Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A27543
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The present interest of England stated by a lover of his king and countrey.
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Bethel, Slingsby, 1617-1697.
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1671
(1671)
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Wing B2072; ESTC R5304
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27,311
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42
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terms with their Neighbours so that the subversion of Holland would be no benefit to any save to the French King into whose mouth their Country would most fall who wanting nothing for the making of him uncontroulable but Havens and Ports to harbour Ships nourish and breed Seamen would find supply there and whose Kingdom being over-stocked with people would be able to spair men to plant an un-inhabited Countrey as would certainly be the fate of Holland under a Conquest and Arbitrary Government as it hath been to all the free Cities in Tuscany and Italy since they lost their Liberty whereas England wanting neither Havens nor Ports nor having an over-plus of people it would be a dammage to them in the loss of their Inhabitants and an unprofitable charge to maintain Forein Colonies where the Seas must be perpetually crossed for supplying of them with men monie and necessaries insomuch that the Netherlands under such circumstances as they would be reduced unto by subduing of them would not be in the hands of the English so much for their own security as in theirs that now possess them for restraint and freedome makes so great difference in prosperity that less than Liberty incouraging Trade and Industry would never be able to maintain their Walls against the Sea which are kept up with incredible labour charge and ingenuity but expose those parts lying upon the Sea which are many times more considerable than all the rest to be devoured by it or laid much under water and so rendred inconsiderable And the truth of this principle in thus much advancing the benefit of freedom above Arbitrary Government which would be the lot of Holland under any Conquerour may be observed by the two Cities of Wesell and Mastrick which whilst in the hands of the Spaniard were without Trade miserable wretched and poor many of the houses of the latter being left in ruines by the Inhabitants as wanting ability to repair them and now in less than 38 or 39 years that the States have been Masters of them they are both become flourishing places the latter being in a great part new built with one of the fairest and best new publick Town-house that is ordinarily met with next Amsterdam and Augustbourg in Germany But if there were not these considerations in the case as well as that of the advantage that the fall of Holland would be to the French which alone is sufficient to ingage England to support them it could no way be the Interest of England to ruine them to the end to increase their own Trade because if their aims be only traffick the world affords matter enough to satisfie both Nations and that England hath so much the advantage of Holland in natural helps for Trade that if they do but improve them they cannot miss of exceeding all others in it and if they will be careless of their common concerns they ought not to draw an argument from their own neglects and sloth for the envying other mens activity and diligence And lastly so long as a firm Peace and amity is maintained by England with the Netherlands they may look upon them as the out-works which must be first taken in by any invader that will attempt them for as it never can be the Interest or in the power of Holland to invade England so their Interest in reference to Religion as well as Civil security will alwayes oblige them not to suffer any others to do it or to endanger them in whose safety they can onely be safe it being the clear Interest of England not to suffer any other Potentate to subvert their Government So that upon the whole since the subduing of Holland cannot be a benefit but losse to England and may be of great advantage to France and the Church of Rome against which they are impregnable Fortresses with some smaller profit to other Popish Soveraignes bordering upon them as to the Elector of Colne and Bishop of Munster c. It must be the chief Forreign Interrest of England to support the present Governmeut of Holland Thirdly It is the Interest of England to hold a good Correspondence with Spain not onely because that People being little inclinable to Commerce gives a Trading Countrey the more advantage in their Friendship but also for that that Crowne is necessarily to be made use of for the ballancing of France Fourthly and lastly as the French King striveth for the Protectorship of the Romish profession so it is surely the King of England's Interest to render himself wherein he can have no opposition the General Protector of the Protestant Religion whereby he will become more formidable and glorious then he can by other means For as Queen Elizabeth adhering thoroughly and cordially to that Party advancing the Religion holding intelligence and taking part with them in all their engagements and considerable treaties was not onely able in the infancy of the reformation in England to maintain the reformed in Scotland France and the Netherlands against their Enemies their then seveveral Soveraignes but also at last to bring down Philip the second of Spain one of the wisest and greatest Kings they ever had and in him the whole Popish Party by which her memory is made famous unto posterity so his Majesty having many lesse difficulties to struggle with than she had by espousing the same principles cannot fail of the like glorious success And now to sum up the Domestick Interest of England it lyeth in the advancement of Trade by removing all obstructions both in City and Country providing such Laws as may any way help it and make it most easie especially in giving Liberty of Conscience to all Protestant Non-conformists and denying it to Papists In not covering Foreign Conquests which have alwayes been prejudicial and can never be of advantage to them and retrench the unreasonable Fees of Lawyers Physicians and Officers as they are great iimpoverishers of the Nation And as to the Foreign Interest of England that may be calculated to be in keeping the balance among their Neighbours and other European Princes being in order thereunto firm to their present tripple League and in that especially to Holland in holding a good correspondence with Spain and in being jealous of all growing greatness in the French keeping the Baltick Sea open in His Majesties making himself Protector of the whole Protestant party and as Peace is the adadvancer of Trade to seek it and not war except an inavoidable necessity require it And thus I shall conclude this Chapter and in it the Interest of England with begging pardon of the Author of that Book intituled A Discourse of Ecclesiastical politie for my Non-conformity to his Doctrine which teacheth That it is safer for a Prince to allow Vice and Debauchery than Liberty of Conscience whereby he prefers the breach of the ten Commandments and that which the whole Word of God the Old and New Testament the Law and Gospel so dreadfully threatens and declares against before that which neither the practise of our Saviour nor his Apostles nor any Text in Scripture forbids or at least himself being Judge not positively and indisputably as they do the other wherein I confess I am so far from agreeing with him as also in many of his other railing principles not much better that I think the Church of England hath reason to wish his Book had been writ by some of another Coat and of a more remote relation to the Church then the Author is reputed to be by reason of the advantage that their enemies may have of drawing arguments from it to prove their old Charge that the power of godliness is so far from being held out in the Lives Conversations and Principles of many of their Priests that they rather seek to debauch and make the people wicked and profane This is all I have at present to say of this Country besides adventuring to Prophesie that when England neglecting Church Politicks which are commonly founded in passion revenge and self and Lawyers Divinity which is generally collected out of their own Books more than the Books of God will effectually pursue their true Interest they cannot fail their natural advantages for trade considered of being more great and glorious than any other Nation FINIS * The late Dutch War * State of England pag 434 435 436. State of England pa. 60. 61 62. State of England The History of the Siege of Rochell The Grecian and Armenian Popish congâ—egations c. Interest of Holland The Edict of Nantes granted by Henry 4th 30 April 1593. The Edict of Nantes confirmedly Lewis 13th the 22 May 1610. and again 10 Nov. 16â—5 and by Lewis 14th the 8 July 1643. confirmed in Parliament 3 Aug. 1643. and again confirmed by the said Lewis 14th this present King the 21 May 1652. State of England pa. 50 56 60. King James his Proclamations 22 Feb. 1603. and 10 Janu. 1606. the preamb. of the Stat. of 35 Eliz. cap. 2. 35 Eliz. ch 2. and 3 Jacob. ch 5. Duke of Rohan his Memoires Sir Walter Rawleighs Cabinet Counsellor
that it hath upon tryal been sound that in going from the City of Rouen in Normandy to the Protestants Church two English miles and an half out of town to give every beggar but that which they call a double hardly the sixth part of a penny will cost a Lewis d'or which is at least 17 s. sterling These Instances cannot be denied by any traveller that hath been curious to enquire into the condition of these places and examples are the same in Politicks as experience is in Naturals Upon my own observation hereof being inquisitive after the reason a person of Quality and Minister of State to one of the Electors of Germany with whom I had the honour to be acquainted granted the truth of these things but went no farther for the reasons than that the Religion of the reformed was an argument of their wit and that their Understandings made them the abler Merchants And now upon the whole since it appears that Trade depends much upon Liberty of Conscience the suggestions against it either from unexperienced or concerned persons are not to be regarded Country Gentlemen bred only at home to a Religion which exacts little from them besides Conformity to humane Ceremonies with opposition to every thing that is contrary being tenacious of that which is so pleasing and grateful to snail Nature are not generally competent Judges of this Interest nor yet any sort of people who having spent their dayes in studying Books more than Men or Things employing themselves more in punishing tender Consciences for not obeying in the Worship of God the Commandments of men than in the weightiest duties of their Callings as in suppressing Papists ignorant debauched and scandalous Ministers rendring their actions thereby to proceed more from Self-interest than an enlightned and sincere Conscience are not in this case against demonstrations to be harkened unto And indeed it is a work most suitable unto Soveraignty the Grand child of Henry the great of France and the large experience of his Majesty in cases of Religion in other Countries to surmount all selfish opposition in this matter for the advancement of his own Interest and the good of his people which whatsoever flatterers may suggest to the contrary are bound up together I know that the enemies to Liberty of Conscience do impose upon the world an apprehension of danger in it but the position hath no foundation in reason presidents or any thing else save a confident running down of truth for their own advantage it no where appearing that ever Protestants dissenting from their National Church having Liberty of Conscience given them did rise up against their King or disturbed the quiet of their Countrey as those of the Romish Church have in all Ages and Nations done For as the Reformed Religion obligeth its Members to worship God according to his will revealed in his word so keeping good Consciences in that it teacheth them obedience to their Soveraigns in civil commands It is confessed that the old Waldenses Subjects of the Duke of Savoy have sometimes fled to Arms for defence of themselves in the exercise of their Religion but although the advantages they have often had of their Princes have been great yet no sooner was ever Liberty granted them then they laid down Arms returning again to obedience in which they alwayes continued until their Articles were broke which contrary to Faith was frequently done and the like cannot be denyed unto the Protestants of France Hungary and other places whereas on the contrary antient and modern Story afford us plentiful relations of those of the Romish Religion rising up against their Kings when they have had full liberty in Religion and no restraint upon them in their worship as who were greater Instruments in the Barons Wars in England against their Kings and in the changes that followed thereupon than the Church in time of Popery were not the many Tragedies acted antiently in Scotland in such times when they were all Papists Did not the Romish Catholicks in France notwithstanding theirs was the National Religion depose and degrade their lawful Soveraign Henry the 4th the Parliament of Tholouse in his absence arraigning and condemning him to death executing him in his Effigies by Harquebushes none of which Traiterous and Rebellious usage did that great and excellent King Grandfather of His Majesty of England although he recovered all by force of Arms in the least revenge by which generous as well as politick carriage he added to the Conquest of his Country the conquest of the hearts of all his people reconciling at once all the animosities and factions which had been the product of near forty years civil war Are they not Papists in Spain and Portugal where in our time have been so many revolts and mutations with the deposition or confinement of the present King of Portugal the late Confederates in Poland against their King were all Papists and of a Country where Popery is the National Religion The present French Kings danger in 1650 c. was from his Popish and was delivered chiefly by his reformed Subjects The Papists in Ireland had as none can deny liberty for exercise of their Religion exceedingly above what the Non-conformists had at that time when they committed that not to be parallelled bloudy and more than barbarous Massacre in the year 1641. Nay the steadie greatness and quiet of Sweeden is of no elder date than since they cast off Popery pulled down their Bishops and embraced Protestantism the Church having been until then the occasion of much trouble unto that Kingdome And none of these particulars being deniable the Papists cannot without great impudence boast as many of them do of their fidelity to their Princes accusing the Protestants with want of it and especially since if these instances were not enough to make good the assertion that the Protestants are the best and Papists the woâ—st of Subjects the like might be observed of every individual Country and Nation in the Christian part of Europe in the times of Popery but supposing these to be sufficient I shall not give my self any farther trouble upon this point or other domestick concern of England but proceed to the external importances of that Kingdome And first As the Foreign Interest of a Nation looks outward and in order to its good and preservation regards the actings and designs of Foreign Princes and States especially their Neighbours endeavouring to reduce them to that which may most agree with their own good and safety so it is the Interest of the King and Kingdome of England to make use of the advantages their strength and situation gives them in weighing the Imperial powers of Christendome keeping the balance by adding to or diminishing from any of them as best suits with Justice and their own Interests And as undoubtedly His Majesty hath done more than any since good Queen Elizabeth if for a short time a sort of people not fit to be remembred did not