Selected quad for the lemma: england_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
england_n	henry_n	king_n	normandy_n	8,654	5	11.5816	5	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A68163	A comparison of the English and Spanish nation: composed by a French gentleman against those of the League in Fraunce, which went about to perswade the king to breake his alliance with England, and to confirme it with Spaine. By occasion whereof, the nature of both nations is liuely decyphered. Faithfully translated, out of French, by R.A.; Discours politique, tres-excellent pour le temps present. English	Gentil-homme francois, fl. 1588.; Ashley, Robert, 1565-1641.	1589 (1589)	STC 13102; ESTC S120864	30,635	50

him to know what he demāded more this word Royally sayth he comprehends all which made that Alexander esteemed highly of him afterwardes and intertayned him according to his demand But this courtesie of king Edward ought to be esteemed so much greater then that of Alexander as Porus tooke no armes against him but constrayned for his owne lawfull defence and contrariwise king Iohn would not accept such honest cōditions of peace as were offered him by the Prince of Wales although the Cardinall of Perigort being sent by Pope Innocent laboured to bring him to some composition But hee being ouer mastered by his choler was ouercome by a handfull of people and lost a battell the nineteenth of September 1356. which can not so well be compared vnto any as to that memorable exployt at Cannas which was like to haue ouerthrowen the whole estate of the Romaine common wealth And although ciuill warres are ordinarily managed with a courage so much the more inuenomed as the allyance is straighter betweene countrie men yet so it is if we credite Histories that there is not in all the world any Nation founde which in this respect hath remained in such and so long a possession of moderation and clemencie as the English Comines who hath beene as much or more acquainted with the affaires of England as any Frenchman of his time sayth that the custome of the country is in ciuill wars to come straight to battell that the chiefe of that side to which the victorie enclines causeth to be proclaymed aloud Saue the people That I would to God wee had vsed the like moderation in our ciuill warres we should then at this day haue fiftie thousande more witnesses of our dissention the shedding of whose bloud prouokes the anger of God against our countrie of France But because that being occasioned as well by naturall affinitie as by conformitie of manners to loue a people is not a thing of it selfe deseruing any great commendation without endeuour to make demonstration thereof the order of our discourse requires to haue this article sifted yet somwhat neerer to the end that such as call the Englishmen ancient enemies to the crowne of France may learne eyther to speake better or else to holde their peace whensoeuer there is question of any such matter I say then that the effectes of amitie haue bin alwayes reciprocall beweene these two Nations For laying aside that which I alleaged out of Caesar that the Britains had alwaies succoured the Gaules in all their warres I will take testimonies of fresher memorie of a hundred or sixe score yeares past In the time of king Lewes the eleuenth Charles Duke of Burgundie desirous to clip the wings of his mortall enimie Lewes of France called to helpe him Edward king of England his brother in lawe to whom there needed not much speech to make him passe ouer into France whereunto he wanted no pretence There was then great likelihood that if the duke of Burgundie had well knowen howe to vse his prosperitie he had eyther quite ouerthrowē or at least wonderfully shaken the whole estate of France But king Lewes being a Prince much better furnished of wisedome then of courage considering to what exigent his affayres were brought procured or rather cunningly practised a treatie of peace with king Edward at Piquignie One may well say that at that time the mildnesse of king Edwarde serued in steed of a strong and mightie bulwarke vnto France against the surious and impetous effortes of the Burgonian Charles the eight the sonne and successour of Lewes was fauoured of heauen so farre foorth as to haue occasion to acknowledge this courtesie towardes the English Nation who was as readie to embrace such an occasiō as it was happely offered him Edwarde of whom we last spake being deceased his brother Richard duke of Glocester by euil practises and vnlawful meanes inuested himselfe with the crowne of Englande defrauding his Nephewes of their inheritance If the meanes of inuesting himselfe with so great an estate were strange and exorbitant his behauiour and comportment therein was yet more strange Such and so miserable was then the estate of poore Englande that he escaped best cheape who went away with the losse of his goods estate and dignities Diuerse of good calling and account to saue themselues out of this shower retyred into France The Noblest and of greatest name amongest them was the Earle of Richmond who hauing a while soiourned in Britanie finally resolued himselfe to recouer with his owne good the libertie of his countrie This newe Thrasibulus wanted neyther friends nor partakers for he had succor of king Charles the eight with whom he passed ouer into England where hauing giuen battell with happie successe he had for guerdon of his prowesse the estate and crowne which hath euer since remained on the head of his successors I would not stand so much on the courtesie of England were it not that in our time euen within these sixtie yeares the effects thereof had beene so good and so manifest on our behalfe that it were blockishnesse in vs to be ignorant thereof and great loosenesse if we did not acknowledge it Since the battell of Poytiers France receiued not so great an ouerthrowe as at Pauie where king Francis was taken prisoner The Emperour Charles being yet a young Prince and boyling with ambition after so fayre a victorie entered into maruellous hopes and helde himselfe assured that within fewe yeares the vniuersall Monarchie of Europe would be the interpretation of his Plus oultre And indeede there is great likehood that the forces of France being so mated he might if not wholly yet in part haue seene the accomplishment of his desseignes had not God beholding out countrie with his pitifull eye stirred vp the heart of Henrie the eight king of England to stay the course of the Emperour striking with full sayles through the midst of his victorie An act deseruing so much the more admiration as king Henrie had no other occasion to do it but an Heroicall vertue with the which his courage being once enkindled hee choose rather to appropriate vnto himselfe the sole honour of releiuing an afflicted neighbour then to be copartner with the vanquisher in the spoyle and pray In so much that we may well say that king Henrie the 8. next vnto God hath beene the author of our deliuerance and that the Lion hath plucked vs out of the Eagle his clawes And we must not thinke that he sought herein either his owne priuate profite or particular safetie For touching profite besides that which the euent hath made knowen the protestation which hee made by his king at armes defying the Emperor doth show sufficiently that he had no other end but honor and vertuous exploytes which in ancient time as sayth Theocritus haue gotten the title of Heroes to great and renowmed personages And in respect of securitie the Emperour being as thē affectionate towardes his vncle

vs is that which the Spaniardes will alleadge shall it not be the succour which king Henrie of Castile gaue in the time of king Charles the fift and the victorie which hee wonne before Rochell of the Earle of Pembrocke As if he himselfe had not reaped the principall fruite of this victorie or as if such an assistance had not beene the chiefe rampire of his owne estate But as the English are conformable vnto vs in so many thinges as I haue heretofore alleaged so they haue that also common with our miserie that they haue tryed to their cost the most dangerous amitie of the Spaniards For Phillip king of Spaine and then also king of England hauing purposed to possesse himselfe of Callis gaue occasion to the French to do that with the Lyons clawe which the Spaniarde had thought to haue done with the Foxe his tooth otherwise the French would neuer haue resolued themselues on so hazardous an enterprise as the siege of Callis To make short one may well say that the Nation of the worlde which is most affectioned towardes the common-weale of France is that which least resembleth the Spanish which so much the more boldlie I conclude as I hold my selfe assured that none will paine himselfe so much as to proue that they haue beene helpefull vnto vs eyther in the knowledge of good letters or in gouernment of our manners For what lightning vnto learning can be expected of a Natiō which during this happie age hath scarcely brought foorth fiue or sixe learned men Thence I thinke it is that the Spaniards as great trauaylers as they are neuer durst go so farre as to the Hiperboreans fearing belike least they yet kept their ancient custome that is sacrifycing of Asses For gouernement of manners we may well say that as the Philosopher Polyanus being once wedded to the dotages of Epicurus forgot all the knowledge which he had of Geometry so by the acquaintance of Spaniards we haue almost forgotten that vertue which we were best acquainted with that is courtesie and humanitie And to what purpose I pray you should that Nation bee so affectionate vnto vs who hath so little interest in our ouerthrowe nay rather which hath alwayes and especially within these hundred yeares founded their aduancement on our destruction I abridge this discourse of purpose to intreate of an article of more importance that is the means which both the one and the other hath to helpe and to hinder vs. I wil speake first concerning traficke and after touching matter of armes All such as haue knowledge both of England Spaine will agree vnto me that Englande is much better stored of people then Spaine I speake not in respect of proportion but absolutely although England be by a great deale the lesser which proceedes onely of the temperature of the place For although France be one of the temperatest regions that are yet so is it that Caesar sayth expressely speaking of England Loca sunt temperatiora quàm in Gallia This aboundance of people is a certain argument of the fertilitie of the place Pindarus in some place calleth Sicilie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is aboundant in sheepe and expounding himselfe in an other place he calleth it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is fat or fertile If the argument of this so learned Poet be well couched we may well conclude the fertilitie of England by the great aboundance not onely of sheepe but in generall of cattell which is in it Here it may be some will alledge the saying of Cicero in his oration entituled De Aruspicum responsis For beholde with what wordes he speaketh Quàm volumus licèt ipsi nos amemus tamen nec numero Hispanos nec rob●re Gallos nec calliditate Paenos nec artibus Graecos nec denique hoc ipso huius gentis ac terrae natiuo sensu Itales ipsos ac Latinos sed pietate ac religione omnes gentes ac nattones superauimus But in this place it is easie to see that Cicero had rather eares then eyes as well as heretofore speaking of Astrologie And that in this discourse hee would play the part of an other Mirmecides making a great ado about a small matter But to what purpose is it to stande much on this article since the trafficke of the one and the other countrie may easily cleere it We haue out of England Wooll Tinne Fish and many other thinges in great quantitie In exchange whereof wee furnish them with wine salt woad and diuerse other thinges which is the cause that Rochell Bourdeaux and generally all the coast of Normandie Britaine and Guienne is brought into great perplexitie when the traficke ceaseth with Englande Out of Spaine I confesse we haue very good Horses for seruice although they come but by stealth Which I doo neuerthelesse against my will because that confessing this article I am constrayned to accuse the negligence and sloth of our Frenchmen For if we would maintaine such races of horses and mares as are seene at Lauedan our traficke with Spaine should be accounted of meere charitie for as much as we shold helpe thē very much without being holpen or eased by them For the marchandise of a fewe perfumed gloues and such other small baggage deserues not to be accounted of And for their behoose they are constrayned to borrowe of vs by reason of the drinesse and barrennesse of their countrie that which is most necessarie for the life of mā which is corne As for wine they haue sufficient There remaines the traficke of wooll of kersyes and clothes both woollen and linnen which comes not to the thirde part of that which our Marchantes haue out of Englande Neither will it serue to say that he may haue store of corn out of such places as he holdeth in Italy as out of Naples Sicily and Millaine For they which husbande the matter after this manner do not consider that this were but robbing of Peter to pay Paule Sicily is fruitefull I graunt but it behooueth that Malta and the Goze be sustayned by her fruitfulnesse except they will in abandoning of them expose themselues for a pray to the Turke Moreouer a great part of the commodities of Sicile are employed on the maintenance of Italy But in respect of Millaine and of Lombardie the Spaniarde findes such difficultie of carriage that hee can not well helpe himselfe with the commodities thereof except the sauce cost him much dearer than the fish is worth Touching Naples Apulia and Calabria as they are lesse fruitfull so also the Spaniard can be lesse holpen by them The like may be sayd in respect of the lowe countries Some peraduenture will finde it strange that I stande so much on the infertilitie of Spaine seeing that the great meanes which this Nation hath to helpe vs with make a more then suffieient counterpoise for this default Heere must I needes employ that Quolibet which the Iudges of Rome were woont to