Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	french_a	great_a	king_n	16,597	5	4.3459	3	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89083	The fidelity, obedience, and valour of the English-nation, declared, by way of pacification of His Majesty, and desire of a re-union between His Majesty and the Parliament. As also, that the present forces now ready to bicker here in England may be turn'd to revenge the losse of the Protestants blood in Ireland, shed by those babarous Irish rebels. / Written by Walter Meredith. Gent.	Meredith, Walter.	1642 (1642)	Wing M1785; Thomason E109_8; ESTC R7077	6,387	15

THE Fidelity Obedience and Valour Of the ENGLISH-NATION DECLARED By way of Pacification of His Majesty and desire of a re-union between His Majesty and the Parliament As also That the present Forces now ready to bicker here in England may be turn'd to revenge the losse of the Protestants blood in Ireland shed by those barbarous Irish Rebels Written by Walter Meredith Gent. LONDON Printed by E. Griffin 1642. The Fidelity Obedience and Valour of the English NATION I Drew my breath first in the happy raigne of that most famous and unparaleld Queen Elizabeth between whom and her people there was so sweet a harmony of Concord above foure and forty yeers together as well by the peoples obedience to Her in admitting of Her just Prerogatives and she again not trampling on their Liberties and Priviledges that the whole World admired at their unity Out of that heavenly unity the English Nation who were naturally valiant and active and indeed her times produced great and Noble Actions were kept from sloth and idlenesse for what with her Majesties assisting the French King in his Civill warre her releeving the States of Holland against Spaines tyranny Her wrastling in Ireland to civilize and suppresse those notorious and barbarous Rebels and the many voyages made out of this Kingdome to unknowne parts of the world the English were so imployed and so well they managed their imployment that they brought home to their Prince Glory and Honour and to themselves Renown and Riches It pleased God I lived to see the period of Her Raigne after whose death some great change because it was not vulgarly known who should be her Successor was much feared and expected But see the mercy of God a bright Starre from the North appeared that enlghtned this Kingdome and dried up the Teares of sorrow which were shed for Her losse and filled our hearts with joy by sending us a King for a Queen nay a King of the Protestant Religion a Salomon for Wisedome King James the blessed father of our now Royall Soveraigne Lord King Charles He brought with Him another Kingdom Scotland and so had his temples circumferenced with three Crownes and as Henry the seventh His grandfather joyn'd the Roses so this James joyn'd the Kingdomes in union At such time as it pleased God to call Queen Elizabeth to the resignation of Her Crowns here and to receive a Crown of Immortality in Heaven an English Gentleman and friend of mine was then in Paris and accidently happend to be in the French Kings Court when newes was brought of Her Majesties death the King being at dinner one of His Gentle●●●… 〈◊〉 waited at His Table told His Majesty he had received Letters out of England that Queen Elizabeth had finished her daies at which the King 〈◊〉 and demanded who succeeded Her the Gentleman told him that James the sixth King of Scotland was proclaimed King and setled in Her Throane and with that produced the Proclamation which the French King reading and musing thereupon suddenly brake forth into a passion of admiration and clapping his hand on the Table said Is it possible that the King of Scotland should come to the Crown of England and not one box of the eare given for it The Gentleman made him this answer Yes sir His accesse to the Crown was with so sweet and generall applause that it might well have been thought there had never been enmity between the two Kingdomes whereupon the King advancing himselfe from his Chaire swore a great oath That King Iames was the happiest King in the World for that he was become King of a people meaning the English who were the most faithfull and obedient in the time of Peace and the most valiant in time of Warre These vertues Henry the fourth that magnanimous French King was pleased to attribute to the English Nation out of gratitude to them who had assisted him in his warre and had shewen themselves brave men on his part Certainly he himselfe was a valiant man and therefore loved valour in others and as he commended their valour he forgot not their fidelity and obedience to their Prince the Queen in preserving Her under God often from the hands of ●hose bloody ministers whom the Pope and Spaine had appointed and corrupted to destroy Her Great pity it was so brave a Prince as he was had not the like obedience and fidelity in His Subjects the want whereof brought him to an untimely end for he was by that paracide Raviliack murthered by a stab at his heart passing in his Coach through a street in Paris at noon-day Our good King James much lamented his death and so did all good men of the Protestant Religion of which it was thought he was one but for some worldly respects durst not professe it openly which some attribute an errour in him of dessembling with God who therefore suffered him to end his daies by violence King Iames was no dissembler for he professed the true protestant Religion and maintained it with His Pen witnesse His Apologie to all Christian Princes and other excellent bookes of His which are His living Monuments He was a peaceable Prince He kept warre out of His Dominions when all the Princes of the World besides were in Combustion such was His gentle nature that he chose rather to spend a masse of money in Embassies and treaties for peace amongst forraigne Princes to save the effusion of Christian blood then with His Sword to side with any of them This kept him from having enemies abroad and He is to be accounted famous for it but had He drawn His sword in some actions as without scruple of Conscience he might justly have done in that of the Palatinate the English Nation had not so long like blades still kept sheath'd rusted in their scabberds for to say truth they were grown weake and effeminat for lacke of imployment but that was not altogether the peoples fault for had they been permitted as in Queen Elizabeths time they were freely to make voyages into all forraine parts of the World where they list upon discoveries or to trade both they had preserved their vigour and strength and this Iland had been inriched more than it is but they were prevented of this good by a late tricke of binding up the trade and trafique into forraine parts in parchment the free subject cannot trade beyond seas for himselfe unlesse he be free of such and such a Company which hath been a meanes that Noblemen and Gentlemens younger sonnes have kept home liv'd idlely and effeminately and so ruined their fortunes when they might have done their Prince and Countrey good service and gotten to themselves honour knowledge and wealth Queen Elizabeth and King Iames both had the wisdomes and happinesse to keep the Woolfe from their owne doores and to live in great peace and tranquility within themselves Next to the blessing of God I must attribute that happinesse to the Accord of Soveraigne and Subject woe

for very joy the then Prince our hopes and now our Soveraigne Lord the King was safely returned amongst us And as for the Cities of London and Westminster and the places adjacent thereunto they began their Chrismas then and never ended their mirth and joy for having their Prince again till Lent came that they must make themselves apt by prayer and fasting to condole the sorrows of our Saviours sufferings for our sins All this joy I confesse was but our duties and I hope my gracious Lord the King like to Almighty God whose Vicegerent over us here on earth he is will accept it graciously though it were our duties and remember it proceeded out of a faithfull and cordiall love to him and remembring it now in his greatest anger may alay his wrath and move him to love and imbrace us like a loving and gracious Soveraigne And then he shall see the fidelity and obedience of the English Nation towards him is not one jot abated but much encreased for His honour and safety Oh royall Soveraigne try and if it prove not so hang me up for a lyer And let not my Lord the King be angry with me for speaking this one time for I speake out of the aboundant desire of my heart to preserve my King and Countrey from destruction I have hitherto observed Gods wonderfull preservation of His Majesty and this Kingdome and that God hath done by us as our Saviour did in the Gospell when he cured the blind man by applying that to restore his sight which to mans sence would have put out his eyes Spitle and Clay so by contrary meanes God hath wrought honour to our King and happinesse to our Nation I thus apply it the Kingdome of Scotland lately issued forth an Army upon us and His Majesty offended at it raised a Counter-Army here against them there wanted nothing but to charge the onset then see the wonders of the Lord the English continuing stil their love and obedience petitions the King for admittance of a treaty He heard them and by Gods blessing an everlasting peace we hope between us and that Nation was confirmed So that as it is truly said Henry joynd the Roses and Iames the Kingdoms I may justly say that Charles hath joynd the hearts So that what was left unperfected by His Royall Father is now perfected by him Glory be to God and honour to His Majesty for the same Here are now our weapons drawn shall we sheath them in our own bowels God forbid upon the bended knees of my heart I beseech God His Majesty will daigne to accord and hearken to His Councell the Parliament in this contest as he did to his English Lords in that and no doubt but another great addition of fame and honour will thereby redound to His Majesty Speedy love and peace here in England will doe it otherwise not Let my Lord the King and Parliament consider there is now ready in the North a great Army and preparation for other force here in the South if they clash they cannot long continue but as was well observed by an Honourable person in this Kingdome that the one must suddenly ruine the other or both destroy the Kingdome If King and people joyne here in peace the cost of those preparations need not be lost for God hath given us an opportunity to turne the points of our Swords another way I meane toward Ireland the safety whereof much concernes all His Majesties other Kingdomes There is just cause of revenge for the blood of so many poore Christian Protestants of this our English Nation spilt by those barbarous and cruell Rebels whose savage cruelties cannot be paralleld So may my Lord the King perfect that worke there which his Noble Progenitors left unperfect that is to root out that hollow-hearted people the popish Irish who as long as they adheare to the Popes supremacy can never be loyall subjects to their King and plant good men there that truly fear God who may serve his Majesty with all fidelity and obedience in times of peace and valourously in time of warre as his loyall Subjects the English have done and ever will doe to the worlds end And so God save the King and Parliament FINIS

be to them that have now caused a discord And that blessing God gave for the great care both Princes and people had to Religion and cleering the true light of the Gospell out of the mists and darke clouds of popery and superstition And in those times I must tell you I observed those Venerable and Reverend Fathers of the Church whose Name and Title is now despised I meane the Bishops were great actors and instruments in the practice of piety and preaching It was then frequent with the Bishops to preach at the Court Pauls-Crosse Spittle nay and in private Parish-Churches at such time as either they were called to Parliaments or had other businesse in London and from their lips the people suckt both Milke and Honey so that then there was as much running and crowding to heare a Bishop preach as now there is to heare such as would abolish our Common-prayer-booke and make men beleeve the Lords Prayer is not to be used Some of those reverend Fathers are still living and those that are dead live in their workes which they have left to posterity as monuments of their learning and vertues England then received much delight and comfort by their sound and orthodox doctrine for as then I must tell you those Bishops did not in Pulpits either blow up the Princes Prerogative nor infringe the Subjects priviledges neither did they teach any seditious doctrine no their Sermons were instructions of a good life and conversation to do good and eschew evill mingling mercy with justice and setting forth the rewards of righteousnesse and the punishments of vices and wickednesse They spared not at Court to teach good government and abroad to instruct the people in obedience to that government They were valiant Champions for Christ and stood stoutly out for the maintenance of the truth of the holy Gospell and as their Texts served they never came out of their stand the Pulpit before they had given Popish doctrine such wounds as all their papisticall Holy-water mixt with the Milke of Mary could never yet cure nor will so long as the Pope claims the supremacy Ecclesiasticall out of his own Dioces But of late with griefe of heart I speake it some of that venerable and holy calling by participating too much with temporall affaires of state as too ambitious of Lordly titles and dignities which withdrew them from the true exercise of their pastorall Calling and in their Prelaticall government used too much austerity introducing abolisht ceremonies and pressing the use of them too hard upon nice consciences and so failing to pursue the good presidents of their predecessors have drawne upon themselves and that holy Calling scandall and contempt And since by chance I have toucht upon the word Ceremony I cannot but grieve that now some so strive to have no Ceremonies used about the service of God that they would also banish all decency and seemly gesture of reverence and honour in the performance of our duty and service to the Majesty of Heaven These men looke for reverence to be done to themselves and yet they will deny it unto God for which of them would not think his servant a sawcy companion to wait at his Table or come to require something at his hands with his cap on his head shall we then be ruled by such No let others do as they will the saving Name of Jesus shall have my reverence whilst I have an Eare to heare and a Knee to bow And as at the rehearsal of the Creed in ancient times the people stood up and every man drew his Sword intimating thereby they would defend their faith with their lives I hold that standing up so excellent a posture that I will use it also whenever I heare Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the holy Ghost pronounced The present troubles of the times with us here in England doe much amaze me and those troubles have brought to my memory the attributes given to the English Nation by Henry the fourth of France of valiant faithfull and obedient people there was never a more fit time to shew these vertues then now For consider well between whom the present distractions in England are Is it not between Soveraign and Subject What 's the cause a mis-understanding between His Majesty the Parliament Is the fault in His Majesty or the Parliament I say in neither for under Heaven there is not a sweeter Prince of nature and disposition nor ever was there a more faithfull wise Councell assembled in Parliament Sure there are some Achitophels in England that under hand have incenced His Majesty and made him angry it behooves us Subjects to beware for the anger of a King is like the roaring of a Lyon and the raging of many waters But I hope my Lord the King will neither shew the fury of the one nor the mercilesnesse of the other upon His Subjects and that His Majesty may be the better appeased let us all like true hearted English men as we are shew our obedience and fidelity to His Majesty and Parliament they cannot must not ought not to be separated for they that professe themselves singly for the King with an intention to set a separation between Him and His Parliament are but meere Sycophants and for the time doe but flatter for their own ends let the King come to any distresse which God forbid he shall soone finde them like vermin steale from him And they that are only for the Parliament exempting the King are fooles that dote upon a body without a head God hath joynd them let no man separate them But woe is me what doe I see great preparation for battaile with whom even with our selves if God prevent it not our English Nation is at the point of destroying one another when all the force of forraigne Princes from abroad could never prevaile to do it Oh where are our reverend Divines to stand in the gap for us Have we not one Father of the Church left to intercede between the King and us his Subjects as Abraham did with God for sinfull Sodom and Gomorah and say wilt thou slay the righteous with the wicked Let not my Lord the King be angry if I put Him in mind of the day of His returne from Spaine I remember it was a day of much raine but I conceive the Heavens wept for joy however I am sure there was such an expression of love to him by all true English Protestants man woman and child that I have never seen heard or read of the like in England the Bels in steeples chaunted the flames of Bonfires ascended even to the region of fire and the people so feasted themselves that I can witnesse for one little Village within five miles of London where I then was there was not any from the age of ten to threescore but at night after their mirth and jovialty all the day in the wet without that went to bed dry within