so cunninglie dissembled that many which knew not the last reasons of this obstinate patience the token of a long and prophane practise did euen contemne him In the ende Monsieur the kinges brother who was a great blocke in his waie died He bare him some displeasure vppon other occasions for as he practised somewhat about the state of Flanders so this man hauing priuate intelligence with the king of Spaine plaied him some badde partes thereabout so that if he had liued I haue heard some saie that he would haue beene on the duke of Guizes iacke in whose time at the least it had beene hard for him to haue enterprised anie thing in France This death whether it were by chance or through any practise came well on his side I saie through any practise because the araigments depositions of the lord of Salcede haue kept many in doubt of such a matter Immediatly vpon Monsieurs buriall when there was none but the king left hee thought that hee had gotten fit occasion to atchieue the practise which his father and vncle began thirtie yeares agoe which him selfe also with so great labour had nowe brought to this passe Some were of opinion that about the same time hee had practised somewhat against the kings life others that hee grounded him selfe only vpon some vaine hope and protestations sent him out of all quarters which assured him of the kings speedie death But howsoeuer it was he did not thinke it conuenient the state should be quiet at the Princes decease as knowing verie well that in France a king neuer dieth because that so soone as one is gone there is an other straightway in his place who at his entrie would ouerthrow whatsoeuer the purposes that any man could commence against him and therefore that it was requisite he should beare weapons against the heire euen before the kings death and so be armed with the late kinges name and authoritie According therefore vnto these fatherly preceptes and with his owne domesticall meanes he began to trouble this Realme againe in the yeare 1585. beginning first with the king whom because he could not by any persuasions induce to make warre vpon the king of Nauarre he thought to cōstraine by force His pretences are that the king hath no children so as the Crowne is like to fall vnto Heretiques whereby hee and all other the Catholikes of France are put in a fright especially seeing the Protestant Captaines so noting the king of Nauarre are in fauour and haue their secrete intelligences with the chiefest and those that are neerest about the kings person This hee spake of the Duke of Espernon who was lately returned out of Guienne where he had seene the king of Nauarre Finally verie fitlie vsing the feare that he had put the king in corrupting all his Councell and al that were about his person hee causeth warre to be denounced to the king of Nauarre and the Protestantes which lasteth yet to this day through the whole course whereof I imagine that he seeketh no more but some occasion once to attempt as his fact at Paris well testifieth for as he weeneth he needeth no more but that Well the warres being thus open against the king of Nauarre euen by the kinges aduise consent and authoritie yet will it not suffice These are daylie labours This Prince is stout of great valour he hath goods plentie and manie friendes There is nowe nothing to be gotten of him but stripes As for his person it is safe enough if they neither murder nor poison him as God forbid they should And for his townes twelue Realmes of France will neuer be able to take them all Yea had he lost all but his sword when soeuer God should call him to this Realme yet were that enough How many kinges haue there beene fecht both out of prisons and Monasteries to their sacring In our dayes wee haue seene Charles the seuenth who was banished into the Mountaines of Auuergne crowned Lewes the twelfth was yet in manner

the league The duke of Lorraine likewise when euery bodie shall come to reape the fruit of his labour and the interest of his charges his conclusion wil not agree with the D. of Guizes proposition The Cantons of Zuitzerland are not in my opinion entred into the league because of the alliance which they haue with our king and the bonde that knitteth them togither in their countrie Notwithstanding I doubt not but that for mony they will finde forces not generallie vnto the league but particularly to the Duke of Guize yet haue they after made some difficultie thereof Of purpose haue I shewed the intent of each partaker of the league to prooue that which I haue said that euerie one of them had some particular meaning disagreeing one from another to the end that thereby I might shewe that whatsoeuer good intelligence they had one with another it were verie easie for vs to haue a better All with one course will I seeke out what are their meanes and their forces in the which I hope to finde so many wantes in respect of that which is in our handes that we would bee ashamed to suffer our selues to bee beaten I will beginne with the weakest Of which number I take the Emperour and the Catholike princes of Germanie to bee For although vndoubtedly they bee of great power yet the Protestantes their neighbours are of such force as euerie man dooth knowe to witte the king of Denmarke the Electours Palatin of Saxonie and Brandenbourgh the Landgraue of Hessia and manie other great princes and lordes so that if they woulde the other durst not seeme to haue enterprised any thing at all I haue shewed what the forces of the Cantons of Zuitzerland are and howe the generall league may haue vse of them As for the princes of Italie the Duke of Sauoy as our nearest neighbour is the most to be feared of them all But first it is but a small matter of forces that may come from him next hee rather resteth vppon sure possibilities then vppon vncerteine ones His father in lawe is olde at his death hee hopeth to get somewhat and I doo thinke that hee will rather cast his cies vpon the states of Millaine and Naples if the succession of Spaine come to bee deuided as there is great likelihood for the daughters who are as ambitious as may bee and alreadie by their father himselfe trained vp in the handling of affaires and almost put in full possession of his kingdomes will hardly bee content to bee married for a peece of money and leaue such great riches vnto their yoong brother sicklie and as they say an Idiot so that mee thinketh this Duke hath worke enough cut out already needing not to busie himselfe much about any enterprises on this side of the Mounts which enclose him in On the other side beyond them he can doo so little though hee woulde and hee findeth himselfe in a countrey so full of disaduantage that beeing of one side kept by the Germaines on an other by the Zuitzers on the other by the Frenchmen and on all sides by the Alpes such forces as hee coulde raise out of his countrie which can bee but verie small cannot bee transported to anie place where they may performe anie thing without great losse and difficultie As for his money to make good cheere at home hee hath enough but to make a great warre not so The other Princes of Italie as the Dukes of Ferrara of Mantoue of Florence and of Vrbin which are almost the chiefest bee all added to for to encrease their rolle and to say Loe what a number here is and not for any other matter If there were anie warre in Italie betwixt two mightie Princes such as were Charles of Spaine and Francis of France they might indeede much further his affaires whome they would assist If there must be an armie made vp by sea against the Turke each one of them shall well be able to set foorth a Galley or ●waine and that is all but that they may doo much in a great warre either against vs in France or in England or in Germanie or in Flanders not so Besides that as I haue noted they will neuer be so deepe in the league but that they will feare more the encrease of Spaine then the decreasing of Rome The Duke of Parma as he is Duke of Parma may be of the number of them but in respect that hee commandeth ouer the forces of the king of Spaine in the lowe countries surely hee is a great captaine without doubt he hath gotten great reputation and credite bee it amongest the Armies which hee commandeth ouer bee it amongst the countries where he maketh warre yea a credite by inheritance the remembrance of his mothers gouernment being most agreeable amongst them But withall hee were but vnwise as well as the Duke of Sauoy if he had not certaine purposes to himselfe or if hee would sticke more to vaine possibilities then to certainties For my part I beleeue that hee is not resolued to haue laboured all this while in Flanders for an other But there is a farther point in this matter which is that as long as he shall make war there as Lieutenant to the king of Spaine he may do much harme but if once hee take the way to make himselfe lorde of it as he may easily in that which he holdeth after the good mans death seeing hee can onely perfourme it by gentle meanes and the good will of the people hee is not to be feared any more but must needes withdraw himselfe out of the league As for the Duke of Lorraine hee is a great lorde but a pettie Prince take away from before his eies the hope of possibilities which they made him conceiue in France for his sonne which only hath brought him in with the league hee will eftsoones take that side which may breede his owne quietnesse and not seeke any quarrell Hee is verie wise and therefore I beleeue that our stirrings in France proceede not from him at this time Notwithstāding there is no doubt but that hee employeth himselfe in this generall matter against vs but I thinke that in this point there resteth this benefite viz. as long as he shall hinder the growing vp of the Duke of Guize his cosin as he must needes do for his sonnes sake he doth vs more good then otherwise he could do vs harme now he hindreth him in respect of the crowne the which at length agreeing and hauing some intelligence with the Queene mother vnto the king his mother in lawe hee will rather demand for his sonne then for the other And I holde it for a most true principle that the duke of Guize our capitall aduersarie is alreadie so farre in that he must needs either be king or be vndone altogither there is no meane for him betweene these two extremities Marius Cinna Pompey Lepidus and Anthonie may be examples hereof As soone as a man hath aspired

diuerse Contrariwise Philip at this day king of Spaine hath beene fauoured with such fortune as had neuer interruption But that is more to bee attributed to that which tell out about him then to himselfe France in his time hath beene ruled by a woman and by children or so toyled by ciuill warres that they haue alwaies founde woorke enough within themselues England likewise ruled by a woman who following the nature of her kinde hath wisely contented her selfe with mainteining her subiectes in peace and defending her state from her neighbours attempts not enterprising any thing against them Germanie by peaceable Princes The East partes by Selim a great drunkard who tooke pleasure in nothing but his drinke and since by Amorat his sonne halfe an Idiot who stirreth not from the Mosquetta So that wee must not say that he had good lucke euerie where but that hee founde no where any bodie that might breede him any euill lucke all which notwithstanding hee hath performed no great matters The conquest of Portugall and of Jndia hath beene more easie then luckie there was no great labour The conquest of Tercyera and the victorie ouer the Frenchmen shall not seeme so strange if wee consider that it was a whole armie of Spaine against a companie of ships gathered togither in France As for the battailes of Graueline and of Saint Quintin they were yet remnantes of his fathers victories they were the armies that from their youth had followed the olde mans fortune there was but little of his his person it selfe was not there Nothing did stirre in Italie in Burgundie in the kingdome of Naples in Sicilia nothing where contrariwise in Affrica hee hath lost Gouleta the onely labour of Charles his father and all that he had there His victories haue not stretched so farre in Flanders but that there is more behinde to doo The reason why because hee hath founde there some resistance It is an easie matter for a man to winne when no bodie plaieth against him Nowe euen now hauing gotten enimies woorthie of his forces wee shall see what he can doo in England with all his great preparations wee shall see whether he shall keepe still that renowmed great fortune Concerning the state that hee findeth himselfe in at this time it is such First he is extreme old and yet more broken Hee hath but two daughters and a yoong boy they great ones ambitious alreadie and proud to the vttermost the one Dutchesse of Sauoy the other brought vp in her fathers armes and in the affaires of his estate the which she alone gouerneth his sonne is little and sickly as I haue saide now are these occasions of diuisions For in Spaine the daughters may succeede Besides that his state is much diuided The lowe Countries which were his best mesle are farre scattered from him All that which is cut off from him as the Prouinces which are vnited with the Queene of England he can see no hope euer to recouer That which the Prince of Parma holdeth vnder his authoritie he scarse assureth himselfe that after his death he will faithfully surrender it vnto his children The other is a braue Prince a great Captaine beloued of those ouer whom he commandeth esteemed of the others as I haue said who hath vsed great moderation and obserued his faith to his people that are alreadie highly pleased with that manner of gouernment which his mother had vsed before him who hath purchased great credite amongest them and that enough to make him hereafter able to keepe this portion instead of Portugall which to his iudgement the king of Spaine hath taken from him and who howsoeuer it be will be grieued that all his labours should be dedicated to a maid or to a little boy The Dutchie of Mylan is neare vnto the Duke of Sauoy hee wil pretend right vnto it in the behalfe of his wife and according to his contract of marriage The kingdome of Naples and the townes of Italie will follow the fortune of the Dutchie of Mylan Portugall is hee as yet scarce assured of the Portugalles greeued that Spaniards should rule ouer thē as much the more their enimies as they are neerer vnto them as it is an ordinarie thing to all people The Indies a● well the Portiugalles as the Spanish ones the onelie sinnew of this state will belong vnto him that shall possesse either Portugall or Spaine The case thus standing this Prince hath hencefoorth more neede to thinke vpon the preseruation of his house and his Lordships which doubtlesse are like to be deuided after his death then to trouble his neighbours To speake the trueth hee is rich but hee is at infinite charges scarse hauing any countrie where hee is not forced to keepe a great garrison That he standeth in neede he maketh it knowne sufficiently to the troupes which hee keepeth in Flanders where he is sometimes a yeare or eighteene monethes without giuing them a pennie As hee is rich of money so hee is poore of men hee can get none but onely out of Germanie out of Spaine out of Italie or out of Burgundie Now therefore marke his weakenesse As touching the Germaines if wee were all vnited togither wee would keep him either from raising vp any or frō bringing through any the Italians and Spaniards of whome he can furnish no great number for they are no populous countries as euerie man knoweth Before they can come to deale either with France the low countries or Germanie the places where wee are he must leade them either by sea or through such hard waies that if we were all of one minde hee should loose halfe of them before they were able to doo him anie seruice The Spaniards cannot come but either by sea or ouer the mounts Pyrenees The Italians ouer the Alpes or thorough Germanie such wayes as if wee would we might stop them all Last of all there is nothing more wretched than himselfe in his owne countrie nothing so easie to bee beaten And it is most sure that hee might easily haue beene ouerthrowne by Portugall if he had beene liuely set vpon that way since Don Antonio was driuen out of it Thus haue you briefly the state which the migthiest of our enimies is in Which to my iudgement being well considered ought not to seeme so mightie as hee is esteemed The effectes with all and example doo declare it Seeing that in twentie yeares that he hath imployed to conquere Flanders againe the onely place where he hath employed all his power he hath not profited much yet can it not be saide that hee hath founde there any resistance woorthie of him notwithstanding it is euident that had it not beene for the late Mounsieurs euill rule and the Prince of Oranges death most wretchedly by murthered a manifest token of this enimies weakenes hee was almost driuen to dispaire and had lost all these Countries without anie remission whatsoeuer hee could haue doone When our enimies state shall thus be considered