begin to speake of Queen Elizabeth of England her assisting the rebelled subiects of Holland against the King of Spayne it is not impertinent to the purpose to call to mind whether there were any cause of emnity giuen vnto her by meanes of any wronges or iniuryes offred her by the King of Spayne in former tyme in regard wherof she might now take the oportunity of reuenge This King Philip the second of Spayne hauing beene maryed in England to Queen Mary was neuer known to haue beene disaffected to the Lady Elizabeth for so was she then called but coÌ„trary wise did shew himself to be the greatest freind â—he had in the world which heeâ—e in briefe to declare you must nore that this Lady Eâ—izabeth being then a subiect vnto her sayd sister Queen Mary chaunced to fall into sundry troubles for which she was imprisoned in the Tower of â—onâ—on and retayned in durance at Woodstoâ—k and other places M. Fox the Author of the English Protestant Martyrologe wryting of this Ladies inprisonment declareth not any cause why but because he putteth her in his history of others that suffred for protestant religioÌ„ he intendeth to haue his reader imagine her to haue suffred some persecutioÌ„ also for the same cause whereby he thinketh not a little to honour her But had her troubles beene for Religion indeed Fox would then neuer haue omitted to set down her examinations about the same and her answeres thereunto in defence of some such poinâ—s as are in controuersy betwen Catholiks Protestanâ—s as about the real presence of Christ in the Sacrament or about prayer to Saints or prayer for the Dead or some one or other point as wel as he hath set down the examinations and answeres of so many others to their great glory as he takes it but heer is nothing found Fox in this in silent and leaues his reader to imagine of himself that it was for religioÌ„ For something it was but that it was for religioÌ„ be could not make manifest for that this Lady in al the tyme of the raigne or her sister dayly did heare Masse went vsually to Confession and in all points shewed her selfe a Catholike yea three weekes after she was proclaymed Queene she had Masse in her own Chappell in the Court and permitted it to be sayd in all Churches throughout the whole realme for the space of seauen monethes after which is no signe of being so resolue da Protestant as that she would suffer imprisonment for that religion Her troubles in very deed were for sundry offences against Queene Mary her sister which being found to be such as might perhaps haue cost her her life if they had come vnto publique triall of Iustice the King of Spayne was so greatly her freind that he stayed the proceeding thereof and so not only saued her life but quit her also from the publike blot and stayne of treason and heerin he was so earnest that on a time when she was to haue come to her answere he did so importune Queene Mary his wyfe to let the matter passe in sylence that she sayd vnto him My Lord You speake very earnestly now for her but I pray God she do not one day make you repent it A certaine Spainsh Author wryteth that the King was therevnto also moued vpon some consideration of state for Queen Mary of Scotland being then maryed vnto the french king Francis the second if the Lady Elizabeth had dyed there had in apparence byn great possibility that the Kingdomes of England Scotland and Irâ—land might come to haue beene annexed vnto France the sayd Queene of Scotland being the next heyre in bloud vnto them all Queene Mary of England at last hapning to dy King Philip her husband notwithstanding the caueat giuen him by his late deceased Queen did so coÌ„tinue his good affection vnto the now Queene Elizabeth that being then in the Netherlands he sent ouer vnto her Monsieur de Assonuile to congratulate her aduancement and to signify his gift vnto her of all Queen Maries Iewells which being his owne he might iustly haue detayned vnto himselfe if he would These Iewells she seemed very thankfully to receaue and sayd vnto this Monsieur de Assonuile that she thought her brother the King of Spayne might thinke much in her for change of religion but quoth she there is but little difference betweene his religion and ours almost all that he hath in Latin we haue in English and we do not as others do for we mayntayne a clergy of Bishops and other Prelates so vs we are in effect as before And whereas there was held a treaty of peace between the Spanish French Kings vpon the taking of S. Quintins the king of Spayn would yield vnto no agreement with the French vnlesse it were also conditioned that Callis should be restored backe vnto Queen Elizabeth of England and heerin were his commissioners that treateâ— with the French so earnest that in the end the french to be rid of their importunity were faygne to confesse vnto them that they knew that they tooke more paynes then they were desyred to do for that the English had playnly told them that they had not set them on work in any such busynes which was a signe that they desired not to be beholding vnto the king their maister Of which wheÌ„ the king had knowledg he stood no more vpon the rendring of Callis but concluded his peace with the french without it which as thinges did afterward fall out proued a happy turne to himself These proofes of this Kings good will vnto Queene Elizabeth being thus made manifest to the world who would haue thought that she would not only haue omitted all signes of gratitude but within a litle after become an enemy to such a friend yea and so great and capitall a one as seldome any History can giue witnes of the like Seeing then that no acts of gratitude are to be sought after let vs then see what effectes of emnity ensued insteed thereof First then to begin withall omitting her refusall of the King of Spaynes kind endeauours for getting the French to restore vnto her the Towne of Callis we will returne vnto the duke of Alua his expected prouisioÌ„ of money from Spayne mentioned in the former Chapter This prouision beâ—ng the summe of six hundred thoâ—sand Ducates comming out of Spayne 〈◊〉 the Netherlands in the moneth of Dâ—cember in the yeare 15â—1 was on the West coast of â—ngland seized vpon and aâ—rested by the English By meanes of which wrongfully detayning this money of the King of Spaynes the Dâ—ke of Alua was forced to demaund the tenth pennv of euery mans goods that was of ability for his supply â—ut this demand of his caused chiefly thorough the said English arrest was cause of a far greater detriment vnto the King of Spayne then that wrongfully detaâ—ned money came vnto so as the one great wrong was the cause of another far greater For heereupon
example of the carriage of the chiefe Nobility and of the better and wiser sort towardes the sayd Ambassadour and Nation nor chiefly and aboue all his Maiestyes amity friendship with the King of Spayne and the feare of his indignation and punishment due vnto such barbarous insolencyes CHAP. III. Whether England hath receaued any benefite by defending the quarrell of the Hollanders or whether the Hollanders haue endeauoured to deserue the friendship they haue receaued froÌ„ thence or haue any way shewed themselues gratefull for it TO examine and search out the benefits which England may haue receaued by meanes of the Hollanders I know not whereor which way to begin The Hollanders or their friends may perhaps say that it was a benefit great inough for the English to assist them in reason of state because thereby they kept out warre from their own Country But what an excuse this is when as the English neuer needed to haue feared warre in their own country but for their cause and for taking their partes for it was for their cause that the English seized vpon the six hundred thousand ducates which were sent out of Spayne to the Duke of Alua which was a capital cause of enmity and indeed the only cause that enforced the sayd Duke to demand the tenth penny of the peoples goods whereby the whole common multitude became disposed the sooner to rebellion For the king of Spaynes money was not detayned by the English vpon any couetous desire to haue it for themselues but because the Duke Alua should not haue it to employ against the Hollanders and that it might be transported from England vnto the Hollanders so come to be vsed by them against the sayd Duke to whom it was sent to haue byn imployed against them for their Rebellion But it may be further alleaged in excuse of the Hollanders that they were so gratefull as they offred vnto the Queen of England the Soueraignty of the Netherlandes which benefit she would not accept of and therefore it was not their fault that if she obtayned it not To this may be sayd that the Diuel offred to haue giuen Christ all the kingdoms of the world if he would haue worshipped him and so was more liberall of giuing that which was none of his own then were the Hollanders But the Queen well knowing that by accepting this guift whereunto they had no right she should haue been sure to haue drawn a perpetual warre and the whole charge thereof vpon her shoulders and therefore refused this their liberality yet was she willing notwithstanding to ayde them without this obligation And the reason was because she still retayned a hop to be wholy disburdned or at least much holpen in the bearing this charge by France or Germany or by bringing the Hollanders to the full possession of the whole seuenteen Prouinces wherby they might depend vpon themselues It may also be alleaged that she had the Cautionary Townes of Briel Flushing the other places deliuered into her handes True it is she had so and thereby enioyed the benefit of being at more expence both of men and money Other benefits can I remember none nor can there be any found so will spare the labor to look any further after them yet because ill turnes and domages may more readily be discouered to haue heereby happened to the Queene and state of England I shall set downe what in this kind I haue obserued First then to begin with the afore mentioned Cautionary Townes it appeareth that because the Hollanders would so soone as they could be the freer to set the English at naught hauing by meanes of the Truce with the King of Spayne and the Archduke Albert gotten togeather some spared money they so laboured with their feed freind Sir Raph Winwood a better Hollander then an Englishman that for paltry payment they got their brydle out of the English handes and thereupoÌ„ began straightwayes to shew their gratitude in forbidding the bringing of English dyed and dressed clothes into Holland and their adioyned Prouinces without euer making the king or his Ambassador Ledger at the Hage priuy thereunto Soon after to make amendes for this their saucy and vnmannerly carriage they came to offer the Kings Maiesty himself a more insolent affront For whereas the Duke of Lennox as Admirall of Scotland by order from the King had sent one M. Brown in the yeare 1616. to demaund of the said Hollanders then fishing vpon the coast of Scotland a certayne ancient duty called Size herring with much a do they payd it as in former tymes it was accustomed but yet withsome speaches that it was the last tyme that it should be payed The same M. Browne coÌ„ming the yeare following with the same authority and commaundement with one ship of the Kinges only to demaund the duty afoâ—esayd and with order that if it were denyed he should take witnes of the refusal in writing and so peaceably depart being come aboard one of their ships and demanding the aforesayd duty he was by the Maister therof denyed it who told him playnly that he was commaunded by the States of Holland not to pay it vnto the King any more of which he tooke witnes according to his order from his Maiesty Whyles this was a doing there comes aboard that ship the Maister of of another ship of Holland demaunding of M. Brown his name he replyed that his name was Browne Why then quoth he if you be the man I haue order to arrest you and to carry you into Holland whereof M. Brown gaue notice to the Maister of the Kings ship requyring him to aduertise his Maiesty of this insolency and so M. Brown was arested and carryed away prisoner into Holland About this tyme as I also haue heard it credibly reported one M. Archibald Rantkin a Scottish gentleman residing at Stockholme in Sweden there soliciting for the payment of certayne money due vnto some LondoÌ„ MerchaÌ„ts one Van dyke lying there also as Agent for the States of Holland sayd vnto some principal persons of the Swedians that they needed not be to hasty in paying the king of Englands subiects any money or to giue them any respect for that the sayd Kinges promises were not to be belieued nor his threates to be feared For which villanous and insolent speaches being afterward challenged by Rantkin he had no better excuse then to say he was drunke when he spake them for deny them he could not and so his excuse of playing the beast excused him for playing the man But now from these insolent affronts and speaches let vs come to deeds and see how they haue vsed our English Nation in the North seas on the coast of Groonland those partes about the trayn-oyle fishing where they haue offred them sundry abuses by giuing them blowes chasing them away and doing vnto them diuers othâ—â— detriments not admitting to vnderstand that the sea fishing is free for euery man
where it is not vpon the coast of any Countrey vnto which the benefit belongeth by ancient prerogatiue And yet is all this but little in regard of their vsage of our Nation in the East Indyes wher they haue as fiercely set vpon them with open hostility as if before their meeting there they had of long continuance beene mortall enemyes hauing slaine many of our men and sunke sundry of our shipps And when moreouer they haue taken some of our men prisoners they haue vsed them in the sight of the Indians in such contemptible and disdainefull manner as if at home in their owne Countryes the English in respect of them were but an abiect and a slauish Nation and that the Hollanders were either their Superiours might vse them at their pleasure or the English so base and vnpowerfull as they durst not be reuenged but quietly put vp any iniury at their handes And indeed the Indians might in reason coniecture that the Hollanders would neuer haue dared so to domineer ouer the English abroad if they had not had the maistery of them at home after which accounpt reckoning such actions abroad are wont to be looked into What thinke you now of our English Prouerbe Haue we not brauely set beggers on horsbacke Nay haue not Englishmen the premises considered great reason to loue the Hollanders and to hate Spaniards Yea and to hate Spaniards only for the loue of such courteous gratefull Hollanders And as for the commodious trade which the English haue had in Muscouy for more then threescore and ten years and which the Hollanders haue now quite gotten from theâ—â— and spoyled what shall I say Seeing they are about to make recompence for the same by doing the like with our English Merchants in Turky And it is a thing so naturall notorious for them to spoile the trade of other Nations that when they cannot find occasion to do it they will not sticke to spoile one another so great is their auaricious and insatiable desire of gayne and yet all this proceedeth but out of a certain couetous wretchednes for let any of them arriue to what riches he will he knoweth not how to be Noble or Generous CHAP. IIII. Whether England can expect any benefite by continuing to take the Hollanders parts and whether the Hollanders doe deserue the same by wishing or desiring the continuance of the State and Gouernement of England as now it standeth THE end and scope whereunto the rebellious wars of the Hollanders haue tended hath beene to bring themselues into as free and quâ—et a State as is the Republique of the Switzers which they might haue easily done by the help they haue had from England France if the King of Spayne had wanted the meanes or the will to haue continued warre against them But admit they had arriued vnto this their designe and had freely and quietly gotten the full possession of all the seauenteene Netherland Prouinces is it not like that they would then haue gotten into their clawes the Duchyes of Cleue Iuliers with the other parts theron dependant seeing they haue already gotten fotting therin And hauing once incorporated these is it like that they would haue suffered the Countrey of Liege to haue remained in quiet vnder the Rule of a Bishop When as the colour of reformation of Religion had also beene sufficient for the taking away of the Countrey from the true owner Or may a man thinke that they would stand vpon titles of right who hold not the least place they possesse by any right at all Or that they would make a conscience to detayne from their Neighbour when they make none to detayne from their true Lord and Maister Surely there is no reason to think other wayes and yet if any man should let him but looke into their attempt vpon Huys also vpon Liege the principall Citty of that Countrey not long since put in practise Put the case then that they had arriued vnto their desired greatnes that is to say to haue gotten the whole seauenteene Netherland Prouinces with the Duchyes of Cleue and Iuliers the rest thereunto dependant as also the Countrey of Liege how would they theÌ„ haue borne themselues towards England and France How had they then beene able to haue giuen law to both these kingdomes to the one by land from the Countrey of Liege coÌ„fining vpon it and to the other by sea by being able to ouertop it in shipping what doubt may be made heereof considering what a correspondent party they would haue found in France by their most confident friends the Huguenots and in England by no lesse friendes the Puritans Who cannot now discerne that the King of Spayne by continuance of war against the Hollanders hath highly benefited both England and France and that England and France by assisting the Hollanders against the King of Spayne haue laboured to their owne cost What policy might it then haue proued for England and France if the Hollanders had by their help preuayled against the King of Spayne when they should therby haue prepared an irremediable scourge for themselues Let it then be truely considered whether it had not been greater policy more honorable more profitable for both those Nations and more for the tranquility of Christendome that they had suffred the King of Spayne to haue brought these his rebellious subiects to obedience and so to haue gouerned them in peace to the end he might haue imployed so many millions as he hath beene forced to spend in the NetherlaÌ„d warres against the Turke And that so he would haue done if he might heere haue inioyed rest and quiet who can doubt Seeing notwithstanding these his long wars and all other wars therby occasioned both by sea and land he hath to his euerlasting prayse and honour neuer made either peace or Truce with that capitall enemy of Christendome And if those forsayd many millions might haue bin imploâ—ed against this common enemy who can make doubt but he might thereby not only haue beene driuen out of Europe but that Hierusalem and all Palestine might haue beene recouered England as hath beene sayd in the precedent Chapter hath already receaued proofe of the ingratitude of her costly Holland friends and France no lesse by hauing not long since discouered them to be more ready to take their partes that were in armes against the now regnant King then the Kinges part against them And if they had been so wary as to haue dissembled som what longer their ingratitude insolencyes towards England and France yet their audacious brauing of the King of Denmark notwithstanding they must passe with all their corne from Danske throgh his Sownd were inough to haue discouered their proud contempt of the maiesty of Kinges and what Neighbours they would haue proued to England France when they should haue arriued to their expected freedome of an absolute Republike Let it then be considered whether England or France could
euer feare to be so much endomaged by Spayne as by them or that Spayne could haue so ready meanes to endomage theÌ„ as the Hollanders or could haue correspondence in either Countrey with two such turbulent factions Thus may England as well by example of the Hollanders ingratitude to France as by the deere purchased experience in it selfe cleerely behould what apparence there may be of expectation of any least benefite by their meanes since none can be found none be looked for albeit they were sought after with the lanterne of Diogenes If therefore no benefits can appeare either past or to be expected let vs then see what good fortune hath otherwise betyded such as haue beene the gretest actors in this rebellious busines whereby it may appeare to the World how their endeauours haue beene pleasing to God The first man that began the surprize and open rebellion of Townes in Holland was the aforenamed Monsieur de Lymmay This man amongst other presents which were giuen him when he was in England one was a very faire great mastiffe Dog which he much esteemed and on a tyme playing with him he bitte him so soare in the arme that he could by no meanes be cured but in the end dyed thereof starcke mad and raging in the Towne of Liege And thus came he to his death by being bitten of a Dog that had beene a wolfe vnto many Ecclesiasticall persons whose bloud without all forme of lustice or any offence by them committed he had caused to be shed aswell in the Towne of Briel which he surpryzed as in other places The next great Actor in this ill busynes was the Duke of Alancon also before mentioned This Duke after he had in the Citty of Antwerp beene inuested in the Duchy of Brabant as absolute Soueraigne fynding not withstanding that he was to be limitted gouerned by such as he accompted his subiects seeking thereupon to make his authority more absolute drew certayne troopes of his souldiers into the Town to haue surpryzed it himself being with his whole army hard without who through the resistance of the Townesmen were all put to the sword Whereupon he with his whole army the Artillery from the walles of the Towne playing vpon him was forced to retyre thence in extreme disgrace and melancholy as a defeated enemy and in the end to returne into France where considering the tricks that had by n put vpon him in England and what disgrace he had therby receaued in Flanders on the 10. day of Iune in the yeare 1584. he dyed of conceaued griefe in the town of Chasteaâ— Theiry and so lost his faire possibility of wearing the crown of France vnto which he was the apparent Heyre The next and chiefest styrrer in this busynes was William of Nassaw Prince of OraÌ„ge who because he was the Arch-rebell or principall Actor in this great rebellion of all other I hold it not vnfit before I come to speak of his death briefly to run ouer the thinges of most note in his life This Prince as in the first Chapter hath byn sayd retyred himself into Germany so soone as he heard of the Dukâ— of Alua his aryuall in the Netherlandes and albeit he came afterwards backe agayne to push forward his begun rebellion yet was he fayne to fly the second tyme into Germany from whence when he heard that the Town of Briel and one or two more were openly rebelled he came secretly backe into Holland and being in very poore and bare estate he took vp his lodging in the Town of Tergow in the howse of one Kegeling an Apothecary keeping himselfe very secret because this town as yet held for the king of Spayn as also did all the other Townes of the Country except two or three But the Duke of Alua his demaunding the tenth penny aforesayd hauing bred a generall disgust and auersion in the myndes of the people certayne scouts of rebellion were secretly imployed abroad in the Country to sound the people about their forwardnes to reuolt Which being done answere was returned that they were found to be theâ—unto ready inough so they might haue a head but who this head should be that knew they not The Prince of Orange heerupoÌ„ in whose behalfe these scouts had beene imployed called a consultation of some fyue or six irreligicus Politikes for such best fitted to be his counsellours to consider what religion he were best to be of for of all the religions now currant he could not be and not declaring himself to be of one all might hold him to be of none For he had so caryed himself vntil this day that the Catholikes held him affected to them The Lutherans to them The Anabaptists to them And the Caluinists also to them The Catholikes tooke him for their freind because they thought him not to hate their religion but indifferently well to affect it in regard that he had beene brought vp in it long professed it and had made as yet no open opposition or profession against it and for that he protested to vndergo this busynes for the mayntayning of their rightes and priuiledges and to free the Countrey from that terrible exaction of the tenth penny aforesayd The Lutherans tooke him for their frend because they held him in hart to be of their religion since he had maryed the daughter of the Duke of Saxony who was now a Lutheran in publique profession and that he must in reason keep good correspondence with the Lutherans of Germany in hope of hauing ayde from them The Anabaptists tooke him as greatly to fauor their religion because his Chamberlayne being the chiefest man about him was an Anabaptist called of his fellow Anabaptists by the name of Mardochaeus by whose meanes this Prince became greatly beholding vnto them for the loane of sundry good summes of money which he had receaued of them The Caluinists thought him assuredly their friend because he was an enemy vnto Spayne Spaniards and because he could not but see them more forward in action of Rebellion then any of the others seeing Briel and other Townes were already surpryzed by those of their Nation and Religion The aforesayd Counselours considering that this indifferent carriage of the Prince could but argue a dispersed affection might breed many iealousies and factions and wherby he could not procure to himselfe the assured affection of any one syde to sticke fast vnto him their resolution must now be taken without longer delay of which of these he would declare himself absotely to be albeit he might promise fauour and protection to the rest There was no great need of learned Deuins to dispute the matter Scriptures and ancient Fathers were not important to be looked after Faith and Conscience had heerin no clayme and Reason of State did put the Holy Ghost to silence It was therfore first debated whether it were best most for this Prince his aduantage to declare himselfe a Catholike because the face of the State