Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	great_a	king_n	normandy_n	4,212	5	10.9535	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82026	A word without-doors concerning the bill for succession	J. D.	1680 (1680)	Wing D49A; ESTC R204199	8,785	12

great opinion of his Virtue and Probity was admitted King by the consent of the Realm his elder Brother Robert Duke of Normandy being then in the War at Jerusalem William dying his younger Brother Henry by his ingenuity and fair carriage and by the assistance of Henry Earl of Warwick who had greatest interest in the Nobility and Maurice Bishop of London a leading-man amongst the Clergy obtained also the Crown And Robert Duke of Normandy was a second time excluded And though this King Henry could pretend no other Title to the Crown than the Election and Admission of the Realm yet he defended it so well and God prospered him with such success that when his elder Brother Robert came to claim the Kingdom by force of Arms he beat him in a Pitcht Battle took him Prisoner and so he died miserably in Bonds King Henry had one only Daughter named Maud or Matilda who was married to the Emperor and he dying without Issue she was afterwards married to Geofrey Plantagenet Earl of Anjou in France by whom she had a Son named Henry whom his Grand-father declared Heir-apparent to the Crown in his life-time yet after his death Henry was excluded and Stephen Earl of Bulloine Son of Adela Daughter of William the Conqueror was by the States thought more fit to govern than Prince Henry who was then but a Child And this was done by the perswasion of Henry Bishop of Winchester and at the sollicitation of the Abbot of Glastenbury and others who thought they might do the same lawfully and with a good conscience for the publick good of the Realm But the event did not prove so well as they intended for this occasioned great Factions and Divisions in the Kingdom for the quieting of which there was a Parliament held at Wallingford which passed a Law That Stephen should be King only during his Life and that Prince Henry and his Off-spring should succeed him and by the same Law debarred William Son of King Stephen from inheriting the Crown and only made him Earl of Norfolk Thus did the Parliament dispose of the Crown in those days which was in the year 1153. which sufficiently proves what I have asserted The sum of all I have said amounts to this That Government in general is by the Law of Nature and consequently the Ordinance of God but that the different forms of Government whether to reside in one few or many or whether it shall be continued by Succession or by Election together with the different measures and limitations of Power and Authority in Governours of the same kind in several Countries all these things I say are ordained by and purely depend upon positive and humane Laws From whence it will necessarily follow That the same humane Authority residing in King Lords and Commons here in England which gave being to those Laws for the good of the Community is superintendent over them and both may and ought to make any addition to or alteration of them when the publick Good and Welfare of the Nation shall require it unless you will admit That an humane Authority establishing any thing intentionally for the common good of the Society which in tract of time by reason of unforeseen circumstances and emergencies proves destructive of it has by that Act concluded it self and made that accidental evil moral and unchangeable which to affirm is sensless and repugnant AND now Sir I hope by this time said the old Gentleman you begin to think that the Bill for disabling the Duke was not so unjust and unreasonable as was pretended and that the course of Succession being founded upon the same bottom with other Civil Constitutions might likewise as justly have been altered by the King Lords and Commons as any other Law or Custom whatever And here I might conclude But because a late PENTIONARY Pen has publickly arraign'd the Wisdom Loyalty and Justice of the honourable House of Commons on the account of this Bill I will ex abundanti add a word or two more to that particular Whereupon he pluckt a Paper out of his Pocket entituled Great and weighty Considerations relating to the Duke and Successor of the Crown c. Which as soon as he had read unto us You see here said he the true temper of those men of whom I first gave you caution There never was an endeavour though in a Legal and Parliamentary way after any Reformation either in Church or State but the Promoters of it were sure to be branded by them with the odions imputations of Fanaticism and Faction Nay if the Country-Electors of Parliament-men will not pitch upon such Rake-hells of the Nation as are usually proposed by them but on the contrary make use of their Freedom and Consciences in chusing able upright and deserving persons and if good men thus chosen do but according to their Duty in the House enquire into publick Grievances pursue in a legal course notorious Offenders and consult and advise the security of the Government and Protestant Religion the high Church-man immediately swells and in passion tells you That all this proceeds from the old Phanatick-Leven not yet worn out amongst the people That we are going back again to Forty one and acting over afresh the sins of our Forefathers Thus ignorantly do they complement the Times and Persons they endeavour to expose by appropriating to them such Virtues as were common to good men in all Ages But enough of this In the next place pray observe how hypocritically the CONSIDERER puts this Question viz. Whether Protestant Religion was not setled in this Nation by the same mighty hand of God that establisht Jeroboam in the Kingdom of Israel And then adds Whether we like that wicked King should so far despair of Gods Providence in preserving the work of his own hands as never to think it safe unless it be establisht on the Quick-sands of our own wicked Inventions viz. the Bill against the Duke And throughout his whole Discourse he frequently calls all Care of preserving our Religion a Mistrust of God's Providence and on that score calls out to the Nation O ye of little faith c. Now I will allow him That the least evil is not to be done that the greatest and most important Good may ensue But that the Bill for Disabling the Duke is highly justifiable both by the Laws of God and Constitution of our Government I think by my former Discourse I have left no room to doubt and the Considerer having scarce attempted to prove the contrary it 's preposterously done of him to give us his Use of Reproof before he has clear'd his Doctrine However I owe him many thanks for putting me in mind how Protestant Religion was first establisht here in England It was indeed by the mighty hand of God influencing the Publick Councels of the Nation so that all imaginable care was taken both by Prince and People to rescue themselves from under the Romish Yoke and accordingly most

the same kind in different Countries I shall begin said he with that of the Roman Empire which though it be the first in dignity amongst Christian Princes yet it is so restrained and limited by the particular Laws of the Empire that he can do much less in his State than other Kings in theirs He can neither make War nor exact any Contribution of Men or Money but by the consent of all the States of the German Diet And as for his Children and Relations they have no interest or pretence to succeed but onely by Election if they shall be thought worthy Nay the chiefest Article the Emperour swears to keep at his admission to that Honour is That he shall never endeavour to make the Dignity of the Empire Hereditary to his Family In Spain and in France the Priviledges of Kings are much more eminent both in Power and succession their Authority is more absolute every Order of theirs having the validity of a Law and their next of bloud does ordinarily inherit though in a different manner In Spain the next Heir cannot succeed but by the approbation of the Nobility Bishops and States of the Realm In France the Women are not admitted to succeed let them be never so lineally descended In England our Kings are much more limited and confined in their Power than either of the two former for here no Law can be made but by consent and authority of Parliament and as to the point of Succession the next of kin is admitted unless in extraordinary cases and when important Reasons of State require an alteration And then the Parliaments of England according to the ancient Laws and Statutes of the Realm have frequently directed and appointed the succession of the Crown in other manner than in course it would have gone of which I shall give you some Examples in order But first let us look abroad and see how things have been carried as to this point in other Countries Amongst the Jews the Laws of Succession did ordinarily hold and accordingly Rehoboam the lawful Son and Heir of Solomon after his Fathers decease went to Sichem to be crowned and admitted by the People and the whole body of the people of Israel being there gathered together did before they would admit him their lawful King make unto him certain Propositions for taking away some heavy Taxes that had been imposed on them by his Father Solomon which he refusing to gratifie them in and following the advice of young men ten of the Twelve Tribes immediately chose Jeroboam a Servant of Rehoboam's a meer stanger and of mean Parentage and made him their King and God approved thereof as the Scriptures in express words do testifie for when Rehoboam had raised an Army of One hundred and fourscore thousand men intending by force of Arms to have justified his Claim God appeared unto Semajah and commanded him to go to Rehoboam and to the House of Judah and Benjamin saying Return every man to his house for this thing is of me saith the Lord. So that since God did permit and allow this in his own Commonwealth which was to be the Pattern for all others no doubt he will approve the same in other Kingdoms whenever his service and glory or the happiness of the Weal-publick shall require it The next Instance I shall give you shall be in Spain where Don Alonso de la Cerda having been admitted Prince of Spain in his Father's life-time according to the custom of that Realm married Blancha Daughter of Lewis the first King of France and had by her two Sons named Alonso and Hernando de la Cerda but their Father who was only Prince dying before Alonso the ninth then King he recommended them to the Realm as lawful Heirs apparent to the Crown But Don Sancho their Fathers younger Brother who was a great Warrier and sirnamed El Bravo was admitted Prince and they put by in their Grandfathers life-time by his and the States consent and this was done at a Parliament held at Segovia in the year 1276 And in the year 1284 Alonso the ninth being dead Don Sancho was acknowledg'd King and the two Princes imprisoned but at the Mediation of Philip the third King of France their Uncle they were set free and endowed with considerable Revenues in Land and from them do descend the Dukes de Medina Celi at this day and the present K. of Spain that is in possession descendeth from Don Sancho In France Lewis the fourth had two Sons Lothairin who succeeded him and Charles whom he made Duke of Lorrain Lothairin dying left an only Son named Lewis who dying without Issue after he had raigned two years the Crown was to have descended on his Uncle Charles Duke of Lorrain But the States of France did exclude him and chose Hugo Capetus Earl of Paris for their King and in an Oration made by their Embassador to Charles of Lorrain did give an account of their Reasons for so doing as it is related by Belforest a French Historian in these very words Every man knoweth Lord Charles that the Succession of the Crown and Kingdom of France according to the ordinary Rights and Laws of the same belongeth unto you and not unto Hugh Capet now our King But yet the same Laws which do give unto you such Right of Succession do judge you also unworthy of the same for that you have not endeavoured hitherto to frame your life according to the Prescript of those Laws nor according to the use and custom of the Kingdom of France but rather have allied your self with the Germains our old Enemies and have accustomed your self to their vile and base Manners Wherefore since you have abandoned and forsaken the ancient Virtue Amity and Sweetness of your Country your Country has also abandoned and forsaken you for we have chosen Hugh Capet for our King and have put you by and this without any scruple in our Conscrences at all esteeming it far better and more just to live under Hugh Capet the Possessor of the Crown with enjoying the ancient use of our Laws Customs Priviledges and Liberties than under you the next Heir by Bloud in Oppression strange Customs and Cruelty For as they who are to make a Voyage in a Ship on a dangerous Sea do not so much respect whether the Pilot claims Title to the Ship or no but rather whether he be skilful valiant and like to bring them in safety to their ways end even so our principal care is to have a good Prince to lead and guide us happily in this way of Civil and Politick life which is the end for which Princes are appointed And with this Message ended his Succession and Life he dying not long after in Prison And now I shall come home and give you an Instance or two in England since the Conquest and so conclude William Rufus second Son of William the Conqueror by the assistance of Lanfrank Arch-bishop of Canterbury who had a