peace with vs perpetually neither as lawfull enemies but admitted a truce or an intermission of warr for a tyme alwaies exceptyng Lorne and Lundie and with a caution to saue their title and right Our awne Recordes and registers approue this howbeit let no man iudge that myne entent is herin to pleade the cause of Englande for that I neither can doo ne professe to doo but onely to geue light to suche as liste to seke that the matter is not so cleare on our side as oure writers would haue it seme and therfore I would that men should weigh the querell indifferently and without affeccioÌ„ and not to leane more on the one side then on the other For the title which I alledge is neither deuised vpon phantasie worne out with age introduced by conquest ne enforced with feâ—â—re or compulsion but grounded vpon truth dooen within memory wrought by consente and agreyng to all iustice equitie lawe pacte and promise not doen in priuate but openly and not by a â—ew but by a multitude vpon a greate deliberacion and that in parliameÌ„t whiche title enduceth no feruitude but fredome libertie concord and quietnesse and serueth aswell for Scotlande as Englande makyng equalitie without supertoritie AT the parliament holden at Edinbrough immediatly after the death of our last kyng wher al the lordes thother states and orders of our realme wer assembled sauing the Erle of Arguyle that appered there by his proctor sir Ihou CaÌ„mell The mariage betwene our Princes and the kynges maiestie of EnglaÌ„d kyng Edward the VI. then beyng prince was fully concluded by aucthoritie of the same Parliament al thassentes of the said states and Orders concurryng therunto The whiche for more faithe testimony of the thyng was also confirmed by writing vnder the greate seale of Scotlande Maie there be any thyng of greater aucthoritie force or euidence any title more righteous then this graunted not by our auncestors but by our selfes and to a prince now liuyng not in tyme oute of mynde but now these so fewe yers freshely paste not rashely or sodainly but by greate and deliberate aduisemeÌ„t and the same not of a fewe but of all the states of the realme asseÌ„bled not at al aduentures but soleÌ„pnely in parameÌ„t a thing no doubt instilled from the almightie and the same our moste merciful god into the mindes of the workers thereof to haue set an end to al the discord of bothe realmes by that vnion and knot of mariage And what madnes or deuill O moste dere couÌ„treimeÌ„ hath so moued or rather distracte our myndes eftsones to take weapoÌ„ in hand and the same against oure promises fidelities honoures and othes hauyng on oure side no good grounde honestie reason ne any iuste respecte but onely of the prouocacion of the deuil the pope and his rable of religious men as thei would seme to be specially those whom we cal our auncient frendes where their are in deede our auncient enemies the Frenchemen And when we shall haue well coÌ„sidered this attonement with Englande compared the same with the league of FrauÌ„ce and well weighed thententes endes of bothe we shall perceiue the the one calleth vs to an euerlasting peace quietnes and the other hath and will kepe vs if wee forsake it not in tyme in coÌ„tinual miserie and warres And that maie we easily iudge in repeting from the beginnyng the causes of the one and of the other The Frenchmen fearyng more and more the power of Englande whiche had so many tymes dooen theim so notable displeasures as not onely to haue wonne of them sundry battailes wherof for briefnes sake I reporte me to the stories but also for that the Englishemen haue as ye knowe these many yeres kepte foote and possession of ground in Fraunce did besides and emoÌ„g many other thynges deuise this one as a chief staye for theim to make vs of their faccion against Englande thinkyng therby at all tymes when either for iust causes Englande should haue to do with theim or thei with Englande wee should set on the backes of the English men or otherwise anoye theim either to force theÌ„ to withdrawe their armie out of Fraunce or els bee constreined for resisteÌ„ce or inuasions to diuide their power and so to be the weaker eueÌ„ as it hath come to passe that the Englishemen haue so been forced to doo when neuerthelesse it hath redounded to no lesse discomfiture of our nacion then of the Frenchemen their principall enemies An euident proife and triall whereof partely because thynges of farther tyme and memorie hauyng been so many and so ofteÌ„ nede not therin in to be narowly sought for and partly because this example beyng freashest in mynd maie if it please God worke moste best effect did right well appere in the first voyage of Kyng Henry the VIII a Prince of mooste worthy famous memorie against Fraunce when we inuaded England to haue hyndered his enterprise and doen there some displeasure if wee had might supposyng to haue founde at home but shepherdes priestes and women At one time we lost the feld and our kyng beyng otherwise a noble Prince and a valeaunte Knight besides an infinite nuÌ„bre of our countreimen few of the Englishe part wantyng kyng Henry at the very self same time wonne the battaill in Fraunce at the iorney of the spurres and besides that woÌ„ne also by plain conquest Turwayn and Turney Now when wee shall haue bothe coÌ„sidered our league with the Frenchemen and all the successes that haue chaunced to vs syns the conclusion of the same we caÌ„not recken how to aduauÌ„t vs of any one thyng wee haue woÌ„ne but of infinite losses misfortunes slaughters spoyles and vtter ruyne come thereby to vs and our countrey vniuersal The honor and profite if any be coÌ„meth onely to the Frenchemen whiche serue theimselfes of vs for their money for thinordinate gain wherof we do alwaies hazard our honoures lifes and countrey and haue lost our frendes naye rather beeyng a membre of the selfe body with Englande haue suffered our self to be diuorced torne froÌ„ the same and haue so far passed our awne reason that we haue in that behalf atteÌ„pted to do hurte to a part of our awnselfes if Gods goodnes towardes Englande had not so prouided that our power could not bee hable to aunswer to our misaduised willes And so farre did we estraunge our selfes that wee could finde in our hartes to become seruile and to bee as coÌ„mon hirelynges to a forrein nacioÌ„ For what other thing do we but serue theim for their money to our awne vtter destruccions to the spillyng of our awne bloud to the burnyng of oure tounes and to the waste and spoyle of our whole natiue countrey And at this do the Frenchmen laugh thei take pleasure sittyng at home in securitie excepte peraduenture thei sende a few of their cast souldiors of whoÌ„ thei make lesse accoumptes or estimacion then of so many shepe or hogges Howbeit
neither came in by conquest ne reigned ouer any people but occupied a wast part of the land not beynge inhabited as in the thirde Chapiter of his Chronicle appereth But how standeth that with reason that Britayne beyng inhabited by the space of vi C. yeres afore their comyng suche a countrey shoulde lie desert and especially vpon the sea costes Whiche liyng open to other landes and sonest sene by theim that saile muste of likelyhode haue inhabiters before the inner parte of the countrey I saie no more but Mendacem oportet esse memorem He that should tell a lye had nede to haue good memory least his matter appere like a Meremaide beginnyng with a woman and ending with a Fishe as when the ende of the tale is repugnauÌ„t to the beginnyng and the middes agreable to neither of bothe And doubteles it is no smal masterie to hide a lie for apparrell hym neuer so faire his ragges will appeare packe him neuer so close the buÌ„dell will breake write hym or speake hym and his aucthor is bewraied as a Ratte is by squekyng And though he bee allowed for a ceason yet at the ende tyme will trie hym whereof ensueth greate preiudice to the author For though he saâ—e afterwardes true none will beleue hym IF I shoulde here entre into declaracion of the righte title wherby the kynges of England claime to be superior lordes of Scotland I should of some be noted rather a confouÌ„der of our liberties and fredomes then a conseruator which name I had late But for somuche as the same is so exactelie set furthe in an Englishe boke put in Printe in the yere of oure Lorde .1542 at the beginninge of these warres called A DECLARATION conteynyng the iust causes and consideracions of this presente warre with the Scottes wherin alsoo appereth the true and right title that the kynges most royall maiestie hath to the souerayntie of Scotlande as nothynge can be sayde more in so fewe woordes I will referre all indifferent readers to the same booke thinkinge it nedelesse to speÌ„de any more time in a matter so well proued Neuerthelesse I will somewhat touche a point or two to geue occasion to all suche my contreymeÌ„ as minde the honor and quiet of Scotlande to conferre my saiynges with our histories and to iudge the matter without affeccion Whereof settinge a parte the order deuised by Brutus at the first concerning the diuision of Brytayne betwene his sonnes with the Superioritie supposed in the eldest and subiectioÌ„ of the other two pretermitting also the conquest of the whoole Islande by Romaines and the title deriued frome the greate Constantine letting passe also the sundry homages and recognicions of subieccion made to Arthur and other kynges of the Britaynes and after him to Osbright and the Saxon Kynges successiuely whiche be at large expressed in the Englishe and Briton histories and affirmed also by Marianus our countryman whose aurthoritie is not light if all these were of no credite as they must nedes be of great howe soeuer we esteme them yet in my iudgemeÌ„t our awn writers wherin they labor most to impugne the cause of England do moste aduaunce it and therfore in thys parte I will grounde me vpon them They agre al vpon .xviii. homages knowledges of subieccion and allegiauÌ„ce made by the kynges of Scotland successiuely vnto the kinges of Englande and many of them within late memorie Which homages though some of them either folowing their phantaseis or fearing to offende our kynges alledge to haue been done somewhiles for Cumberland somewhiles for the Erledome of HuÌ„tingdon Yet the time coÌ„sidered they declare that such actes were doone by oure kynges afore any of the sayde Erledomes were in their possessioÌ„ wherby they must be vnderstande absolutely done for the realme of Scotlande and in that pointe I referre you vnto the readinge of Marianus And of latter dayes synce that those Erledomes were taken from vs by EnglishmeÌ„ emong other kynge Iames the first did homage to kyng HeÌ„ry the fourthe of Englande The woordes and fourme of whose homage who so liste to peruse shall well perceiue the same to haue been made neither for any of those Erledomes neither yet for any other holde but merely for the crowne of Scotlande whiche aswel he as other knowledged to hold of the king of Englande as superior lorde The recordes remaine the seales subscriptions be so many so auncient and so faire as cannot lightelie be counterfaicte But some peradueÌ„ture will say that many of those homages were done by force and compulsion I aunswere thoughe it might be that some of theim were soo done yet all could not be For our Cronicles specifie that those .xviii. kiÌ„ges were in Englande which no maÌ„ can iudge to haue come all thither by force and all those dyd homage there and those homages well nere all appere to haue been made for the croune of Scotlande if we beleue the recordes of Englande And if any saye that they be counterfeited I thinke it soner said then proued And touching the compulsion and force I saye thoughe some of our kynges might be coÌ„ pelled by feare yet howe coulde all be or coulde an whole Parliament be compelled Is it not manifest that when question arose vpon the title of the croune of Scotlande betwene Balliol Brus and Hastynges was it not decided by Edward the fyrst king of Englande as competent iudge in that case But here it is sayde agayn that he was iudge in that case not of righte but by consente of the parties Then loke well to the woordes of the compromisse which nameth him superior lord of Scotland And this was done in Parliamente by consente of the thre estates which of likelyhoode could not be all compelled In which cause I am partely ashamed of the impudeÌ„t vanitie of our writers whiche raile without reason agaynst the iudgemeÌ„t of Edward in that plea as corrupte false This I saie that if the Iudgement were to be geuen agayne neither Mynos Lycurgus nor Salo mon whose iudgementes in histories be so celebrate dyd euer geue a more true a more perfect or a more rightfull sentence either by the ciuile lawes or by the practise and custome of Scotlande or any other reasonable lawe and take the case euen as they propone it But then we haue an other euasion which is to alledge prescripcion because those homages haue not been done within memorie To that I aunswere that thoughe prescripcion serued in that case as it doth not yet the warres made from tyme to tyme counteruaile a possession thereof In whiche pointe lette vs be well aduised what we saye leaste by fleynge the smoke we fall into the fyre For once admittinge hym superiour kynge no prescripcion wil serue agaynst hym The texte is common and no more common then allowed almoste in all lawes Nullum tempus occurrit Regi Time cannot preiudice a Kyng MOREOVER I note this that the Kynges of Englande would neuer make
ingratitude hitherto doth to her vtter moste strēgth power seke with al possible gentlenes to recōcile vs with all her endeuoure continuallye laboureth to make vs partakers of her concorde and vnitie her trāquilite quiet her wealth luckey fortune her cōquestes triūphes finallie of all her incōparable ioyes felicities I shal lastely beseche and exthorte and as farre as the mothers aucthoritie ouer the chylorē may adiure you by God the very aucthor of all peace Loue Charitie cōcorde to returne into the right waie out of the whiche ye haue so long gone a straigh Remēber I besech you o most dere coūtremē how that by this calling of vs into this vnitie proceding plainly frō god him selfe he woulde also vnite ioyne vs in one religiō For howe godly were it that as these two Realmes should grow into one so should thei also agre in the concorde vnite of one religiō the same the pure syncere incorrupt religion of Christ setting a part all fonde supersticions sophisticacions other thousandes of deuilries brought in by the bishop of Rome his creatures wherby to geue glosse to their thīges darknes to Gods true worde for the onely purpose to aduaūce their glory treade Gods word vnder fote to vtter their fylthye merchaūdise to sclāder the precious ware Iewels of the scripture emōges the rest to destroye Gods peace ringe their awne alarmes against his moste glorious victory on the Crosse throu-out the worlde And I wote not whether firme cōcorde be otherwise more sureli mortized in mēs hartes then whē it procedeth of the true knowlege of Gods word which doth in so many passages repete vnto vs peace peace loue loue charitie charitie reproueth warre hatred discord seedes doubtelesse scatered by the deuil through those monsters of men that professe preposterous religion to stirre aswell all others as also most specially you my coūtrymē most of all to this diuisiō roare wherin thei fearinge the worthy fall wherwith God threateneth thē which they now perceiue by others exāples to hāg ouer their heades deuise by hooke by croke to kepe you stil occupied in mistrust of your best frendes casting before your eyes mystes shadowes colors suche as Iuglers vse to doo to th ende lest if you should once se the clearnes of Gods worde you should then encline to that of your selfes and most easly wherunto I do now with so much a do exhorte you I perceyue that the loue to my country and nacion hath made me vnawares to haue wandred furder then at the first I purposed wherfore I wil make an ende if fyrst I shall repete that I haue already proued vnto you that these twoo Realmes were first a Monarchie vnder Brutus and soo lefte by hys order to his sonnes by the superioritie geuē to the eldest which forme of gouernaunce was also vnder Constātyne I haue alsoo proued that these two realmes ought to come vnder that fourme the kinges Maiestie that now is to be Monarch of the same aswel for the superiorite which was in his aūcestors proued by the homages other thinges afore alleged the claim wherof did yet neuer cease as also specially by force of your awn late act of parliamēt wherby he ought of right to mary our Prīcesse thīheritrice of the crown of Scotlāde by occasiō wherof we shal be receiued not into seruitude but īto the same felowship w e Englishmē the names of both subiectes realmes ceassing to be chāged into the name of Britaī Britons as it was first yet stil ought to be And how necessary that same fourme of the gouernaūce of one Monarche or kinge is you se to be more clere then the sonne the same to be a ready easy meane how both tappease al discord which otherwise wil neuer stint also testablish vs in euerlasting peace quiete trāquillite vnto whiche effectes there is verely none other meane And the thing selfe though I should holde my peace doth sufficiētly speake avouche the same to be awaye vnto both Realmes most honorable because not only the Empire shal by the occasion be the more large strōg in it self the King the more puissant famous profitable for that discorde shal ceasse cōcord come in place thereby the people cōmon weale florish prospere godly for the we shal agre all in one the same the true christen religiō IT remaineth now to say vnto you that the right high mightie and excellēt prince Edward duke of Somerset erle of Hertforde Viscount Beauchāp lord Seymour gouernor of the persone of the Kynges Maiestie of Englande protector of all his realmes dominions subiectes his lieuetenasit general of al his armies bothe by lande and by sea Treasorer Erle Marshal of England gouernor of the isles of Gernsey and Iersey knight of the moste noble ordre of the garter A man for his actes and worthinesse well knowen to the world you of whom you haue had late experience to your pernes his dolour for that as the louyng mother in beafyng her childe weepeth so in punishyng you he did it lothely and to his grief because he pitied your case The said lord protector is commyng towardes you with a puissaūt inuincible army hauing on his side God the iust cause and an intēt to receiue to mercy grace fauor so many of you as for that furthering of this mariage his other Godly purposes wil come in to him And cōtrarily to punish correct the rest that shal remain in their stubburn wilful disobediēce Wherfor o coūtrymen cōsidering the on oure part we haue nothing but the wrōg iniust cause violaciō of our promises othes geuē to England with cōceiued words after mature iuste deliberaciō callyng God his angels vnto witnes therof who knoweth our infidelitie will not leaue the iniury doen to hym them vnreuenged For the regard of God for your awn sakes for the tendre respecte of our coūtrey cast wisely doune that armour weapōs that you haue so fondely put on takē in hand submit your selfes hūbly to the mercy clemencie of so noble benigne a Prince who is rather come thither louīgly toembrace receiue you yea as your protector to defēd assist you then to punish you according to your desertes But if you shal despice my coūsail abuse his humanitie good offers how gētle clement soeuer he be of his awn nature thinke you for sure that God who wil not suffre infidelite tescape lōg īchastised wil stirre vp his corage to do vengeāce vpō you for your insolēcie and faith brokē the which I writ not without sorow teares Praiīg God for his pitie goodnesse to geue you his grace better mynde so as you may forsake the errors the now lead you hedlong and maie folow these good holsome coūsailes of your most natural and most tendre louyng countreimā wherby you maie accord as by your promises and dueties ye ought to do to so godly so honorable and so profitable condiciōs as are now gētelly offered you Excussum Londini in aedibus Richardi Graftoni typis Impressoris Anno salutis nostrae 1547.