haue is of three sorts All the Lawe of Scotland for Tenures Wards and Liueries Seigniories and Lands are drawen out of the Chauncerie of England and for matters of equitie and in many things else differs from you but in certaine termes Iames the first bred here in England brought the Lawes thither in a written hand The second is Statute lawes which be their Acts of Parliament wherein they haue power as you to make and altar Lawes and those may be looked into by you for I hope you shall be no more strangers to that Nation And the principall worke of this Vnion will be to reconcile the Statute Lawes of both Kingdomes The third is the Ciuill Law Iames the fift brought it out of France by establishing the Session there according to the forme of the Court of Parliament of Fraunce which he had seene in the time of his being there who occupie there the place of Ciuill udges in all matters of Plee or controuersie yet not to gouerne absolutely by the Ciuill Law as in Fraunce For if a man plead that the Law of the Nation is otherwise it is a barre to the Ciuill and a good Chauncellor or President will oftentimes repell and put to silence an Argument that the Lawyers bring out of the Ciuill Law where they haue a cleare solution in their owne Law So as the Ciuil Law in Scotland is admitted in no other cases but to supply such cases wherein the Municipall Law is defectiue Then may you see it is not so hard a matter as is thought to reduce that Countrey to bee vnited with you vnder this Law which neither are subiect to the Ciuill Lawe nor yet haue any olde Common Law of their owne but such as in effect is borrowed from yours And for their Statute Lawes in Parliament you may alter and change them as oft as occasion shall require as you doe here It hath likewise beene obiected as an other impediment that in the Parliament of Scotland the King hath not anegatiue voice but must passe all the Lawes agreed on by the Lords and Commons Of this I can best resolue you for I am the eldest Parliament man in Scotland and haue sit in more Parliaments then any of my Predecessors I can assure you that the forme of Parliament there is nothing inclined to popularitie About a twentie dayes or such a time before the Parliament Proclamation is made throughout the Kingdome to deliuer in to the Kings Clearke of Register whom you heere call the Master of the Rolles all Bills to be exhibited that Session before a certaine day Then are they brought vnto the King and perused and considered by him and onely such as I allowe of are put into the Chancellors handes to bee propounded to the Parliament and none others And if any man in Parliament speake of any other matter then is in this forme first allowed by mee The Chancellor tells him there is no such Bill allowed by the King Besides when they haue passed them for lawes they are presented vnto me and I with my Scepter put into my hand by the Chancellor must say I ratifie and approue all things done in this present Parliament And if there bee any thing that I dislike they rase it out before If this may bee called a negatiue voyce then I haue one I am sure in that Parliament The last impediment is the French liberties which is thought so great as except the Scots farsake Fraunce England cannot bee vnited to them If the Scottish Nation would bee so vnwilling to leaue them as is said it would not lye in their hands For the League was neuer made betweene the people as is mistaken but betwixt the Princes onely and their Crownes The beginning was by a Message from a King of Fraunce Charlemaine I take it but I cannot certainely remember vnto a King of Scotland for a League defensiue and offensiue betweene vs and them against England Fraunce being at that time in Warres with England The like at that time was then desired by England against Fraunce who also sent their Ambassadours to Scotland At the first the Disputation was long maintained in fauour of England that they being our neerest Neighbours ioyned in one continent and a strong and powerfull Nation it was more fitte for the weale and securitie of the State of Scotland to be in League and Amitie with them then with a Countrey though neuer so strong yet diuided by Sea from vs especially Englandlying betwixt vs and them where we might be sure of a suddaine mischiefe but behooued to abide the hazard of wind and weather and other accidents that might hinder our reliefe But after when the contrary part of the Argument was maintained wherein allegation was made that England euer sought to conquer Scotland and therefore in regarde of their pretended interest in the Kingdoome would neuer keepe any sound Amitie with them longer then they saw their aduantage whereas France lying more remote and clayming no interest in the Kingdome would therefore bee found a more constant and faithfull friend It was vnhappily concluded in fauour of the last partie through which occasion Scotland gate many mischiefes after And it is by the very tenour thereof ordered to bee renewed and confirmed from King to King successiuely which accordingly was euer performed by the mediation of their Ambassadours and therefore meerely personall and so was it renewed in the Queene my mothers time onely betweene the two Kings and not by assent of Parliament or conuention of the three Estates which it could neuer haue wanted if it had beene a League betweene the people And in my time when it came to be ratified because it appeared to be in odium tertii it was by me left vnrenewed or confirmed as a thing incompatible to my Person in consideration of my Title to this Crowne Some Priuiledges indeede in the Merchants fauour for point of Commerce were renewed and confirmed in my time wherein for my part of it there was scarce three Counsellours more then my Secretarie to whose place it belonged that medled in that matter It is trew that it behooued to be enterteined as they call it in the Court of Parliament of Paris but that onely serues for publication and not to giue it Authoritie That Parliament as you know being but a Iudiciall Seate of Iudges and Lawyers and nothing agreeing with the definition or office of our Parliaments in this Isle And therefore that any fruites or Priuiledges possessed by the League with Fraunce is able now to remaine in Scotland is impossible For ye may be sure that the French King stayes onely vpon the sight of the ending of this Vnion to cut it off himselfe Otherwise when this great worke were at an end I would be forced for the generall care I owe to all my Subiects to craue of France like Priuiledges to them all as Scotland alreadie enioyes seeing the personall friendship remaines as great betweene vs as betweene our
much lesse I will doe it when a Law is to restraine me I owe no more to the Scottish men then to the English I was borne there and sworne here and now raigne ouer both Such particular persons of the Scottish Nation as might claime any extraordinary merit at my handes I haue already reasonably rewarded and I can assure you that there is none left whom for I meane extraordinary to straine my selfe further then in such ordinary benefit as I may equally bestow without mine owne great hurt vpon any Subiect of either Nation In which case no Kings handes can euer befully closed To both I owe Iustice and protection which with Gods grace I shall euer equally ballance For my Liberalitie I haue told you of it heretofore my three first yeeres were to me as a Christmas I could not then be miserable should I haue bene ouersparing to them they might haue thought Ioseph had forgotten his brethren or that the King had beene drunke with his new Kingdome But Suites goe not now so cheape as they were wont neither are there so many fees taken in the Hamper and Pettibagge for the great Seale as hath beene And if I did respect the English when I came first of whom I was receiued with ioy and came as in a hunting iourney what might the Scottish haue iustly said if I had not in some measure dealt bountifully with them that so long had serued me so farre aduentured themselues with me and beene so faithfull to mee I haue giuen you now foure yeeres proofe since my comming and what I might haue done more to haue raised the Scottish nation you all know and the longer I liue the lesse cause haue I to be acquainted with them and so the lesse hope of extraordinary fauour towards them For since my comming from them I doe not alreadie know the one halfe of them by face most of the youth being now risen vp to bee men who were but children when I was there and more are borne since my comming thence Now for my lands and reuenues of my Crowne which you may thinke I haue diminished They are not yet so farre diminished but that I thinke no prince of Christendome hath fairer possessions to his Crowne then yet I haue and in token of my care to preserue the same to my posteritie for euer the intaile of my lands to the Crowne hath beene long agoe offered vnto you and that it is not yet done is not my fault as you know My Treasurer here knoweth my care and hath already in part declared it and if I did not hope to treble my Reuenue more then I haue empaired it I should neuer rest quietly in my bed But notwithstanding my comming to the Crowne with that extraordinarie applause which you all know and that I had two Nations to bee the obiects of my liberalitie which neuer any Prince had here before will you compare my gifts out of mine inheritance with some Princes here that had onely this Nation to respect and whose whole time of reigne was litle longer then mine hath bene already It will be found that their gifts haue farre surpassed mine albeit as I haue already said they had nothing so great cause of vsing their liberalitie For the maner of the Vnion presently desired It standeth in 3. parts Secondly The first taking away of hostile Lawes for since there can bee now no Warres betwixt you is it not reason hostile Lawes should cease For desiciente causa desicit effectas The King of England now cannot haue warres with the King of Scotland therefore this failes of it selfe The second is communitie of Commerce I am no stranger vnto you for you all know I came from the loynes of your ancient Kings They of Scotland be my Subiects as you are But how can I bee naturall Liege Lord to you both and you strangers one to the other Shall they which be of one alleagance with you be no better respected of you nor freer amongst you then Frenchmen and Spaniards Since I am Soueraigne ouer both you as Subiects to one King it must needes follow that you conuerse and haue Commerce together There is a rumour of some ill dealings that should be vsed by the Commissioners Merchants of Scotland They be heere in England and shall remaine till your next meeting and abide triall to prooue themselues either honest men or knaues For the third point of Naturalization All you agree that they are no Aliens and yet will not allow them to bee naturall What kinde of prerogatiue will you make But for the Postnati your owne Lawyers and Iudges at my first comming to this Crowne informed me there was a difference betweene the Antè and the Post nati of each Kingdome which caused mee to publish a Proclamation that the Post nati were Naturalized Ipso facto by my Accession to this Crowne I doe not denie but Iudges may erre as men and therefore I doe not presse you here to sweare to all their reasons I onely vrge at this time the conueniencie for both Kingdomes neither pressing you to iudge nor to be iudged But remember also it is as possible and likely your owne Lawyers may erre as the Iudges Therefore as I wish you to proceede herein so farre as may tend to the weale of both Nations So would I haue you on the other part to beware to disgrace either my Proclamations or the Iudges who when the Parliament is done haue power to trie your lands and liues for so you may disgrace both your King and your Lawes For the doing of any acte that may procure lesse reuerence to the Iudges cannot but breede a loosenesse in the Gouernement and a disgrace to the whole Nation The reason that most mooues mee for ought I haue yet heard that there cannot but bee a difference betweene the Antè nati and the Post nati and that in the fauour of the last is that they must bee neerer vnto you being borne vnder the present Gouernement and common Allegiance but in point of conueniencie there is no question but the Post nati are more to bee respected For if you would haue a perfect and perpetuall Vnion that cannot be in the Antè nati who are but few in comparison of those that shall be in all aages succeeding and cannot liue long But in the Post nati shall the Vnion be continued and liue euer aage after aage which wanting a difference cannot but leaue a perpetuall marke of separation in the worke of the Vnion as also that argument of iealousie will be so farre remooued in the case of the Post nati which are to reape the benefit in all succeeding aages as by the contrary there will then rise Pharaos which neuer knew Ioseph The Kings my Successours who beeing borne and bred heere can neuer haue more occasion of acquaintance with the Scottish Nation in generall then any other English King that was before my time Bee not therefore abused
World euen our Aduersaries as Moses said being Iudges And praysed be GOD the present time passeth a long with the like felicity and much more Securitie for let me recount a little for the Glory of GOD and encouragement of his Maiestie to goe on in his happie Course begunne the Blessings of GOD we receiue by him And then let our Aduersaries tell vs whether we be a miserable People or no as some of late haue gone about to perswade vs. Neither doe J stand in feare of any mans reprehension for J will speake nothing but trewth and I haue my President from GOD his owne Booke wherein the good Actes of euery good King are to their eternall praises trewly recounted First to beginne with Religion as the Generall to the Armie Of all Gods Blessings wee haue it without any alteration or change contynued vnto vs. His Maiesties first Care was for the Confirmation of the Gospell for at his Maiesties first comming in who knowes not the endeauours of men to haue made a change either to the Papists or to the Puritanes His Maiestie therefore to quiet the State and Peace of the Church called a Conference at Hampton-Court where passing ouer the one as being neuer in his heart to giue the least way vnto He so tempered the other as the Harmony hath bene the better euer since The Religion thus ratified His Maiesties next Care was for the Translation of the Bible it being the ground of our Religion His Maiestie was desirous his People should haue it in as much perfection as the Jndustrie and Labors of the best Learned were able to afford it them Hauing done what was necessary for the Spirituall part of the Church his Maiestie tooke into consideration the Temporal State thereof No sooner came the Parliament but finding what spoile had bene made of the Lands thereof in the tyme of his Predecessors by a libertie they had to take the Landes of the Church for a longer Terme then others could doe Cut himselfe off from that libertie and equalled himselfe to a common person in the taking of any State in the Churches Landes When his Maiestie had done this in England he looked backe into Scotland and reforming the State of the Church there as farre as in his Princely-Wisedome he thought conuenient for the time restored the Bishops there as to their Spirituall Keies so to their temporall Estates though it were to the great losse and dammage of his owne Reuennue and Crowne From Scotland his Maiestie came to Ireland that forlorne Kingdome both for Temporall and Spiritual estate till be looked into it There his Maiestie hath reduced the Bishoppricks not only to their old Rents but added vnto them many new Reuennues so that many places there are answerable to the best Liuings here Neither hath his Care bene onely on these high places of the Church but hath descended to the lowest in the same hauing both protected the Benefices from being raysed to any higher Taxe and hindred all courses that might giue his Cleargie molestation or trouble His Maiesties Bountie hath not bene wanting to Colledges and Hospitalls hauing parted with his owne Tenures to giue them power of larger Indowments whereby there hath bene works of more sumptuousnes and cost done in his Maiesties time then there hath bene in any one aage before J may not forget one thing that since his Maiesties comming to this Crowne he hath neuer put into his Coffers the meane proffitts of any Ecclesiasticall liuing but hath bene a Fidus-Depositarius and euer giuen them to the next Jncumbent Let me descend a little from these workes of Piety to Peace Neuer hath there bene so vniuersall a Peace in Christendome since the time of our Sauiour Christ as in these his Dayes And I dare say as much if not more by the procurement of his Maiestie then by any other earthly meanes in this world A Peace to let forraigne partes passe so entertayned at home that in his Maiesties three Kingdomes apt enough by constitution and not vnaccustomed by practise to be at variance there hath bene no Ciuill dissension at all With Peace GOD hath giuen vs Plentie So that if Peace and Plenty haue not made vs too too wanton I know not what wee want Neither is there any crying out for lacke of Iustice in our Courtes for neuer was there Iustice administred with more liberty from the King nor more vprightnes from the Judges And yet in the free dispensation of Iustice Mercie did neuer more triumph If this bee to bee miserable J know not what on earth they call Happinesse GOD continue these still vnto vs and then let them call Happinesse what they please But I know wherefore all is miserable because there is no more Mercy shewed to their Catholiks J will put it as a Crowne vpon all his Maiesties Mercies There was neuer King that had so great a cause giuen him that euer tooke so little bloode extending his Mercy to all that were not personall workers in that Powder-Plot And before that you had hatched that Monster neither was the person or purse of any your reputed Catholicks touched And since that time you may doe well to complaine of your Miseries but the Church and Comonwealth both doe trauaile and groane vnder the burthen of your disobedience But the worst J wish you is that at length by his Maiesties long Patience you may bee drawne to Repentance for as we are come out from you lest we should bee partakers of your plagues so we pray for you that you may come in to vs that you may be participants of our felicities To Conclude this Preface GOD hath giuen vs a Solomon and GOD aboue all things gaue Solomon Wisedome Wisedome brought him peace Peace brought him Riches Riches gaue him Glory His wisedome appeared in his wordes and Workes his Peace he preserued by the power of his Army His riches he raysed as by his Reuennue so by the Trade of his Nauie His Glory did accrue from them all Now as in these GOD exalted him beyond all the Kings that euer were or should be after him So had he in other things Humiliations not farre behind the proportion of his Exaltations the fearefullest fall that the Scripture affords an Example of the most vnchast life and immoderate excesse of Women that we read of the weakest Posterity for Wisedome and Gouernment that we finde in all the Line of his Succession GOD would haue it so that he should no more be set out as a Type of the Glory of his owne Sonne in the felicity of his State one way then he would haue him proposed as a patterne of Humane frailty an other way Therefore though we may not approach him in his Typicall State yet GODS Name be blessed that hath giuen vs to goe farre beyond him in his personall Condition For we haue already blessed be GOD seene the Constancie and perseuerance of his Maiesty in his Holy Profession without any Eclipse or Shaddow of
the faithfull who though they be otherwise in enmitie among themselues yet agree in this respect in odium tertij as did Herod and Pilate Sixtly the compassing of the Saints and besieging of the beloued City The false Church euer persecuteth declareth vnto vs a certaine note of a false Church to be persecution for they come to seeke the faithfull the faithfull are those that are sought The wicked are the besiegers the faithfull the besieged Seuenthly Scripture by Scripture should be expounded 2. King 1.10 11. in the forme of language and phrase or maner of speaking of fire comming downe from heauen here vsed and taken out of the Booke of the Kings where at Elias his prayers with fire from heauen were destroyed Achazias his souldiers as the greatest part of all the words verses and sentences of this booke are taken and borrowed of other parts of the Scripture we are taught to vse onely Scripture for interpretation of Scripture if we would be sure and neuer swarue from the analogie of faith in expounding seeing it repeateth so oft the owne phrases and thereby expoundeth them Eightly of the last part of the confusion of the wicked euen at the top of their height and wheele we haue two things to note One that God although he suffereth the wicked to run on while their cup be full yet in the end he striketh them first in this world and next in the world to come to the deliuerance of his Church in this world and the perpetuall glory of the same in the world to come The other note is that after the great persecution and the destruction of the pursuers shall the day of Iudgement follow For so declareth the 11. verse of this same Chapter but in how short space it shall follow that is onely knowne vnto God Onely this farre are we certaine that in the last estate without any moe generall mutations the world shall remaine till the consummation and end of the same To conclude then with exhortation It is al our duties in this Isle at this time to do two things One to consider our estate And other to conforme our actions according thereunto Our estate is we are threefold besieged First spiritually by the heresies of the antichrist Secondly corporally generally as members of that Church the which in the whole they persecute Thirdly All men should be lawfully armed spiritually and bodily to fight against the Antichrist and his vpholders corporally and particularly by this present armie Our actions then conformed to our estate are these First to call for helpe at God his hands Next to assure vs of the same seeing we haue a sufficient warrant his constant promise expressed in his word Thirdly since with good conscience we may being in the tents of the Saints beloued City stand in our defence encourage one another to vse lawfull resistance and concurre or ioyne one with another as warriors in one Campe and citizens of one beloued City for maintenance of the good cause God hath clad vs with and in defence of our liberties natiue countrey and liues For since we see God hath promised not only in the world to come but also in this world to giue vs victory ouer them let vs in assurance hereof strongly trust in our God cease to mistrust his promise and fall through incredulitie or vnbeliefe For then are we worthy of double punishment For the stronger they waxe and the neerer they come to their light the faster approcheth their wracke and the day of our deliuery For kind and louing true and constant carefull and watchfull mighty and reuenging is he that promiseth it To whom be praise and glory for euer AMEN A MEDITATION VPON THE xxv xxvj xxvij xxviij and xxix verses of the xv Chap. of the first Booke of the Chronicles of the Kings Written by the most Christian King and sincere Professour of the trewth IAMES by the grace of God King of England France Scotland and Ireland Defender of the Faith THE TEXT 25 So Dauid and the Elders of Israel and the Captaines of thousands went to bring vp the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with ioy 26 And because that God helped the Leuites that bare the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord they offered seuen Bullockes and seuen Rammes 27 And Dauid had on him a linnen garment as all the Leuites that bare the Arke and the singers and Chenaniah that had the chiefe charge of the singers and vpon Dauid was a linnen Ephod 28 Thus all Israel brought vp the Arke of the Lords Couenant with shouting and sound of Cornet and with Trumpets and with Cymbales making asound with Violes and with harpes 29 And when the Arke of the Couenant of the Lord came into the Citie of Dauid Michal the daughter of Saul looked out at a window and saw King Dauid dauncing and playing and shee despised him in her heart THE MEDITATION AS of late when greatest appearance of perill was by that forreine and godlesse fleete I tooke occasion by a Text selected for the purpose to exhort you to remaine constant resting assured of a happy deliuerance So now by the great mercies of God my speeches hauing taken an euident effect I could doe no lesse of my carefull duety then out of this place cited teach you what resteth on your part to be done not of any opinion I haue of my abilitie to instruct you but that these meditations of mine may after my death remaine to the posteritie as a certaine testimony of my vpright and honest meaning in this so great and weightie a cause Now I come to the matter Dauid that godly King you see hath no sooner obtained victory ouer Gods and his enemies the Philistines but his first action which followes is with concurrence of his whole estates to translate the Arke of the Lords couenant to his house in great triumph and gladnesse accompanied with the sound of musicall instruments And being so brought to the Kings house he himselfe dances and reioyces before it which thing Michal the daughter of Saul and his wife perceiuing she contemned and laughed at her husband in her minde This is the summe THE METHOD FOr better vnderstanding whereof these heades are to be opened vp in order and applied And first what causes mooued Dauid to doe this worke Secondly what persons concurred with Dauid in doing of this worke Thirdly what was the action it selfe and forme of doing vsed in the same Fourthly the person of Michal And fiftly her action THE FIRST PART AS to the first part Zeale in Dauid and experiēce of Gods kindnesse towards him moued Dauid to honour God The causes moouing Dauid passing all others I note two One internall the other external the internall was a feruent and zealous mind in Dauid fully disposed to extoll the glorie of God that had called him to be King as he saith himselfe The zeale of thy house it eats
ioyned with the trew Church neuer to be sifted while the Master of the Haruest come with the fanne in his hand THE FIFT PART HEr doings are being quiet in her lodging Michals doings al the time of her husbands great and publike reioycing with the people not comming out for not being able as appeareth to counterfeit finely euough a dissimulate ioyfull countenance And therefore looking out at a window shee spies her husband dancing before the Arke incontinent interprets shee this indifferent action in malam partem as not being touched with a true feeling of the cause of his ioy and so despises she his doing in her minde as onely proceeding of a lasciuious wantonnesse A marueilous case shee that before of naturall loue to her husband did preserue him although to her owne great perill from the hands of her owne father Saul cannot now abide to see him vse aright that indifferent action which she her selfe I doubt not did oft through licentiousnes abuse By this we may note the nature of the hypocrites and interiour enemies of the Church who although in their particulars not concerning Religion there will be none in shew more friendly to the godly then they yet how soone matters of Religion or concerning the honour of God comes in hand O then are they no longer able to containe or bridle their passions euen as here Michal defended her husband euen in the particulars betwixt him and her owne father but his dancing before the Arke to the honour of God she could no wise abide Now thus farre being said for the methodicall opening vp of the Text The application of the purpose to vs. It rests onely to examine how pertinently this place doeth appertaine to vs and our present estate And first as to the persons the people of God and the nations their enemies together with their pridefull pursuite of Dauid and Gods most notable deliuerance Is there not now a sincere profession of the trewth amongst vs in this Isle oppugned by the nations about haters of the holy word And doe we not also as Israel professe one onely God and are ruled by his pure word onely on the other part are they not as Philistines adorers of legions of gods and ruled by the foolish traditions of men Haue they not as the Philistines beene continually the pursuers and we as Israel the defenders of our natiue soile and countrey next haue they not now at the last euen like the Philistines come out of their owne soiles to pursue vs and spread themselues to that effect vpon the great valley of our seas presumptuously threatning the destruction and wracke of vs But thirdly had not our victory beene farre more notable then that of Israel and hath not the one beene as well wrought by the hand of God as the other For as God by shaking the tops of the mulbery trees with his mightie windes put the Philistines to flight hath hee not euen in like maner by brangling with his mightie windes their timber castles scattered and shaken them asunder to the wracke of a great part and confusion of the whole Now that we may resemble Israel as well in the rest of this action what triumph rests vs to make for the crowning of this blessed comedy Euen to bring amongst vs the Arke with all reioycing What is the Arke of Christians vnder grace but the Lord Iesus Christ whom with ioy wee bring amongst vs when as receiuing with sinceritie and gladnesse the new Testament in the blood of Christ our Sauiour in our heart we beleeue his promises and in word and deede wee beare witnesse thereto before the whole world and walke so in the light as it becomes the sonnes of the same this is the worthiest triumph of our victory that we can make And although there will doubtlesse be many Michals amongst vs let vs reioyce and praise God for the discouerie of them assuring our selues they were neuer of vs accounting all them to be against vs that either reioyce at the prosperitie of our enemies or reioyce not with vs at our miraculous deliuerance For all they that gather not with vs they scatter And let vs also diligently and warily trie out these craftie Michals for it is in that respect that Christ recommends vnto vs the wisedome of Serpents not thereby to deceiue and betray others no God forbid but to arme vs against the deceit and treason of hypocrites that goe about to trap vs. And lest that these great benefits which God hath bestowed vpon vs be turned through our vnthankfulnesse into a greater curse in seruing for testimonies at the latter day against vs to the procuring of our double stripes let vs now to conclude bring in the Arke amongst vs in two respects before mentioned seeing we haue already receiued the Gospel first by constant remaining in the puritie of the trewth which is our most certeine couenant of saluation in the only merits of our Sauior And next let vs so reforme our defiled liues as becomes regenerate Christians to the great glory of our God the vtter defacing of our aduersaries the wicked and our vnspeakeable comfort both here and also for euer AMEN His Maiesties owne Sonnet THe nations banded gainst the Lord of might Prepar'd a force and set them to the way Mars drest himselfe in such an awfull plight The like whereof was neuerseene they say They forward came in monstrous aray Both Sea and land beset vs euery where Bragges threatned vs a ruinous decay What came of that the issue did declare The windes began to tosse them here and there The Seas begun in foming waues to swell The number that escap'd it fell them faire The rest were swallowed vp in gulfes of hell But how were all these things miraculous done God laught at them out of his heauenly throne Idem Latinè INS ANO tumidae gentes coiere tumultu Ausae insigne nefas bello vltro ciere tonantem Mars sese accinxit metuenda tot agmina nunquam Visa ferunt properare truces miro ordine turmae Nosque mari terra saeuo clasere duello Exitium diraque minantes strage ruinam Irrita sed tristi lugent conamina fine Nam laceras iecit ventus ludibria puppes Et mersit rapidis turgescens montibus aequor Foelix communi qui euasit clade superstes Dum reliquos misero deglutit abyssus hiatu Qui vis tanta cadit quis totque stupenda peregit Vanos Ioua sacro conatus risit Olympo Per Metellanum Cancellarium DAEMONOLOGIE IN FORME OF A DIALOGVE Diuided into three Bookes WRITTEN BY THE HIGH AND MIGHTIE PRINCE IAMES by the Grace of GOD King of England Scotland France and Ireland Defender of the Faith c. ¶ THE PREFACE TO THE READER THe fearefull abounding at this time in this Countrey of these detestable slaues of the Diuel the Witches or enchaunters hath mooued mee beloued Reader to dispatch in post this following Treatise of mine not in any wise as J
made doubt or stop in it but at the first offering it vnto him did freely take it as a thing most lawfull neither meanes of threatening or flatterie being euer vsed vnto him as himselfe can yet beare witnesse And as for the temperature and modification of this Oath except that a reasonable and lawfull matter is there set downe in reasonable and temperate wordes agreeing thereunto I know not what he can meane by quarelling it for that fault For no temperatnesse nor modifications in words therein can iustly be called the Deuils craft when the thing it selfe is so plaine and so plainely interpreted to all them that take it as the onely troublesome thing in it all bee the wordes vsed in the end thereof for eschewing Aequiuocation and Mentall reseruation Which new Catholike doctrine may farre iustlier bee called the Deuils craft then any plaine and temperate wordes in so plaine and cleare a matter But what shall we say of these strange countrey clownes whom of with the Satyre we may iustly complaine that they blow both hote cold out of one mouth For Luther and all our bold and free-speaking Writers are mightily railed vpon by them as hote-brained fellowes and speakers by the Deuils instinct and now if we speake moderately and temperately of them it must be tearmed the Deuils craft And therefore wee may iustly complaine with CHRIST that when we 1 Mat. 11.17 mourne they wil not lament and when we pipe they wil not dance But neither Iohn Baptist his seueritie nor CHRIST his meekenesse and lenitie can please them who build but to their owne Monarchie vpon the ground of their owne Traditions and not to CHRIST vpon the ground of his word and infallible trewth But what can bee meant by alleadging that the craft of the Deuill herein is onely vsed for subuersion of the Catholique Faith and euersion of Saint Peters Primacie had neede bee commented anew by Bellarmine himselfe For in all this Letter of his neuer one word is vsed to prooue that by any part of this Oath the Primacie of Saint Peter is any way medled with except Master Bellarmine his bare alleadging which without proouing it by more cleare demonstration can neuer satisfie the conscience of any reasonable man For for ought that I know heauen and earth are no farther asunder then the profession of a temporall obedience to a temporall King is different from any thing belonging to the Catholique Faith or Supremacie of Saint Peter For as for the Catholique Faith No decision of any point of Religion in the Oath of Allegiance can there be one word found in all that Oath tending or sounding to matter of Religion Doeth he that taketh it promise there to beleeue or not to beleeue any article of Religion Or doeth hee so much as name a trew or false Church there And as for Saint Peters Primacie I know no Apostles name that is therein named except the name of IAMES it being my Christen name though it please him not to deigne to name me in all the Letter albeit the contents thereof concerne mee in the highest degree Neither is there any mention at all made therein either disertis verbis or by any other indirect meanes either of the Hierarchie of the Church of Saint Peters succession of the Sea Apostolike or of any such matter but that the Author of our Letter doeth brauely make mention of Saint Peters succession bringing it in comparison with the succession of Henry the eight Of which vnapt and vnmannerly similitude I wonder he should not be much ashamed For as to King Henries Successour which hee meaneth by mee as I I say neuer did nor will presume to create any Article of Faith or to bee Iudge thereof but to submit my exemplarie obedience vnto them in as great humilitie as the meanest of the land so if the Pope could bee as well able to prooue his either Personall or Doctrinall Succession from Saint Peter as I am able to prooue my lineall descent from the Kings of England and Scotland there had neuer beene so long adoe nor so much sturre kept about this question in Christendome neither had 2 Bellar. de Rom. Pont. li. 4. cap. 6. Ibid. l 2. ca. 12. Master Bellarmine himselfe needed to haue bestowed so many sheetes of paper De summo Pontifice in his great bookes of Controuersies And when all is done to conclude with a morall certitude and a piè credendum bringing in the 3 Idem ibid. lib. 2. cap. 14. Popes that are parties in this cause to be his witnesses and yet their historicall narration must bee no article of Faith And I am without vanterie sure that I doe farre more neerely imitate the worthie actions of my Predecessours then the Popes in our aage can be well proued to be similes Petro especially in cursing of Kings and setting free their Subiects from their Allegiance vnto them But now wee come to his strongest argument which is That he would alledge vpon mee a Panicke terrour as if I were possessed with a needlesse feare The Cardinals weightiest Argument For saith the Cardinall from the beginning of the Churches first infancie euen to this day where was it euer heard that euer a Pope either commaunded to bee killed or allowed the slaughter of any Prince whatsoeuer whether hee were an Hereticke an Ethnicke or Persecutour But first wherefore doeth he here wilfully and of purpose omit the rest of the points mentioned in that Oath for deposing degrading stirring vp of armes or rebelling against them which are as well mentioned in that Oath as the killing of them as beeing all of one consequence against a King no Subiect beeing so scrupulous as that hee will attempt the one and leaue the other vnperformed if hee can And yet surely I cannot blame him for passing it ouer since he could not otherwise haue eschewed the direct belying of himselfe in tearmes which hee now doeth but in substance and effect For 1 Bellarm. de Rom Pont. lib. 5. cap. 8. et lib. 3. cap. 16. as for the Popes deposing and degrading of Kings hee maketh so braue vaunts and bragges of it in his former bookes as he could neuer with ciuill honestie haue denied it here But to returne to the Popes allowing of killing of Kings I know not with what face hee can set so stout a deniall vpon it against his owne knowledge How many Emperours did the Pope raise warre against in their owne bowels Who as they were ouercome in battaile were subiect to haue beene killed therein which I hope the Pope could not but haue allowed when he was so farre inraged at 2 Gotfrid Viterb Helmod Cuspinian Henry the fifth for giuing buriall to his fathers dead corpes after the 3 Paschal 2. Pope had stirred him vp to rebell against his father and procured his ruine But leauing these olde Histories to Bellarmines owne bookes that doe most authentically cite them as I haue already
many and many a time besides his last kisse so did the villaines that buffeted and crucified him and yet I may safely pronounce them accursed that would bestow any worship vpon their reliques yea wee cannot denie but the land of Canaan itselfe whereupon our Lord did dayly tread is so visibly accursed beeing gouerned by faithlesse Turkes full of innumerable sects of hereticall Christians and the very fertilitie thereof so farre degenerated into a pitifull sterilitie as hee must bee accursed that accounteth it blessed Nay when a certaine 2 Luk. 11.28 woman blessed the belly that bare CHRIST and the breastes that gaue him sucke Nay rather saith hee Blessed are those that heare the Word of God and keepe it Except then they could first prooue that CHRIST had resolued to blesse that tree of the Crosse whereupon hee was nailed they can neuer proue that his touching it could giue it any vertue And put the case it had a vertue of doing miracles as Peters shadow had yet doeth it not follow that it is lawful to worship it which Peter would neuer accept of Surely the Prophets that in so many places curse those that worship Images that haue eyes and see not that haue eares and heare not would much more haue cursed them that worship a piece of a sticke that hath not so much as any resemblance or representation of eyes or eares As for Purgatorie and all the * Iubilees Indulgences satisfactions for the dead c. trash depending thereupon it is not worth the talking of Bellarmine cannot finde any ground for it in all the Scriptures Onely I would pray him to tell me If that faire greene Meadow that is in Purgatorie haue a brooke running thorow it Lib. 2 de Purgat cap 7. that in case I come there I may haue hawking vpon it But as for me I am sure there is a Heauen and a Hell praemium poena for the Elect and reprobate How many other roomes there be I am not on God his counsell Iohn 14. Multae sunt mansiones in domo Patris mei saith CHRIST who is the trew Purgatorie for our sinnes But how many chambers and anti-chambers the diuell hath they can best tell that goe to him But in case there were more places for soules to goe to then we know of yet let vs content vs with that which in his Word he hath reuealed vnto vs and not inquire further into his secrets Heauen and Hell are there reuealed to be the eternall home of all mankinde let vs indeauour to winne the one and eschew the other and there is an end Now in all this discourse haue I yet left out the maine Article of the Romish faith and that is the Head of the Church or Peters Primacie for who denieth this denieth fidem Catholicam saith Bellarmine That Bishops ought to be in the Church I euer maintained it as an Apostolique institution and so the ordinance of God contrary to the Puritanes and likewise to 1 Boll lib. 4. de Rom. Pont. cap. 25. Bellarmine who denies that Bishops haue their Iurisdiction immediatly from God But it is no wonder he takes the Puritanes part since Iesuits are nothing but Puritan-papists And as I euer maintained the state of Bishops and the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchie for order sake so was I euer an enemie to the confused Anarchie or paritie of the Puritanes as well appeareth in my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heauen is gouerned by order and all the good Angels there nay Hell it selfe could not subsist without some order And the very deuils are diuided into Legions and haue their chiefetaines how can any societie then vpon earth subsist without order and degrees And therefore I cannot enough wonder with what brasen face this Answerer could say That I was a Puritane in Scotland and an enemie to Protestants Page 98. I that was persecuted by Puritanes there not from my birth onely but euen since foure moneths before my birth I that in the yeere of God 84 erected Bishops and depressed all their popular Paritie I then being not 18. yeeres of aage I that in my said Booke to my Sonne doe speake tenne times more bitterly of them nor of the Papists hauing in my second Edition thereof affixed a long Apologetike Preface onely in odium Puritanorum and I that for the space of sixe yeeres before my comming into England laboured nothing so much as to depresse their Paritie and re-erect Bishops againe Nay if the dayly Commentaries of my life and actions in Scotland were written as Iulius Caesars were there would scarcely a moneth passe in all my life since my entring into the 13. yeere of my aage wherein someaccident or other would not conuince the Cardinall of a Lye in this point And surely I giue a faire commendation to the Puritanes in that place of my booke Where I affirme that I haue found greater honestie with the high-land and border theeues then with that sort of people But leauing him to his owne impudence I returne to my purpose Of Bishops and Church Hierarchie I very well allowe as I said before and likewise of Ranks and Degrees amongst Bishops Patriarches I know were in the time of the Primitiue Church and I likewise reuerence that Institution for order sake and amongst them was a contention for the first place And for my selfe if that were yet the question I would with all my heart giue my consent that the Bishop of Rome should haue the first Seate I being a westerne King would goe with the Patriarch of the West And for his temporall Principalitie ouer the Signory of Rome I doe not quarrell it neither let him in God his Name be Primus Episcopus inter omnes Episcopos and Princeps Episcoporum so it be no otherwise but as Peter was Princeps Apostolorum But as I well allow of the Hierarchie of the Church for distinction of orders for so I vnderstand it so I vtterly deny that there is an earthly Monarch thereof whose word must be a Law and who cannot erre in his Sentence by an infallibilitie of Spirit Because carthly Kingdomes must haue earthly Monarches it doeth not follow that the Church must haue a visible Monarch too for the world hath not ONE earthly temporall Monarch CHRIST is his Churches Monarch and the holy Ghost his Deputie Luke 22.25 Reges gentium dominantur eorum vos autem non sic CHRIST did not promise before his ascension to leaue Peter with them to direct and iustruct them in all things Iohn 14.26 but he promised to send the holy Ghost vnto them for that end And as for these two before cited places whereby Bellarmine maketh the Pope to triumph ouer Kings Matth. 18.18 I meane Pasce oues and Tibi dobo claues the Cardinall knowes well enough that the same words of Tibi dabo are in another place spoken by Christ in the plurall number And he likewise knowes what reason the Ancients doe giue
many one to conspire and attempt the like against the late Queene and in my time to attempt the destruction of a whole Kingdome and State by a blast of Powder and hereby to play bankerupt with both the soules mentioned in the Scriptures Animus Anima But notwithstanding of this their great Lamentation they are commanded by a voyce from heauen to doe two things Verse 4. One to flee from Babylon lest they bee partakers of her sinnes and consequently of her punishment Which warning I pray God that yee all my Beloued Brethren and Cousins would take heed vnto in time humbly beseeching him to open your eyes for this purpose The other command is Verse 6. to reward her as shee hath rewarded you yea euen to the double For as she did flie but with your feathers borrowing as well her Titles of greatnesse and formes of honouring her from you as also enioying all her Temporall liuing by your liberalities so if euery man doe but take his owne againe she will stand vp * Cornicula Aesopica Verse 7. naked and the reason is giuen because of her pride For shee glorifieth her selfe liuing in pleasure and in her heart saith shee sitteth as a Queene outward prosperitie being one of their notes of a trew Church and is no Widow for her Spouse CHRIST is bound to her by an inuiolable knot for he hath sworne neuer to forsake her and she shall see no mourning for she cannot erre nor the gates of Hell shall not preuaile against her But though the earth and worldly men lament thus for the fall of Babylon in this eighteenth Chapter yet in the nineteenth Cap. xix Verse 1. Verse 2. Heauen and all the Angels and Saints therein doe sing a triumphall Cantique for ioy of her fall praising God for the fall of that great Whore Great indeed for our * Bellar. in Res ad Gerson confid 11. Cardinall confesseth that it is hard to describe what the Pope is such is his greatnesse Verse 19. Verse 20. And in the end of that Chapter is the obstinacie of that Whore described who euen fought to the vttermost against him that sate on the white Horse and his armie till the Beast or Antichrist was taken and the false Prophet or false Church with him who by Miracles and lying wonders deceiued them that receiued the marke of the Beast and both were cast quicke into the burning lake of fire and brimstone vnde nulla redemptio Like as in the ende of the former Chapter to describe the fulnesse of the Antichristes fall not like to that reparable wound that Ethnicke Rome gate it is first compared to a Milstone cast into the sea that can neuer rise and fleete againe Cap 18.21 Ibidem Vers 22 32. And next it is expressed by a number of ioyfull things that shall neuer bee heard there againe where nothing shall inhabite but desolation But that the patience and constancie of Saints on earth and God his Elected may the better bee strengthened and confirmed their persecution in the latter dayes is shortly prophesied and repeated againe Cap. 11. Verse 2. after that Satan hath beene bound or his furie restrained by the worlds enioying of peace for a thousand yeeres or a great indefinite time their persecuters being named Gog and Magog the secret and reuealed enemies of CHRIST Verse 8. Whether this be meant of the Pope and the Turke or not who both began to rise to their greatnesse about one time I leaue to bee guessed Verse 9. alwayes their vtter confusion is there assuredly promised and it is said that the Dragon the Beast and the false Prophet Verse 10. shall all three bee cast in that lake of fire and brimstone to be tormented for euer Verse 11 12 13. Matth. 24.22 And thereafter is the latter day described againe which must be hastened for the Elects sake and then for the further comfort of the Elect and that they may the more constantly and patiently endure these temporall and finite troubles limited but to a short space in the last two Chapters are the ioyes of the eternall Ierusalem largely described Cap. xxj xxij Thus hath the Cardinals shamelesse wresting of those two places of Scripture Pasce oues meas and Tibi dabo claues for proouing of the Popes supreame Temporall authoritie ouer Princes animated mee to prooue the Pope to bee THE ANTICHRIST out of this foresaid booke of Scripture so to pay him in his owne money againe And this opinion no Pope can euer make me to recant except they first renounce any further medling with Princes in any thing belonging to their Temporall Iurisdiction And my onely wish shall bee that if any man shall haue a fancie to refute this my coniecture of the Antichrist that hee answere mee orderly to euery point of my discourse not contenting him to disprooue my opinion except hee set downe some other Methode after his forme for interpretation of that Booke of the Apocalyps which may not contradict no part of the Text nor conteine no absurdities Otherwise it is an easie thing for Momus to picke quarrels in another mans tale and tell it worse himselfe it being a more easie practise to finde faults then amend them Hauing now made this digression anent the Antichrist which I am sure I can better fasten vpon the Pope then Bellarmine can doe his pretended Temporall Superioritie ouer Kings I will returne againe to speake of this Answerer who as I haue already told you so fitteth his matter with his manner of answering that as his Style is nothing but a Satyre and heape full of iniurious and reprochfull speaches as well against my Person as my Booke so is his matter as full of lyes and falsities indeed as hee vniustly layeth to my charge For three lies hee maketh against the Oath of Alleagiance conteined and maintained in my Booke besides that ordinary repeated lie against my Booke of his omitting to answere my lyes trattles iniurious speaches and blasphemies One grosse lye he maketh euen of the Popes first Breue One lye of the Puritanes whom he would gladly haue to be of his partie And one also of the Powder-Traitours anent the occasion that mooued them to vndertake that treasonable practise Three lies hee makes of that Acte of Parliament wherein this Oath of Alleagiance is conteined Hee also maketh one notable lie against his owne Catholike Writers And two of the causes for which two Iesuites haue beene put to death in England And he either falsifies denies or wrests fiue sundry Histories and a printed Pamphlet besides that impudent lye that hee maketh of my Person that I was a Puritane in Scotland which I haue already refuted And for the better filling vp of his booke with such good stuffe hee hath also fiue so strange and new principles of Diuinitie therein as they are either new or at least allowed by very few of his owne Religion All which lyes with
constrained to subiect themselues to Nero and Diocletian CONFVTATION That Christians without exception not vpon constraint but willingly and for conscience sake did subiect themselues to the Ethnicke Emperors it may appeare by our Apologie pag. 255 256. and the Apologetickes of the ancient Fathers TORTVS Pag. 47. 11 In which words of the Breues of Clement the 8. not onely Iames King of Scotland was not excluded but included rather CONFVTATION If the Breues of Clement did not exclude mee from the Kingdome but rather did include me why did Garnet burne them why would he not reserue them that I might haue seene them that so hee might haue obteined more fauour at my hands for him and his Catholikes TORTVS Pag. 60. 12 Of those 14. Articles conteined in the Oath of Alleagiance eleuen of them concerne the Primacie of the Pope in matters Spirituall CONFVTATION No one Article of that Oath doeth meddle with the Primacie of the Pope in matter Spirituall for to what end should that haue bene since we haue an expresse Oath elsewhere against the Popes Primacie in matters Spirituall TORTVS Pag. 64. 13 Amongst other calumnies this is mentioned that Bellarmine was priuie to sundry conspiracies against Q. Elizabeth if not the author CONFVTATION It is no where said in the Apologie that Bellarmine was either the Authour or priuie to any conspiracies against Queene Elizabeth but that he was their principall instructer and teacher who corrupted their iudgement with such dangerous positions and principles that it was an easie matter to reduce the generals into particulars and to apply the dictates which hee gaue out of his chaire as opporunitie serued to their seuerall designes TORTVS Pag. 64. 14 For he Bellarmine knoweth that Campian onely conspired against Hereticall impietie CONFVTATION That the trew and proper cause of Campians execution was not for his conspiring against Hereticall impietie but for conspiring against Queene Elizabeth and the State of this Kingdome it was most euident hy the iudiciall proceedings against him TORTVS Pag. 65. 15 Why was H. Garnet a man incomparable for learning in all kindes and holinesse of life put to death but because he would not reueale that which he could not doe with a safe conscience CONFVTATION That Garnet came to the knowledge of this horrible Plot not onely in confession as this Libeller would haue it but by other meanes neither by the relation of one alone but by diuers so as hee might with safe-conscience haue disclosed it See the Premonition pag. 334 335 c. and the Earle of Northamptons booke TORTVS Pag. 71. 16 Pope Sixtus 5. neither commanded the French King to bee murthered neither approoued that fact as it was done by a priuate person CONFVTATION The falsehood of this doeth easily appeare by the Oration of Sixtus 5. TORTVS Pag. 91. 17 That which is added concerning Stanley his Treason is neither faithfully nor trewly related for the Apologer as his maner is doeth miserably depraue it by adding many lyes CONFVTATION That which the Apologie relateth concerning Stanley his Treason is word for word recited out of Cardinall Allens Apologie for Stanleys treason as it is to be seene there TORTVS Pag. 93. 18 It is very certaine that H. Garnet at his arraignement did alwayes constantly auouch that neither hee nor any Iesuite either were authors or compartners or aduisers or consenting any way to the Powder-Treason And a little after The same thing hee protested at his death in a large speach in the presence of innumerable people CONFVTATION The booke of the proceedings against the late Traitours and our Premonition pag. 334 335 c. doe clearely prooue the contrary of this to bee trew TORTVS Pag. 97. 19 King Iames since he is no Catholike neither is he a Christian CONFVTATION Contrary I am a trew Catholike a professor of the trewly ancient Catholike and Apostolike Faith and therefore am a trew Christian See the confession of my faith in the Premonition pag. 302. 303 c. TORTVS Pag. 98. 20 And if the reports of them which knew him most inwardly be trew when hee was in Scotland he was a Puritane and an enemie to Protestants Now in England he professeth himselfe a Protestant and an enemie to the Puritans CONFVTATION Contrary and what a Puritane I was in Scotland See my 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this my Premonition pag. 305 306. HIS FALSIFICATIONS IN HIS ALLEDGING OF HISTORIES together with a briefe declaration of their falshood THE WORDS OF TORTVS Pag. 70. 1 IT was certaine that he Henry 4. the Emperour died a naturall death CONFVTATION It was not certaine since sundry Historians write otherwise that he died vpō his imprisonment by his sonne Henry 5. either with the noysomnesse and loathsomnesse of the prison or being pined to death by hunger Read Fasciculus temporum at the yeere 1094. Laziardus epitom vniuersal Histor c. 198. Paulus Langius in Chronico Citizensi at the yeere 1105. and Iacobus Wimphelingus epitome Rerum Germanic c. 28. TORTVS Pag. 83. 2 Henry 4. The Emperour feared indeed but not any corporall death but the censure of Excommunication from the which that he might procure absolution of his owne accord he did thus demissely humble himselfe before Gregory 7. CONFVTATION That Henry 4. thus deiected himselfe before the Pope it was neither of his owne accord neither vpon any feare of the Popes Excommunication which in this particular hee esteemed of no force but vpon feare of the losse of his Kingdome and life as the records of antiquitie doe euidently testifie See Lambertus Schafnaburg at the yeere 1077. Abbas Vrspergen at the yeere 1075. The Author of the life of Henry 4. Bruno in his History of the Saxon warre Laziard in epitom vniuersal Histor c. 193. Cuspinian in Henr. 4. Sigonius de Regno Italiae lib. 9. TORTVS Pag. 83. 3 The trewth of the History of Alexander 3 treading vpon the necke of Fredericke Barbarossa with his foot may beaustly doubted of CONFVTATION But no Historian doubteth of it and many do auouch it as Hieronym Bard. in victor Naual ex Bessarion Chronico apud Baron ad an 1177. num 5. Gerson de potestate Ecclesiae consid 1. Iacob Bergom in supplem Chronic. ad an 1160. Nauclerus Gener. 40 Petrus Iustinian lib. 2. Rerum Venetar Papirius Masson lib. 5. de Episcop vrbis who alledgeth for this Gennadius Patriarch of Constantinople Besides Alphonsus Ciacconius de vit Pontif. in Alexand. 3. and Azorius the Iesuite Instit Moral part lib. 5. c. 43. TORTVS Pag. 83. 4 What other thing feared Frederick Barbarossa but excommunication CONFVTATION That Frederick feared onely Pope Alexander his Excommunication no ancient Historian doth testifie But many do write that this submission of his was principally for feare of loosing his Empire and Dominions See for this Martin Polon ad an 1166. Platina in vita Alexan. 3. Laziard in epitom Historiae vniuersal c. 212. Naucler Generat 40. Iacobus Wimphelingus in epitom Rerum
of this businesse and of their sincere intention therein hee would according to his high wisedome prudence and benignitie conceiue fauourably of them and their proceedings whereof the Lords States Generall are no lesse confident and the rather for that the said Deputies haue assured them that the Lords States of Holland and Westfrizeland their Superiors would proceede in this businesse as in all others with all due reuerence care and respect vnto his Maiesties serious admonition as becommeth them And the Lords States Generall doe request the said Lord Ambassadour to recommend this their Answere vnto his Maiestie with fauour Giuen at the Hage in the Assembly of the said Lords States Generall 1. October 1611. BVt before wee had receiued this answere from the States some of Vorstius books were brought ouer into England and as it was reported not without the knowledge and direction of the Authour And about the same time one Bertius a scholler of the late Arminius who was the first in our aage that infected Leyden with Heresie was so impudent as to send a Letter vnto the Archbishop of Canterbury with a Booke intituled De Apostasia Sanctorum And not thinking it sufficient to auow the sending of such a booke the title whereof onely were enough to make it worthy the fire hee was moreouer so shamelesse as to maintaine in his Letter to the Archbishop that the doctrine conteined in his booke was agreeable with the doctrine of the Church of England Let the Church of CHRIST then iudge whether it was not high time for vs to bestirre our selues when as this Gangrene had not onely taken holde amongst our neerest neighbours so as Nonsolùm paries proximus iam ardebat not onely the next house was on fire but did also begin to creepe into the bowels of our owne Kindome For which cause hauing first giuen order that the said bookes of Vorstius should be publikely burnt as well in Pauls Church-yard as in both the Vniuersities of this Kingdome wee thought good to renew our former request vnto the States for the banishment of Vorstius by a Letter which wee caused our Ambassadour to deliuer vnto them from vs at their Assembly in the Hage the fifth of Nouember whereunto they had referred vs in their former answere the tenor of which Letter was as followeth HIgh and mightie Lords Hauing vnderstood by your answere to that Proposition which was made vnto you in our name by our Ambassadour there resident That at your Assembly to bee holden in Nouember next you are resolued then to giue order concerning the businesse of that wretched D. Vorstius Wee haue thought good notwithstanding the declaration which our Ambassadour hath already made vnto you in our name touching that particular to put you againe in remembrance thereof by this Letter and thereby freely to discharge our selues both in point of our duetie towards God and of that sincere friendship which wee beare towards you First We assure Our selues that you are sufficiently perswaded that no worldly respect could moue Vs to haue thus importuned you in an affaire of this nature being drawen into it onely through Our zeale to the glory of God and the care which Wee haue that all occasion of such great scandals as this is vnto the trew reformed Church of God might bee in due time foreseene and preuented Wee are therefore to let you vnderstand that Wee doe not a little wonder that you haue not onely sought to prouide an habitation in so eminent a place amongst you for such a corrupted person as this Vorstius is but that you haue also afforded him your license and protection to print that Apologie which he hath dedicated vnto you A booke wherein he doeth most impudently maintaine the execrable blasphemies which in his former hee had disgorged The which wee are now able to affirme out of our owne knowledge hauing since that Letter which wee wrote vnto our Ambassadour read ouer and ouer againe with our owne eyes not without extreme mislike and horrour both his bookes the first dedicated to the Lantgraue of Hessen and the other to you We had well hoped that the corrupt seed which that enemie of God Arminius did sowe amongst you some few yeeres since whose disciples and followers are yet too bold and frequent within your Dominions had giuen you a sufficient warning afterwards to take heed of such infected persons seeing your owne Countrey men already diuided into Factions vpon this occasion a matter so opposite to vnitie which is indeed the onely prop and safetie of your State next vnder God as of necessitie it must by little and little bring you to vtter ruine if wisely you doe not prouide against it and that in time It is trew that it was Our hard hap not to heare of this Arminius before he was dead and that all the Reformed Churches of Germanie had with open mouth complained of him But assoone as Wee vnderstood of that distraction in your State which after his death he left behind him We did not faile taking the opportunitie when your last extraordinary Ambassadors were here with Vs to vse some such speeches vnto them concerning this matter as We thought fittest for the good of your State and which we doubt not but they haue faithfully reported vnto you For what need We make any question of the arrogancie of these Heretiques or rather Atheisticall Sectaries amongst you when one of them at this present remaining in your towne of Leyden hath not onely presumed to publish of late a blasphemous Booke of the Apostasie of the Saints but hath besides beene so impudent as to send the other day a copie thereof as a goodly present to Our Arch-Bishop of Canterbury together with a letter wherein he is not ashamed as also in his Booke to lie so grossely as to auowe that his Heresies conteined in the said Booke are agreeable with the Religion and profession of Our Church of England For these respects therefore haue Wee cause enough very heartily to request you to roote out with speed those Heresies and Schismes which are beginning to bud foorth amongst you which if you suffer to haue the reines any longer you cannot expect any other issue thereof then the curse of God infamy throughout all the reformed Churches and a perpetuall rent and distraction in the whole body of your State But if peraduenture this wretched Vorstius should denie or equiuocate vpon those blasphemous poynts of Heresie and Atheisme which already hee hath broached that perhaps may mooue you to spare his person and not cause him to bee burned which neuer any Heretique better deserued and wherein we will leaue him to your owne bristian wisedome but to suffer him vpon any defence or abnegation which hee shall offer to make still to continue and to teach amongst you is a thing so abominable as we assure our selues it will not once enter into any of your thoughts For admit hee would proue himselfe innocent which neuerthelesse he cannot
First by my descent lineally out of the loynes of Henry the seuenth is reunited and confirmed in mee the Vnion of the two Princely Roses of the two Houses of LANCASTER and YORKE whereof that King of happy memorie was the first Vniter as he was also the first ground-layer of the other Peace The lamentable and miserable euents by the Ciuill and bloody dissention betwixt these two Houses was so great and so late as it need not be renewed vnto your memories which as it was first setled and vnited in him so is it now reunited and confirmed in me being iustly and lineally descended not onely of that happie coniunction but of both the Branches thereof many times before But the Vnion of these two princely Houses is nothing comparable to the Vnion of two ancient and famous Kingdomes which is the other inward Peace annexed to my Person And here I must craue your patiences for a little space to giue me leaue to discourse more particularly of the benefits that doe arise of that Vnion which is made in my blood being a matter that most properly belongeth to me to speake of as the head wherein that great Body is vnited And first if we were to looke no higher then to naturall and Physicall reasons we may easily be perswaded of the great benefits that by that Vnion do redound to the whole Island for if twentie thousand men be a strong Armie is not the double thereof fourtie thousand a double the stronger Armie If a Baron enricheth himselfe with double as many lands as hee had before is he not double the greater Nature teacheth vs that Mountaines are made of Motes and that at the first Kingdomes being diuided and euery particular Towne or little Countie as Tyrants or Vsurpers could obtaine the possession a Segniorie apart many of these little Kingdomes are now in processe of time by the ordinance of God ioyned into great Monarchies whereby they are become powerfull within themselues to defend themselues from all outward inuasions and their head and gouernour thereby enabled to redeeme them from forreine assaults and punish priuate transgressions within Do we not yet remember that this Kingdome was diuided into seuen little Kingdomes besides Wales And is it not now the stronger by their vnion And hath not the vnion of Wales to England added a greater strength thereto Which though it was a great Principalitie was nothing comparable in greatnesse and power to the ancient and famous Kingdome of Scotland But what should we sticke vpon any naturall appearance when it is manifest that God by his Almightie prouidence hath preordained it so to be Hath not God first vnited these two Kingdomes both in Language Religion and similitude of maners Yea hath hee not made vs all in one Island compassed with one Sea and of it selfe by nature so indiuisible as almost those that were borderers themselues on the late Borders cannot distinguish nor know or discerne their owne limits These two Countries being separated neither by Sea nor great Riuer Mountaine nor other strength of nature but onely by little small brookes or demolished little walles so as rather they were diuided in apprehension then in effect And now in the end and fulnesse of time vnited the right and title of both in my Person alike lineally descended of both the Crownes whereby it is now become like a little World within it selfe being intrenched and fortified round about with a naturall and yet admirable strong pond or ditch whereby all the former feares of this Nation are now quite cut off The other part of the Island being euer before now not onely the place of landing to all strangers that was to make inuasion here but likewise moued by the enemies of this State by vntimely incursions to make inforced diuersion from their Conquests for defending themselues at home and keeping sure their backe-doore as then it was called which was the greatest hinderance and let that euer my Predecessors of this Nation gat in disturbing them from their many famous and glorious conquests abroad What God hath conioyned then let no man separate I am the Husband and all the whole Isle is my lawfull Wife I am the Head and it is my Body I am the Shepherd and it is my flocke I hope therefore no man will be so vnreasonable as to thinke that I that am a Christian King vnder the Gospel should be a Polygamist and husband to two wiues that I being the Head should haue a diuided and monstrous Body or that being the Shepheard to so faire a Flocke whose fold hath no wall to hedge it but the foure Seas should haue my Flocke parted in two But as I am assured that no honest Subiect of whatsoeuer degree within my whole dominions is lesse glad of this ioyfull Vnion then I am So may the friuolous obiection of any that would bee hinderers of this worke which God hath in my Person already established bee easily answered which can be none except such as are either blinded with Ignorance or els transported with Malice being vnable to liue in a well gouerned Commonwealth and onely delighting to fish in troubled waters For if they would stand vpon their reputation and priuiledges of any of the Kingdomes I pray you was not both the Kingdomes Monarchies from the beginning and consequently could euer the Body bee counted without the Head which was euer vnseparably ioyned thereunto So that as Honour and Priuiledges of any of the Kingdomes could not be diuided from their Soueraigne So are they now confounded ioyned in my Person who am equall and alike kindly Head to you both When this Kingdome of England was diuided into so many little Kingdoms as I told you before one of them behooued to eate vp another till they were all vnited in one And yet can Wiltshire or Deuonshire which were of the West Saxons although their Kingdome was of longest durance and did by Conquest ouercome diuers of the rest of the little Kingdomes make claime to Prioritie of Place or Honour before Sussex Essex or other Shires which were conquered by them And haue we not the like experience in the Kingdome of France being composed of diuers Dutchies and one after another conquered by the sword For euen as little brookes lose their names by their running and fall into great Riuers and the very name and memorie of the great Riuers swallowed vp in the Ocean so by the coniunction of diuers little Kingdomes in one are all these priuate differences and questions swallowed vp And since the successe was happie of the Saxons Kingdomes being conquered by the speare of Bellona Mars How much greater reason haue wee to expect a happie issue of this greater Vnion which is only fastened and bound vp by the wedding Ring of Astrea Loue and Peace And as God hath made Scotland the one halfe of this Isle to enioy my Birth and the first and most vnperfect halfe of my life and you heere to
Paul saith That hee may plant Apollo may water but it is GOD onely that must giue the increase This I speake because of the long time which hath benespent about the Treatie of the Vnion For my selfe I protest vnto you all When I first propounded the Vnion I then thought there could haue bene no more question of it then of your declaration and acknowledgement of my right vnto this Crowne and that as two Twinnes they would haue growne vp together The errour was my mistaking I knew mine owne ende but not others feares But now finding many crossings long disputations strange questions and nothing done I must needs thinke it proceeds either of mistaking of the errand or else from some iealousie of me the Propounder that you so adde delay vnto delay searching out as it were the very bowels of Curiositie and conclude nothing Neither can I condemne you for being yet in some iealousie of my intention in this matter hauing not yet had so great experience of my behauiour and inclination in these few yeeres past as you may peraduenture haue in a longer time hereafter and not hauing occasion to consult dayly with my selfe and heare mine owne opinion in all those particulars which are debated among you But here I pray you now mistake mee not at the first when as I seeme to finde fault with your delayes and curiositie as if I would haue you to resolue in an houres time that which will take a moneths aduisement for you all know that Rex est lex loquens And you haue oft heard mee say That the Kings will and intention being the speaking Law ought to bee Luce clarius and I hope you of the Lower house haue the proofe of this my clearenesse by a Bil sent you downe from the Vpper house within these few dayes or rather few houres wherein may very well appeare vnto you the care I haue to put my Subiects in good securitie of their possessions for all posterities to come And therefore that you may clearely vnderstand my meaning in that point I doe freely confesse you had reason to aduise at leasure vpon so great a cause for great matters doe cuer require great deliberation before they be well concluded Deliberandum est diu quod statuendum est semel Consultations must proceed lento pede but the execution of a sentence vpon the resolution would be speedie If you will goe on it matters not though you goe with leaden feet so you make still some progresse and that there be no let or needlesse delay and doe not Nodum in scirpo quaerere I am euer for the Medium in euery thing Betweene foolish rashnesse and extreame length there is a middle way Search all that is reasonable but omit that which is idle curious and vnnecessary otherwise there can neuer be a resolution or end in any good worke And now from the generall I wil descend to particulars and wil onely for the ease of your memories diuide the matter that I am to speake of into foure heads by opening vnto you First what I craue Secondly in what maner I desire it Thirdly what commodities will ensue to both the Kingdomes by it Fourthly what the supposed inconueniencie may be that giues impediments thereunto For the first what I craue I protest before GOD who knowes my heart and to you my people before whom it were a shame to lie that I claime nothing but with acknowledgement of my Bond to you that as yee owe to me subiection and obedience So my Soueraigntie obligeth mee to yeeld to you loue gouernment and protection Neither did I euer wish any happinesse to my selfe which was not conioyned with the happinesse of my people I desire a perfect Vnion of Lawes and persons and such a Naturalizing as may make one body of both Kingdomes vnder mee your King That I and my posteritie if it so please God may rule ouer you to the worlds ende Such an Vnion as was of the Scots and Pictes in Scotland and of the Heptarchie here in England And for Scotland I auow such an Vnion as if you had got it by Conquest but such a Conquest as may be cemented by loue the onely sure bond of subiection or friendship that as there is ouer both but vnus Rex so there may be in both but vnus Grex vna Lex For no more possible is it for one King to gouerne two Countreys Contiguous the one a great the other a lesse a richer and a poorer the greater drawing like an Adamant the lesser to the Commodities thereof then for one head to gouerne two bodies or one man to be husband of two wiues whereof Christ himselfe said Ab initio non fuit sic But in the generall Vnion you must obserue two things for I will discouer my thoughts plainly vnto you I study clearenes not eloquence And therefore with the olde Philosopers I would heartily wish my brest were a transparent glasse for you all to see through that you might looke into my heart and then would you be satisfied of my meaning For when I speake of a perfect Vnion I meane not confusion of all things you must not take from Scotland those particular Priuiledges that may stand as well with this Vnion as in England many particular customes in particular Shires as the Customes of Kent and the Royalties of the Countie Palatine of Chester do with the Common Law of the Kingdome for euery particular Shire almost and much more euery Countie haue some particular customes that are as it were naturally most fit for that people But I meane of such a generall Vnion of Lawes as may reduce the whole Iland that as they liue already vnder one Monarch so they may all bee gouerned by one Law For I must needs confesse by that little experience I haue had since my comming hither and I thinke I am able to prooue it that the grounds of the Common Law of England are the best of any Law in the world either Ciuil or Municipall and the fittest for this people But as euery Law would be cleare and full so the obscuritie in some points of this our written Law and want of fulnesse in others the variation of Cases and mens curiositie breeding euery day new questions hath enforced the Iudges to iudge in many Cases here by Cases and presidents wherein I hope Lawyers themselues will not denie but that there must be a great vncertaintie and I am sure all the rest of you that are Gentlemen of other professions were long agoe wearie of it if you could haue had it amended For where there is varietie and vncertaintie although a iust Iudge may do rightly yet an ill Iudge may take aduantage to doe wrong and then are all honest men that succeede him tied in a maner to his vniust and partiall conclusions Wherefore leaue not the Law to the pleasure of the Iudge but let your Lawes be looked into for I desire not the abolishing of
the Lawes but onely the clearing and the sweeping off the rust of them and that by Parliament our Lawes might be cleared and made knowen to all the Subiects Yea rather it were lesse hurt that all the approued Cases were set downe and allowed by Parliament for standing Lawes in all time to come For although some of them peraduenture may bee vniust as set downe by corrupt Iudges yet better it is to haue a certaine Law with some spots in it nor liue vnder such an vncertaine and arbitrarie Law since as the prouerbe is It is lesse harme to suffer an inconuenience then a mischiefe And now may you haue faire occasion of amending and polishing your Lawes when Scotland is to bee vnited with you vnder them for who can blame Scotland to say If you will take away our owne Lawes I pray you giue vs a better and cleerer in place thereof But this is not possible to bee done without a fit preparation Hee that buildeth a Ship must first prouide the timber and as Christ himselfe said No man will build an house but he will first prouide the materials nor a wise King will not make warre against another without he first makeprouision of money and all great workes must haue their preparation and that was my end in causing the Instrument of the Vnion to be made Vnion is a mariage would he not bee thought absurd that for furthering of a mariage betweene two friends of his would make his first motion to haue the two parties be laid in bedde together and performe the other turnes of mariage must there not precede the mutuall sight and acquaintance of the parties one with another the conditions of the contract and Ioincture to be talked of and agreed vpon by their friends and such other things as in order ought to goe before the ending of such a worke The vnion is an eternall agreement and reconciliation of many long bloody warres that haue beene betweene these two ancient Kingdomes Is it the readiest way to agree a priuate quarell betweene two to bring them at the first to shake hands and as it were kisse other and lie vnder one roofe or rather in one bedde together before that first the ground of their quarell be communed vpon their mindes mitigated their affections prepared and all other circumstances first vsed that ought to be vsed to proceed to such a finall agreement Euery honest man desireth a perfect Vnion but they that say so and admit no preparation thereto haue mel in ore fel in corde If after your so long talke of Vnion in all this long Session of Parliament yee rise without agreeing vpon any particular what will the neighbour Princes iudge whose eyes are all fixed vpon the conclusion of this Action but that the King is refused in his desire whereby the Nation should bee taxed and the King disgraced And what an ill preparation is it for the mindes of Scotland toward the Vnion when they shall heare that ill is spoken of their whole Nation but nothing is done nor aduanced in the matter of the Vnion it selfe But this I am glad was but the fault of one and one is no number yet haue your neighbours of Scotland this aduantage of you that none of them haue spoken ill of you nor shall as long as I am King in Parliament or any such publique place of Iuditature Consider therefore well if the mindes of Scotland had not neede to be well prepared to perswade their mutuall consent seeing you here haue all the great aduantage by the Vnion Is not here the personall residence of the King his whole Court and family Is not here the seate of Iustice and the fountaine of Gouernment must they not be subiected to the Lawes of England and so with time become but as Cumberland and Northumberland and those other remote and Northerne Shires you are to be the husband they the wife you conquerours they as conquered though not by the sword but by the sweet and sure bond of loue Besides that they as other Northerne Countreys will beseldome seene and saluted by their King and that as it were but in a posting or hunting iourney How little cause then they may haue of such a change of so ancient a Monarchie into the case of priuate Shires iudge rightly herein And that you may be the more vpright Iudges suppose your selues the Patients of whom such sentence should be giuen But what preparation is it which I craue onely such as by the entrance may shew something is done yet more is intended There is a conceipt intertained and a double iealousie possesseth many wherein I am misiudged First that this Vnion will be the Crisis to the ouerthrow of England and setting vp of Scotland England will then bee ouerwhelmed by the swarming of the Scots who if the Vnion were effected would raigne and rule all The second is my profuse liberalitie to the Scottish men more then the English and that with this Vnion all things shal be giuen to them and you turned out of all To you shall bee left the sweat and labour to them shall bee giuen the fruite and sweet and that my forbearance is but till this Vnion may be gained How agreeable this is to the trewth Iudge you And that not by my wordes but by my Actions Doe I craue the Vnion without exceptions doe I not offer to binde my selfe and to reserue to you as in the Instrument all places of Iudicature doe I intend any thing which standeth not with the equall good of both Nations I could then haue done it and not spoken of it For all men of vnderstanding must agree that I might dispose without assent of Parliament Offices of Iudicature and others both Ecclesiasticall and Temporall But herein I did voluntarily offer by my Letters from Royston to the Commissioners to bind my Prerogatiue Some thinke that I will draw the Scottish Nation hither talking idlely of transporting of Trees out of a barren ground into a better and of leane cattell out of bad pasture into a more fertile soile Can any man displant you vnlesse you will or can any man thinke that Scotland is so strong to pull you out of your houses or doe you not thinke I know England hath more people Scotland more wast ground So that there is roumth in Scotland rather to plant your idle people that swarme in London streets and other Townes and disburden you of them then to bring more vnto you And in cases of Iustice if I bee partiall to either side let my owne mouth condemne me as vnworthy to be your King I appeale to your selues if in fauour or Iustice I haue beene partiall Nay my intention was euer you should then haue most cause to praise my discretion when you saw I had most power If hitherto I haue done nothing to your preiudice much lesse meane I hereafter If when I might haue done it without any breach of promise Thinke so of mee that
Progenitors and all my Subiects must be alike deare vnto me which either hee will neuer grant and so all will fall to the ground or else it will turne to the benefite of the whole Island and so the Scottish Priuiledges cannot hold longer then my League with France lasteth And for another Argument to prooue that this league is only betweene the Kings and not betweene the people They which haue Pensions or are priuie Intelligence giuers in France without my leaue are in no better case by the Law of Scotland then if they were Pensioners to Spaine As for the Scottish Guard in France the beginning thereof was when an Earle of Boghan was sent in aide of the French with tenne thousand men and there being made Constable and hauing obtained a victorie was murthered with the most of the Scottish Armie In recompense whereof and for a future securitie to the Scottish Nation the Scottish Guard was ordeined to haue the priuiledge and prerogatiue before all other Guards in guarding the Kings person And as for the last point of this subdiuision concerning the gaine that England may make by this Vnion I thinke no wise nor honest man will aske any such question For who is so ignorant that doeth not know the gaine will bee great Doe you not gaine by the Vnion of Wales And is not Scotland greater then Wales Shall not your Dominions bee encreased of Landes Seas and persons added to your greatnesse And are not your Landes and Seas adioyning For who can set downe the limits of the Borders but as a Mathematicall line or Idaea Then will that backe doore bee shut and those portes of Ianus be for euer closed you shall haue them that were your enemies to molest you a sure backe to defend you their bodies shall bee your aides and they must bee partners in all your quarrels Two snow-balls put together make one the greater Two houses ioyned make one the larger two Castle walles made in one makes one as thicke and strong as both And doe you not see in the Low countreys how auaileable the English and the Scottish are being ioyned together This is a point so plaine as no man that hath wit or honestie but must acknowledge it feelingly And where it is obiected that the Scottishmen are not tyed to the seruice of the King in the warres aboue forty dayes It is an ignorant mistaking For the trewth is That in respect the Kings of Scotland did not so abound in Treasure and money to take vp an Armie vnder pay as the Kings of England did Therefore was the Scottish Army wont to be raysed onely by Proclamation vpon the penaltie of their breach of alleageance So as they were all forced to come to the Warre like Snailes who carry their house about with them Euery Nobleman and Gentleman bringing with him their Tents money prouision for their house victuals of all sorts and all other necessaries the King supplying them of nothing Necessitie thereupon enforcing a warning to be giuen by the Proclamation of the space of their attendance without which they could not make their prouision accordingly especially as long as they were within the bounds of Scotland where it was not lawfull for them to helpe themselues by the spoile or wasting of the Countrey But neither is there any Law Prescribing precisely such a certaine number of dayes nor yet is it without the limits of the Kings power to keepe them together as many more dayes as hee list to renew his Proclamations from time to time some reasonable number of dayes before the expiring of the former they being euer bound to serue and waite vpon him though it were an hundreth yeere if need were Now to conclude I am glad of this occasion that I might Liberare animam meam You are now to recede when you meete againe remember I pray you the trewth and sincerity of my meaning which in seeking Vnion is onely to aduance the greatnesse of your Empire seated here in England And yet with such caution I wish it as may stand with the weale of both States What is now desired hath oft before bene sought when it could not bee obteined To refuse it now then were double iniquitie Strengthen your owne felicitie London must bee the Seate of your King and Scotland ioyned to this kingdome by a Golden conquest but cymented with loue as I said before which within will make you strong against all Ciuill and intestine Rebellion as without wee will bee compassed and guarded with our walles of brasse Iudge mee charitably since in this I seeke your equall good that so both of you might bee made fearefull to your Enemies powerfull in your selues and auaileable to your friendes Studie therefore hereafter to make a good Conclusion auoyd all delayes cut off all vaine questions that your King may haue his lawfull desire and be not disgraced in his iust endes And for your securitie in such reasonable points of restrictions whereunto I am to agree yee need neuer doubt of my inclination For I will not say any thing which I will not promise nor promise any thing which I will notsweare What I sweare I will signe and what I signe I shall with GODS grace euer performe A SPEACH TO THE LORDS AND COMMONS OF THE PARLIAMENT AT WHITE-HALL ON WEDNESDAY THE XXI OF MARCH ANNO 1609. WE being now in the middest of this season appointed for penitence and prayer it hath so fallen out that these two last dayes haue bene spent in a farre other sort of exercise I meane in Eucharisticke Sacrifice and gratulation of thankes presented vnto mee by both the parts of this body of Parliament and therefore to make vp the number of three which is the number of Trinitie and perfection I haue thought good to make this the third Day to be spent in this exercise As ye made mee a faire Present indeed in presenting your thankes and louing dueties vnto mee So haue I now called you here to recompence you againe with a great and a rare Present which is a faire and a Christall Mirror Not such a Mirror wherein you may see your owne faces or shadowes but such a Mirror or Christall as through the transparantnesse thereof you may see the heart of your King The Philosophers wish That euery mans breast were a Christall where-through his heart might be seene is vulgarly knowne and I touched it in one of my former Speaches vnto you But though that were impossible in the generall yet will I now performe this for my part That as it is a trew Axiome in Diuinitie That Cor Regis is in manu Domini So wil I now set Cor Regis in oculis populi I know that I can say nothing at this time whereof some of you that are here haue not at one time or other heard me say the like already Yet as corporall food nourisheth and mainteineth the body so doeth Reminiscentia nourish and mainteine memory I Will reduce to three
Law of the King whereto themselues are also subiect Hauing now perfourmed this ancient Prouerbe A Ioue principium which though it was spoken by a Pagan yet it is good and holy I am now to come to my particular Errand for which I am heere this day wherein I must handle two parts First the reason why I haue not these fourteene yeeres sithence my Coronation vntill now satisfied a great many of my louing subiects who I know haue had a great expectation and as it were a longing like them that are with child to heare mee speake in this place where my Predecessors haue often sitten and especially King Henry the seuenth from whom as diuers wayes before I am lineally descended and that doubly to this Crowne and as I am neerest descended of him so doe I desire to follow him in his best actions The next part is the reason Why I am now come The cause that made mee abstaine was this When I came into England although I was an old King past middle aage and practised in gouernment euer sithence I was twelue yeeres olde yet being heere a stranger in gouernement though not in blood because my breeding was in another Kingdome I resolued therefore with Pythagoras to keepe silence seuen yeeres and learne my selfe the Lawes of this Kingdome before I would take vpon mee to teach them vnto others When this Apprentiship was ended then another impediment came which was in the choice of that cause that should first bring me hither I expected some great cause to make my first entry vpon For I thought that hauing abstained so long it should be a worthy matter that should bring mee hither Now euery cause must be great or small In small causes I thought it disgracefull to come hauing beene so long absent In great causes they must be either betwixt the King and some of his Subiects or betwixt Subiect and Subiect In a cause where my selfe was concerned I was loath to come because men should not thinke I did come for my owne priuate either Prerogatiue or profit or for any other by-respect And in that case I will alwayes abide the triall of men and Angels neuer to haue had any particular end in that which is the Maine of all things Iustice In a great cause also betweene partie and partie great in respect either of the question or value of the thing my comming might seeme as it were obliquely to be in fauour of one partie and for that cause this Counsellour or that Courtier might be thought to mooue me to come hither And a meane cause was not worthy of mee especially for my first entrance So lacke of choice in both respects kept mee off till now And now hauing passed a double apprentiship of twice seuen yeeres I am come hither to speake vnto you And next as to the reasons of my comming at this time they are these I haue obserued in the time of my whole Reigne here and my double Apprentiship diuers things fallen out in the Iudicatures here at Westminster Hall that I thought required and vrged a reformation at my hands whereupon I resolued with my selfe that I could not more fitly begin a reformation then here to make an open declaration of my meaning I remember Christs saying My sheepe heare my voyce and so I assure my selfe my people will most willingly heare the voyce of me their owne Shepheard and King whereupon I tooke this occasion in mine owne person here in this Seate of Iudgement not iudicially but declaratorily and openly to giue those directions which at other times by piece-meale I haue deliuered to some of you in diuers lesse publike places but now will put it vp in all your audience where I hope it shall bee trewly caried and cannot be mistaken as it might haue bene when it was spoken more priuately I will for order sake take mee to the methode of the number of Three the number of perfection and vpon that number distribute all I haue to declare to you FIrst I am to giue a charge to my selfe for a King or Iudge vnder a King that first giues not a good charge to himselfe will neuer be able to giue a good charge to his inferiours for as I haue said Good riuers cannot flow but from good springs if the fountaine be impure so must the riuers be Secondly to the Iudges And thirdly to the Auditory and the rest of the inferiour ministers of Iustice First I protest to you all in all your audience heere sitting in the seate of Iustice belonging vnto GOD and now by right fallen vnto mee that I haue resolued as Confirmation in Maioritie followeth Baptisme in minoritie so now after many yeeres to renew my promise and Oath made at my Coronation concerning Iustice and the promise therein for maintenance of the Law of the Land And I protest in GODS presence my care hath euer beene to keepe my conscience cleare in all the points of my Oath taken at my Coronation so farre as humane frailtie may permit mee or my knowledge enforme mee I speake in point of Iustice and Law For Religion I hope I am reasonably well knowen already I meane therefore of Lawe and Iustice and for Law I meane the Common Law of the Land according to which the King gouernes and by which the people are gouerned For the Common Law you can all beare mee witnesse I neuer pressed alteration of it in Parliament but on the contrary when I endeauoured most an Vnion reall as was already in my person my desire was to conforme the Lawes of Scotland to the Law of England and not the Law of England to the Law of Scotland and so the prophecie to be trew of my wise Grandfather Henry the seuenth who foretold that the lesser Kingdome by marriage would follow the greater and not the greater the lesser And therefore married his eldest daughter Margaret to Iames the fourth my great Grandfather It was a foolish Querke of some Iudges who held that the Parliament of England could not vnite Scotland and England by the name of Great Britaine but that it would make an alteration of the Lawes though I am since come to that knowledge that an Acte of Parliament can doe greater wonders And that old wise man the Treasourer Burghley was wont to say Hee knew not what an Acte of Parliament could not doe in England For my intention was alwayes to effect vnion by vniting Scotland to England and not England to Scotland For I euer meant being euer resolued that this Law should continue in this Kingdome and two things mooued mee thereunto One is that in matter of Policie and State you shall neuer see any thing anciently and maturely established but by Innouation or alteration it is worse then it was I meane not by purging of it from corruptions and restoring it to the ancient integritie Another reason was I was sworne to maintaine the Law of the Land and therefore I had beene periured if I
will neuer goe And as he hath promised me to take no other Iurisdiction to himselfe so is it my promise euer to maintaine this Iurisdiction in that Court Therefore I speake this to vindicate that Court from misconceipt and contempt It is the duetie of Iudges to punish those that seeke to depraue the proceedings of any the Kings Courts and not to encourage them any way And I must confesse I thought it an odious and inept speach and it grieued me very much that it should be said in Westminster Hall that a Premunire lay against the Court of the Chancery and Officers there How can the King grant a Premunire against himselfe It was a foolish inept and presumptuous attempt and fitter for the time of some vnworthy King vnderstand mee aright I meane not the Chancerie should exceed his limite but on the other part the King onely is to correct it and none else And therefore I was greatly abused in that attempt For if any was wronged there the complaint should haue come to mee None of you but will confesse you haue a King of reasonable vnderstanding and willing to reforme why then should you spare to complaine to me that being the high way and not goe the other way and backe-way in contempt of our Authoritie And therefore sitting heere in a seat of Iudgement I declare and command that no man hereafter presume to sue a Premunire against the Chancery which I may the more easily doe because no Premunire can bee sued but at my Suit And I may iustly barre my selfe at mine owne pleasure As all inundations come with ouerflowing the bankes and neuer come without great inconuenience and are thought prodigious by Astrologers in things to come So is this ouerflowing the bankes of your Iurisdiction in it selfe inconuenient and may proue prodigious to the State Remember therefore that hereafter you keepe within your limits and Iurisdictions It is a speciall point of my Office to procure and command that amongst Courts there bee a concordance and musicall accord and it is your parts to obey and see this kept And as you are to obserue the ancient Lawes and customes of England so are you to keepe your selues within the bound of direct Law or Presidents and of those not euery snatched President carped now here now there as it were running by the way but such as haue neuer beene controuerted but by the contrary approued by common vsage in times of best Kings and by most learned Iudges The Starre-Chamber Court hath bene likewise shaken of late and the last yeere it had receiued a sore blow if it had not bene assisted and caried by a few voyces The very name of Starre-Chamber seemeth to procure a reuerence to the Court. I will not play the Criticke to descant on the name It hath a name from heauen a Starre placed in it and a Starre is a glorious creature and seated in a glorious place next vnto the Angels The Starre-Chamber is also glorious in substance for in the composition it is of foure sorts of persons The first two are Priuie Counsellours and Iudges the one by wisedome in matters of State the other by learning in matters of Law to direct and order all things both according to Law and State The other two sorts are Peeres of the Realme and Bishops The Peeres are there by reason of their greatnesse to giue authority to that Court The Bishops because of their learning in Diuinitie and the interest they haue in the good gouernment of the Church And so both the learning of both Diuine and humane Law and experience and practise in Gouernment are conioyned together in the proceedings of this Court There is no Kingdome but hath a Court of Equitie either by it selfe as is heere in England or else mixed and incorporate in their Office that are Iudges in the Law as it is in Scotland But the order of England is much more perfect where they are diuided And as in case of Equitie where the Law determines not clearely there the Chancerie doeth determine hauing Equitie belonging to it which doeth belong to no other Court So the Starre-Chamber hath that belonging to it which belongs to no other Court For in this Court Attempts are punishable where other Courts punish onely facts And also where the Law punisheth facts easily as in case of Riots or Combates there the Starre-Chamber punisheth in a higher degree And also all combinations of practises and conspiracies And if the King be dishonoured or contemned in his Prerogatiue it belongeth most properly to the Peeres and Iudges of this Court to punish it So then this Court being instituted for so great causes it is great reason it should haue great honour Remember now how I haue taught you brotherly loue one toward another For you know well that as you are Iudges you are all brethren and your Courts are sisters I pray you therefore labour to keepe that sweete harmonie which is amongst those sisters the Muses What greater miserie can there bee to the Law then contempt of the Law and what readier way to contempt then when questions come what shall bee determined in this Court and what in that Whereupon two euils doe arise The one that men come not now to Courts of iustice to heare matters of right pleaded and Decrees giuen accordingly but onely out of a curiositie to heare questions of the Iurisdictions of Courts disputed and to see the euent what Court is like to preuaile aboue the other And the other is that the Pleas are turned from Court to Court in an endlesse circular motion as vpon Ixions wheele And this was the reason why I found iust fault with that multitude of Prohibitions For when a poore Minister had with long labour and great expence of charge and time gotten a sentence for his Tithes then comes a Prohibition and turnes him round from Court to Court and so makes his cause immortall and endlesse for by this vncertaintie of Iurisdiction amongst Courts causes are scourged from Court to Court and this makes the fruit of Suits like Tantalus fruite still neere the Suiters lips but can neuer come to taste it And this in deed is a great delay of Iustice and makes causes endlesse Therefore the onely way to auoyd this is for you to keepe your owne bounds and nourish not the people in contempt of other Courts but teach them reuerence to Courts in your publique speaches both in your Benches and in your Circuits so shall you bring them to a reuerence both of GOD and of the King Keepe therefore your owne limits towards the King towards other Courts and towards other Lawes bounding your selues within your owne Law and make not new Law Remember as I said before that you are Iudges to declare and not to make Law For when you make a Decree neuer heard of before you are Law-giuers and not Lawtellers I haue laboured to gather some Articles like an Index expurgatorius of nouelties new