Selected quad for the lemma: enemy_n
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A14936
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A pithie exhortation to her Maiestie for establishing her successor to the crowne Whereunto is added a discourse containing the authors opinion of the true and lavvfull successor to her Maiestie. Both compiled by Peter Wentworth Esquire.
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Wentworth, Peter, ca. 1530-1596.
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1598
(1598)
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STC 25245; ESTC S119716
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85,250
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228
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men and so not worthie of common life and then to be had in a generall contempt amongst all degrees Which so being were it likelie that ever he should get anie strength to perill your person And for further streÌ„gthening of this reason we are perswaded that if all stories wer perused there could hardlie any one example be found wher the present Prince was periâ—led by the meanes of that successor who had his title to succeede cleered vnto him by the present prince it being obscure doubtfull Few Princes hurt by their successors thus established before that time And this will bee your Graces verie case if that it shall please God to stirre vp your hart to make your successour knowne and even thus much shall he stand bound vnto you Againe who soever it shall please God to The successor whither Protestant or Papist or neuter would not hurt her Maiesty the one for conscieÌ„ce the other for feare lay it vpon he is like to be either Protestant papist or neuter if the first then Religion and conscience will keepe him in due order if he be either of the latter yet then also feare to lose all that they haue alreadie whiles they seeke more or to make their state worse then it was before by all good reason and likelyhoode will cause them patientlie to waite for their time But to put this feare quite out of feare good meanes would be vsed to reforme and bridle this ambitious inclination in the once known successor and so And if he should how he might bee restrained to prevent all perill thereby As first a sharpe and severe law would be made to take away his life if he be a subiect and quite disable his issue also that shall contriue the perill of the present Prince or anie way consent there-vnto Secondlie he would be vsed honorablie and courteouslie of the present prince for if the present Prince want issue hee is then his childe by adoption and heyre by lawe Thirdlie he is vertuouslie and religiously to be brought vp if he be vnder yeeres and to haue about him alwaies some trustie and faithfull freends and counsellors to the present Prince to direct him in a good course and to descrie him if he begin but to treade awrie And lastly where these means wil not serue there restraint of libertie vnder straight trusty guarde if hee owe alleageance may well and lawfullie be vsed And thus the daunger that might arise to your maiesties person by the proper motioÌ„ of a known successor hath his answere That which followeth is that which might ensue by their means The knowne successor can not be able to hurt her Maiestie by the provocation of others who were likelie to pricke him forward to perill the present Prince eyther hoping for further advancement by him or els vppon what sinister conceite so ever desire to see an alteration wherein wee shall not neede to trouble your Maiestie with manie words for if fidelitie be planted in the heart of the successor or hee kept within the boundes thereof by the meanes and reasons afore-said the provocations of others shall be in vaine For though Davids servants were readie 1. Sam. 24. 5. to provoke David when he had Saule at advantage in the caue to kill him saying Nowe is the day come wherof the Lord said vnto thee I will deliver thine enemie into thine hand Yet David therby woulde neither bee mooved to suffer them to doe it neither would hee doe it Ver. 7. himself saying God forbid that I should touch the Lords annointed But it may be said that all successors be not Davids Truth it is but yet what so ever they be by the meanes afore-said this danger of yeelding to the provocation of any may well be prevented And this still remaineth a comfort to your Maiestie that the Lords arme of protection and defence wil not be shortned towards you for the performing of this so acceptable a service of mercy compassion towards his people yours And sure you may be if God defended wicked Saule when godly David was to succeed that more assured shal his defence be over you studying by this godlie way to please him The daungers that can arise either of his owne motion or through the instigation of others suppose the worst must eyther be by open hostility or secrete practize By open Neither by open hostilitie hostilitie force he will never attempt it first because he must needs see that you haue possessed iustlie and deservedlie the hearts of your subiectes through your manifold and vnrecompensable desertes and lastlie through this deserved loue of yours fastlie knit vnto you he shall never be able to grow to anie strength to stand against you in the fielde because taking a viewe of your subiects though hee shall finde amongst them some mal-contents some for religion and some otherwise yet when he hath mustered them all together in his minde he shall finde them not one handfull to those that will like so wel of their present state that they wil never be brought to hazard that sweete and peaceable governement that they presentlie enioy vnder you for a change for the number of those that loue you for religion sake God be thanked are great these will you may be sure liue and die in your defence most willinglie and worldlings there be verie manie wee thinke more then eyther Papists or Protestants and those sure take such ioy and pleasure in the things of this world that they can never bee brought to hazarde the quyet possession fruition thereof which they now possesse and which they must needs see they do hazard in consenting to treason for sure to prevaile they can not be And if they shoulde neither can they be sure to better their estate for there will be then so manie rake-helles to please and satisfie with other mens goodes that for satisfying of them they maye iustlie feare that they must parte with some of their owne goodes And if the knowne successour bee a Protestant as Whither he be a protestaÌ„t there is great ods it will so fall out when the matter commeth to determining The Scottishe King theâ— all kinde of Papists whither they be Papists of state or of conscience will refuse to ioine with him least they feele his little finger heavier then they haue felt your whole hand and least he make their yoak much heavier then you haue done And whereas you so they keep their fingers from treason beat them but with rods as a mother doth her children hee shal then beat them with whippes as slaves and dogs for they can never hope for more mercie at the handes of anie Christian Prince differing from them in Religion as you doe then they finde at your hands But suppose which we hope is impossible that the right to succeede shall bee found in a Papist yet by open Or Papist force hee were never
spak these naturall words to his nobilitie and commons Grafton pag. 1278. namelie For your defence my tresure shall not be hidden nor if necessity require my person shal not be vnadventured And so Madame giue not your maiesties kind subiects cause once to imagine that a conceit onlie of fear to peril either your person or honour can or will stay you from doing so great a duetie as to perserue all your most loving subiects and whole countrie by this meanes from vtter confusion and desolation otherwise palpably sene to be vnavoidable ready to come vpon them euerie howre Nay how can it be but you having so oft yea so miraculouslie and sensiblie found God readie to protect and saue you from manie perils but you must needes gather to your comfort that much more if you honour him in this case hee will shewe that both hee can and will preserue you from all your enemies Therefore let not your noble heart perswade it self for fear of perill either to your person or honor to omit the doing of that which in al honour dutie and conscience both to god and man you are most bound to doe for the furtherance of Gods glorie and safetie of al your people and countrie Howbeit for a third generall answere to these obiections of peril the making your successour knowne hauing such reasons to warrant and iustifie the doing of it as we haue shewed so farre off it is that there is any peril indeed therin or therby like to arise vnto you that it is an especiall meane of your safety honor For out of what fountain spring al the calamities ruines of princes but from the neglect of Gods glorie of their dutie to the people committed to their charge or what castle and tower of defence proved ever so safe to princes as the favour of God and loue of his subiects which he vouchsafeth ever to them that preferre his will before their owne and obedience to him before their own safetie Let all histories both sacred and profane be perused and it shal be throughout all ages found true God give th◠blessing to those that obey him in actions that seeme verie dangerous that those princes even in shew and apparance of greatest perils haue alwaies beene most safelie protected preserved by the Lord which for doing their duties to God and their people haue hazarded themselues And therefore in doing this so needfull mercifull honorable dutie your Maiestie needes not once doubt of Gods providence protection towardes you therein but boldlie this shew of perils notwithstanding and confidentlie resting on the Lords safegarding of you therein you may when you wil most safelie go about and effect it Yet for your Maiesties full satisfaction The obiectiō of peril answered particularlie let vs by your Graces patience proceed to lay before you in order as they were propounded the weaknesse of everie one of these obiections The first feare ariseth from the longing that is supposed wil be in your successour when hee is once knowne after the highest place The second from the provocation that hee is like to haue that way by others Wherin first wee will answere the obiection concerning his owne ambition and then the other concerning provocation by others It is supposed in the obiection that it cannot be but that there will bee such a desire to climme in the once made knowne successor as will perill the present Prince Wee grant that naturallie fleshe blood is prone to be so affected but yet this is certaine that where the sprit of God is this corruption of nature The knowne successor doth strengthen the present Prince is so bridled that it bringeth foorth no dangerous fruits to the present governor Let King David beare witnesse heerevnto whose succession beeing appointed Confirmed by the example of David and confirmed by God and hee himself long time most iniuriouslie and cruellie persecuted by the present king Saule and he having oportunitie twise to haue slain his enemie and to haue saved his owne life and also to haue taken the crown yet neither the glorie of a kingdome the desire of revenge nor the care of preserving his owne life could make him once to lay hands on the Lords annointed to perill him Nay not onelie the spirit of God in Gods children but also naturall pietie and humanitie hath so much prevailed And of the heathen in this case that we read that Antoninus Philosophus beeing made the known successour to Antoninus Pius in the Romain Empire hearing that Antoninus Capitolinus Pius did lye in most extreame miserie even wearie of his life and to be ridde thereof had commanded one of his men to kill him This Antoninus Philosophus hearing thereof with a forcible hand staied that vnnatural murther for the which fact the story saith that the present Prince with furious words rebuked his successor bitterlie and that yet his said successor answered him againe thus Were I worthie to succeede so noble a Prince in so high a dignitie if I did not vse my best endeuor to preserue your life seeing it in perill No surelie I were not worthie thereof Loe heere an heathen knowne successor not by nature but by adoption as it is cleere in the storie for al that which is obiected against a known successor hath not onlie not perilled but preserved the life of him that had made him his successor And infinit be the exāples in all stories of such as beeing next to succeede yet haue never perilled the present governour and in comparison verie few be the examples to the contrarie And why then may not your Maiestie rather presume to finde the like good affection in him whome you shall make your successour then otherwise Trulie the reason is verie strong that maye bee yeelded to proue why he wil as little perill you as David did Saul or Antoninus Philosophus the other Antonine that was in the place before him for who soever it be the title now standing so doubfull as it doth when you haue cleered his title and by Parliament authority established it he must of necessity confesse and take himselfe so bound to you therefore as though you had even given him the kingdome for the which your wonderfull goodnes and bountie if there be but common reason and nature in him it will binde both his heart tongue and hands from ever contriving any thing to your perill Yea who can bee so monstrouslie brutish and voide of reason as having received such a benefit at your hands as the cleering of his title to such a noble kingdome so much also to the good safetie of al your subiects but he will thinke that by this meanes you must needs so winne the hearts of all your subiects and binde them to such an heartie loue and thankfulnes in such fast sort to you that if he should once but offer you vnkindnes he should be thought generallie a monster amongst