villanies wil be freelie in euerie corner committed Oh therfore but once to think that this land is like to come to these woful calamities will teare anie godlie pitifull or natural English hart in peeces Beholde therefore most gracious Ladie your Nobles Commons yea euen all your people men weomen and children lye prostrate now before your feete most lamentably humblie beseeching you to saue them and to preserue them from these heapes of confusions and chaos of miseries and most instantlie with bitter teares beg at your handes that you leaue them not who are now most readie to lay downe their liues for you in this lamentable miserable case to lose their liues with all that they haue and all at the beck and pleasure of euerie furious peasant Remember that Moses tooke the people without a certaine knowne head and governour as sheepe without a sheep-herd and that your most noble father fore-saw that no better then the fore-rehearsed calamities would be the state of this land if hee had died before hee had made his heire knowne yea that hee imputed all the miseries that this land had abode through the contention betwixt the two houses of Yorke and Lancaster to this to wit that the order right of successiō had not bene in former time carefullie enough looked vnto made publikely knowne And so you may perceiue that herein we doe not forecast more perils then these wise and graue persons haue done in the like case Yet for further That calamities doth befal any nation where the Prince dieth without a knowne successor proued by the example of the Israelites The booke of Iudges ground of this our fore-casting of perils the whol book of the Iudges of Israel serueth most fitlie for through that book we see how that when soeuer they were left without a knowne gouernour as in those times they were often they fell into extream miseries were straight brought into slauerie vnder the hands of their enemies the Cananites the Moabites the Midianites the Amalekites Philistins in which state sometimes they continued 18. yeeres sometimes 40. yeeres sometimes more sometimes lesse Wee reade also that Alexander the great when hee Of Alexanders empire Arrianus Q. Curtius had made himself the greatest Emperor in the world yet dying not determining of his successor before hee died but leaving his noble Empire to them that could catche it and hold it that therevpon immediatly after his death there grew most hote fierce bloodie warres amongst his noble Dukes Captaines and so in the end his kingdome or Empire was rent and torne into as manie severall kingdomes as he had noble Dukes able to take them and keep them Wee Of Scotland after Alex. 3. read also in the Scottish Chronicles of Alexander the third king there who lived in the time of Edward the first King of England that hee dying leauing his heire and successor vnknowne it came to passe that vppon his death his kingdome was torne into two parts the one part following one Bayllioll studied to make him King and the other fauoring one Brussius sought to advance him But in the meane time whiles thus the title was in debating it appeareth in the storie that the whole kingdome was brought to extreame desolation But what need we in this case to peruse forrain stories O that your Maiestie would but remember And of England after Lucius and Gorbodug the miserable state of this land after King Lucius and after the death of King Gorbodug and his two sonnes Ferrex and Porrex for you shall in those hystories finde that the root and fountaine of all those lamentable miseries of 15. and 50. yeares civill dissension grewe of this that then the land was left without a certain known successor Yea infinite be the stories in all Chronicles that lay forth most doleful sequels alwaies of this And sure wee are such is your Maiesties wisdom that you must needs fore-see that if you should so leaue vs it wer neuer more likely that thervpō would follow the extreamest miseries that euer befell kingdome Wherfore once again most mercifull Lady cast your pitifull merciful eies vpon your noble Realme all your subiectes who with stretched out hands cry vnto you to shewe mercie vnto them in this point in delaying no longer to the hazard of the spilling of all their bloode and losing all their good to make knowne vnto them who of right is to succeede you O sweete Ladie let this long longed for and looked for most necessary drop of mercie drippe nowe at last downe from you to the chearing and comforting of all your true English subiects and so shal you establish your throne in mercie and purchase vnto your self the moste glorious title of a most mercifull Queene to the comfort of your owne conscience both before God and man and to your perpetuall good name and fame with all posteritie The 9. argument is from the safety honor and profit which will ensue the establishing of a successor both to her maiesty and to her subiectes But to prouoke you the more easilie to yeeld to shew this especial point of mercy cōsider yet further that so to do is not onlie verie necessarie both for you vs in respect of both our safeties and also that it is not onlie profitable to vs but also euen very profitable and honorable to you both in respect of God man That it is verie necessarie and profitable for vs the contemplation of the good that wee shall reape and quyetlie enioye by it and the viewe of the euill that directlie shall therby be turned from vs maketh it most euident And that it is necessary for you also yea profitable honourable as we haue said diuersly it may appeare for first it cannot be denyed that amongst all the meanes that otherwise Princes haue amongst men in this world to make them selues strong by and to sit safe in their throne this is a principall one That they alienate not the hearts of their subiectes from them by their vnkinde and mercielesse dealing towardes them For howe stronglie soever Salomon left his sonne Rehoboam established in his kingdome yet hee by listning rather to the counsell of young greene heades about him then Princes that woulde establishe their thrones must deale kindlie with their subiectes plant in their hearts lone and affection 1. King 1◠to the advise of the graue and auncient and so by his vnkinde and hard answere to his subiects alienating the heartes of them grew so weak that a mean man a servant of his Ieroboam by name rose vp against him and ten Tribes of twelue farre the greater part of his kingdom revolted from him did cleaue to Ieroboam and neither hee nor anie of his successors could euer recouer them againe And on the otherside there is no one thing in the foresaid respect more necessarie profitable and honorable to anie King Queene or Emperour
present Prince whose successor is made knowne by him and is also advanced to that cleere hope by him is to feare anie such perill from the successor In which case wee haue shewed in our reasons before that hardlie in anie storie anie such example can be found Yet seeing these examples are alleadged it shall not be amisse some-what to consider of them Edward the third was but 15. yeres Edward 2. deposed by his sonne Ed. 3. and how olde when his father was deposed and therefore not likelie to bee contriver of his fathers deposing Nay who so readeth Grafton pag 213. 214. 215. the storie he shall finde that he was deposed by his Nobilitie and commons as one in their iudgement not worthie to be a king Their reason was for that he was altogether ruled by the lewde counsell of the two Spensers Robert Baldock Pierce of Gauestone and other ill counsellours whereby he vainelie consumed the treasure of the land and overthrewe King â—ich 2â— deposed by Hen â—â— why Grafton pag. 401. the nobilitie and state And king Richard the sec was deposed not by one whome he had made his knowne successor but by Henry the fourth no successor to him by right but an vsurper and that for his great misgovernment as it doth appeare in the storie by 28. articles obiected against him at his deposing wherein his nobility and commons shewed that they liked rather to haue an vsurper to raigne over theÌ„ that would preserue the crowne them then a rightfull king that would perill the crowne and state also So Henrie Hen. 6. deposed by Ed. 4. the sixt was deposed by Edwarde the fourth who had a present right to the crowne and was neither heire apparant nor knowne successor vnto him but he was deposed for the causes for the which God is often angrie with princes namelie as witnesseth the storie for being to much advised by the wicked counsell of William de la Poole Duke of Suffolke by whose meanes as the historie saieth the good Duke of Glocester the kings vncle was put to death and the countries that the crown of England did then possesse in France were delivered and loste hee beeing the swallower vp of the kings treasure wherby the warres were not maintained and the expeller from the King of all good and vertuous counsellours and the bringer in and the advancer of vitious persons common enemies apparant adversaries to the publike weale Heere be manie hard points discovered in a counsellour the which a Wise Princes will look narrowlie into the affections of their counsellers wise Prince will narrowlie looke into least anie of his be infected with anie of these faults His wife also and others did likewise so over-rule him so that the state was by his evill governement greatlie troubled vexed and the nobility much perilled Nowe King Edwarde the fift was murdered being but a childe by his Ed 3. murthered by Rich. 3. wicked and trayterous vncle Richard the third who was neither his heire nor successor by right So that these examples rather proue that there is perill to the present governor from secret ambitious and vnknowne competitors than from known successors for three of these were neyther heyres nor successors by right to them whome they deposed and the fourth had the Crowne throwne in his lappe both vnlooked and vnwished for And in deede and truth princes are in far more danger succession not beeing established then when it is setled The reason is forcible for the neglect thereof produceth the disfavour of God and his subiects whereof we haue a good example of David who before he did establish the succession in Salomon was in farre more danger then afterwards for before first Absolon then Adoniiah were vp in armes for the crown but Salomon once setled in the title of succession we reade of no more such dangerous attemptes in his time And certaine it is that your Maiestie hath beene in much more danger hitherto the title to succeed you beeing vndetermined then you can be by anie likelyhoode when soever it shall be declared who hath the right of succession And so by this that is said alreadie it sufficientlie appeareth that the perilles by having a known successor are rather shadowes of perilles then perilles in deede whereas by concealing of the succession and not declaring where it resteth your Maiestie knoweth a successor how weaklie soever supposed yet mightilie supported both by domesticall traitours and forrayne enemies hath bred you manie evident and dangerous perilles The Lord be blessed who hath delivered you out of their snares pits and hath intrapped themselues therin But you haue no cause yet to thinke moste gratious Ladie but that the popish faction which other malcontents having nowe lost the staffe of their hope but that they ere this haue The Queene of Scots busied themselues to finde another for you may assure your selfe the more silent you are to make knowne your successor the glader are they for they thinke they may thereby the more boldlie set vp one to themselues in their owne conceites wherein when their devises and plots are come to anie ripenesse former experience hath taught you what to looke for from them or at their hands God preserue you alwaies from them and their treacheries and giue you grace ever to beware of them and never to trust them Againe what daunger is there that you can suppose to be likelie to arise by making known your successor that evidentlie ariseth not of keeping him vnknown for it is to bee thought that where the best right is it is well knowne to him that hath it Then the more the right of his title be sought to bee suppressed and concealed the more it is likelie it will stirre the coales of wrath in his heart and the sooner it will cause him to put forth himselfe least he should by silence misse of that which he accounted his right And will not the concealing therof cause manie to flatter themselues that they haue a title and so danger may spring vnto your Maiestie from manie fountaines and froÌ„ some perhaps that are not thought of And all reason perswadeth that there is lesse daunger to be feared from him that hath right to succeede especiallie being bound vnto your maiestie for publishing and manifesting of his right then by one that is grieved offended with your maiestie for hiding and suffering his title to lie hid And every one seeth that the danger that ariseth from one him known is easilier prevented then that which ariseth from manie some of them also vnknowne It were questionlesse therefore everie way the safest way for your maiestie to binde him that hath the best right to succeed to you to all loue and thankfulnes towards you and consequently by that kinde meanes from seeking to endanger you anie way but especiallie by your kind cleering declaring his right and then also to put out of hope all others
protest before the Almightythe searcher of al harts that true and heartie loue first towards God and his true Religion secondlie a loyall and dutifull affection towardes your highnes person preseruation lastly a minde by all lawfull meanes vnfainedly wishing the good peace prosperity of this our natiue country of England and no other respectes whatsoeuer haue moved and stirred vs vp first to deuise and write and nowe to offer and deliuer vnto your Maiestie this short discourse following Whereby though it might be feared we shall incurre your graces displeasure are not ignorant that the anger of a Prince is as the roaring of a Lyon and euen the messenger of death because it is so said in the Scripture yet notwithstanding the former respects haue so preuailed with vs that wee durst not but aduenture thus far forthough the matter which herein wee labour to perswade you vnto be such that by great likely-hood it wil at the first prouoke you to wrath and kindle your displeasure towards vs yet wee nothing doubt but that we shall make it appeare to bee a thing moste necessarie profitable and honorable for your highnesse The knowledge of the second person necessarie before God and man to yeeld vnto both before God and man and the most safe meane for your Maiesties present preseruation also We therefore presume and therewith wee haue encouraged ourselues that such is your graces wisdome and gratious disposition that in the end this our enterprise both will be well taken and fauorablie construed For our consciences beares vs witnesse before God that we aime at nothing else herein but his glory your safety The writers purpose most allowable the good of the Church and profite of this noble Realm according to which our meaning we humblie craue that all that we haue written may be expounded For as loath are we needlesly and wilfullie to offend your Maiestie as any poore subiects you haue But yet you knowe such is or ought to be the faithfull loue of euerie true hearted Christian subiect towards his soueraigne that feare to offend A true subiect regardeâ—â— the saiftie of his Prince more then the feare of his vnâ—ust cause him may not stay vs from performing of a necessarie profitable and honorable seruice vnto God our Prince countrie Wee beeing therefore perswaded and fullie resolued that euen such is this present now tendred seruice of ours we hope we shall not be blamed of you Meere regard of consciâ—nce to God glorie and the good of the Prince hath eâ—â—â—â—ced â—he Author â—o hiâ— dâ—â—course sithence a desire to shewe our selues true louing and faithfull subiectes to God and to your Maiestie hath ouerweighed with vs all humaine feare Wherfore we in the behalfe of all your true and faithfull subiects do lye euen prostrate before your Graces feete most humblie and heartilie beseeching your Maiestie to peruse these fewe leaues following and as the matter therin handled is waightie so to consider accordingly what we your faithfull and loyall subiects haue therein vttered vnto you In perusing whereof this we woulde wishe to be still in your Maiesties minde that if we a fewe of the insufficientest of many thousands of your subiects haue saide thus much that then very much more it is that can and may be saide to this end The Lord of heauen earth who hath the harts of al Princes in his hand to rule them as it pleaseth him so direct in his fauour your Royall heart herein that you may reade willinglie marke attentiuelie and performe spedilie and effectuallie the wholsome counsell ministred therein vnto you THe thinge most Gratious Soveraigne which wee and all true English hearts haue long wished which now wee would most gladlie perswade The aime and drift of this book and the method thereof your highnes vnto is this That it would please your Grace with all convenient speede in Parliament to cause all titles and claimes to the Crowne of England after your Maiesties decease throughlie to be tried examined And then forthwith by sufficient authoritie thereof to declare and make knowne to your subiects in whom the right to succeede you resteth Concerning which point as this discourse is like to want all kinde of eloquence so also it will want all order and methode First we will set downe the reasons and arguments which as we conceiue ought to moue your Highnes to yeelde heerevnto which done wee will confute all the obiections of anie force which wee can imagine haue beene or can be made to staye you from yeelding herevnto First we presume that you will easilie yeelde that it is your duetie to doe that The first argument Princes ought to obey God which God by his written word hath enioyned all Christian Princes to doe and that therein the setling of the Imperiall Crowne is enioyned to all such Princes as a most necessarie dutie plentifully and diuerslie it appeareth For first therin it is an vsuall thinge with the holy Ghost to cal you Princes Gods nursing Fathers Psal 82. Esay 46. 23. and nursing mothers vnto his Church What Princes are to learne in that they are called Gods and nurses by the holy Ghost Which names and titles as they proue the honorablenesse and lawfulnesse of your high callings against all Anabaptisticall spirites so they are giuen you to teache you your duties and what you ought to bee towardes the people committed vnto your charge Namely that your dutie towards them is to be as gods and naturall fathers and mothers for the resemblance that is betwixt the office of God towards man his creature and parents towardes their Children is the ground certaine cause why these high names are communicated and giuen vnto you by the spirit of God Now who is so simple but he knoweth and wil confesse that God not onlie careth and prouideth for his people for the present time or some certaine season onlie but also for al times seasons And it is most euident that nature hath taught parents to think that they do not their duties vnlesse they prouyde not onlie what they may for the good of their children whylest they them-selues liue but also for their wealth and prosperity to the vttermoste of their powers after their death Wherefore if your Maiestie would bee iustlie honoured with these high and regarde-full titles and haue right indeed vnto them then you see that it is not enough for the tyme present while you your self liue to prouide for the safetie and welfare of your subiectes what you may but also that you are bound to doe what lyeth in you for their peace safetie wealth and prosperitie after you bee gone And how can this be by anie meanes The conclusion of the first argument ioyned with an exhortation more conueniently then by yeelding to this motion yea if this be not yeelded vnto you beeing of that rare wisdom fore-sight that you are you
deserue so odious a name receiving the crowne no otherwise then at the hand of the parliament To shut vp this second reason vnles the right of succession were a thing impregnable by any Parliament by what reason or with what face could the Duke of Yorke or Edward the fourth so boldly confidentlie haue claimed the crown in the verie Parliament it selfe Or howe coulde the Realme of England haue adiudged it to them which by so many parliaments going before had bene confirmed to three severall Kings of the house of Lancaster My last reason which I pray God everie man whome it doeth concerne may take to heart and chieflie they who are set at the helme is brought from the lamentable and bloodie fruites which wee haue reaped by such bastard succession established by Parliaments These dolefull remembrances should now make vs wise least in the end we be taught by the mistresse of fooles Of al these that since the daies of the Conquerour haue wrongfullie attained to the crowne and haue had it confirmed by voice of Parliament who is almoste hee or shee that hath not beene forced to leaue it with an expiation of blood I doe heere referre mee to our Chronicles to the vsurpers their adhaerents and complices and to a migh tie number also of the guiltlesse and better side Yea who doth not know that this manner of wrongfull intrusion into the higher powers and places hath often times procured rightfull Kings vpon ielousie and suspicion to cut away such of their own blood as they did feare would take advantage of the like courses To conclude these my reasons concerning the limited power of the Parliaments I beseech God that they may rather seeke to maintaine their honorable power by dooing that which is conscionable and right then to bolster out wrong by the strength of their power seing there is no wisdome nor counsell nor any strength of man that can prevaile against him who doth over-rule all things by his omnipotent power It followeth next to examine the reasons for which some English-man may be thought fitter to be advanced to the government of the realme notwithstanding Inconvenience objected by Dolman in admitting the King of Scots to succeede refuted it be yeelded that the king of Scots hath the true right The first is this there be manie English competitors who will not indure a stranger to be preferred before them for that they shall never bee free from his ielousie which cannot bee without the hazarde of their liues the trouble of the realme and that to fortify himself against them he shall needes be constrained to bring in forraine forces To these points I do answere first that he is no stranger as is alreadie proved and if his right bee from God all the competitors though they were a thousand more then they are stand bound to receiue him vnlesse wilfullie against their conscience they wil seeme to become adversaries both to God and man Secondlie what if he do answere that hee will haue them to indure him to guide and to rule them and that he will be more vnwilling to for goe his right at their vniust opposition then they will to yeeld it to him at his iust demand Thirdly the more competitors they bee for them it is so much the worse for a kingdom devided against it selfe cannot long stand so as this obiection maketh more against themselves our Realme then against the Scottishe King for whosoever get the victorie wee are still overthrowne and this is the onlie meanes that will weaken them all Fourthlie if anie of them should wrongfullie attaine to it is it like that he would trust the rest of the Competitors or their familiars Nay as Salomon saith a guiltie conscience doth feare where there is no cause much more would he I trowe that should come by it wrongfullie be afrighted trubled dayly to behold such eie-sores who wer set for his kingdom life The regarde of their country kinred or acquaintance woulde but little perswade him or them to trust the one to the other for according to the old proverbe a crowne will know no kinred And it is probable that the rest of the competitors if they must needs go without it will forgoe it sooner to him that hath the right then to anie man else especiallie he beeing a king and of such favour force and affinity with our neighbour Princes But most of all for that they may well thinke if they do not cleaue to him yet there be manie others of their countrie that will Fiftlie I confesse there be more that are called Competitours then I wishe there were but I stand fullie assured that none but one can haue the true right therefore who soever hath it not if he can see it and be wise will follow him that hath it that he may satisfy his consciēce when his cause is good and prevent the ielousie and overthrow which now he doeth or hereafter may feare when the true successor shall come by his right Sixtlie though the competitours bee manie yet they are nothinge such as within these few yeeres they haue beene yea they and their favourers of whome there was manie valiant and wise are so removed by the will of God and taken out of his way as it may seeme that there is a mightie providence of God strongly working for him to defend him in his right Seventhlie the way for the Competitours to bee freed from ielousie is to preserue the publike peace of the countrie as is pretended and to avoid escape the forces and tirannie of strangers is not to refuse him his right but rather chearefullie before all others to further him to it for if they who should be his own do wrongfullie resist him who can iustlie blame him if he take the aide of strangers and if by such meanes the peace of the realm should be disturbed the cause of it is not in him that askes nothinge else but his owne but in them who against all equitie refuse to giue him the same Woulde to God we could weigh and consider this in reason that they are most worthie to dwell still in trouble who wittinglie and willinglie are readie to procure it Lastly seeing the troublers of their own houses shall inherite the winde the competitors if they haue a minde to enioy their livinges liberties and liues are rather to seeke instantlie that by a lawfull Parliament the title may be tryed given to whom of right it doeth belong for the throne is not established by iniquitie but hee shall best brooke it who shoulde haue it by right By this meanes the competitors shall be secured the seate of the Prince more fortified by his good title beeing acknowledged and confirmed in Parliament then ever it could bee by anie forraine forces all parties shall bee pleased and both these noble realmes which doe at this present enioy the light of the gospell shall be satisfied and setled in peace and