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A08591
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Sir Thomas Ouerbury his obseruations in his trauailes vpon the state of the Xvii. Prouinces as they stood anno Dom. 1609 The treatie of peace being then on foote.
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Overbury, Thomas, Sir, 1581-1613.
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1626
(1626)
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STC 18903; ESTC S113538
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13,386
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32
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taxes vnsupportable yet doe they little more then serue for necessary publike vses For the King of Spains greatnes Neighbourhood forceth the King there to liue continually vpon his Guard and the treasure which the Spaniard receiues from his Indies constraines him to raise his Reuenew thus by Taxes so to be able in some proportion to beare vp against him for feare else he should be bought out of all his Confederates and seruants For the Relation of this State to others It is first to be considered that this part of Christendome is ballanced betwixt the three Kings of Spaine France and England as the other part betwixt the Russian the Kings of Poland Sweden and Denmarke For as for Germany which if it were entirely subiect to one Monarchy would be terrible to all the rest so being deuided betwixt so many Princes and those of so equall power it serues only to ballance it selfe and entertaine easie Warre with the Turke while the Persian with-holds him in a greater And euery one of those first three hath his particular strength and his particular weakenesse Spaine hath the aduantage of both the rest in Treasure but is defectiue in Men his Dominions are scattered and the conueyance of his Treasure from the Indies lyes obnoxious to the power of any Nation that is stronger by Sea France abounds with Men lyes close together and hath Money sufficiently England beeing an Iland is hard to be Inuaded abounds with Men but wants Money to imploy them For their particular weaknesse Spaine is to be kept busie in the Low-Countries France is to bee afflicted with Protestants and England in Ireland England is not able to subsist against any of the other hand to hand but ioyned with the Lowe-Countries it can giue Lawe to both by Sea and ioyned with either of them two it is able to oppresse the third as Henry the Eight did Now the only entire body in Christendome that makes head against the Spanish Monarchy is France and therefore they say in France that the day of the ruine of France is the Eue of the ruine of England And thereupon England hath euer since the Spanish greatnesse enclined rather to maintaine France rather then to ruine it as when King Francis was taken prisoner the King of England lent Money towards the payment of his Ransome And the late Queene when the Leagers after the Duke of Guise his death had a designe to Cantonize France though offered a part would not consent So then this reason of State of mutuall preseruation conioyning them England may be accounted a sure Confederate of France and Holland by reason it partly subsists by it the Protestant Princes of Germany because they haue Countenance from it against the house of Austria the Protestant Swissers for Religion and Money the Venetians for protection against the Spaniard in Italy So that all their friends are either Protestants or enclyning and whosoeuer is extreme Catholike is their enemie and Factors for the Spanish Monarchy as the Pope the Cardinalls for the most part and totally the Iesuites the Catholike Princes of Germany and the Catholicks of England and Ireland For the Iesuites which are the Ecclesiasticall strength of Christendome France notwithstanding the many late Obligations hath cause to despaire of them for they intending as one Pope so one King to suppresse the Protestants and for the better support of Christendome against the Turke and seeing Spaine the likelier to bring this to passe they follow the neerer probability of effecting their end No addition could make France so dangerous to vs as that of our Lowe-Countries for so it were worse then if the Spaniard himselfe had them entirely As for their hopes of regaining Italie it concernes the Spaniard immediatly rather then vs. Concerning the state of the Protestants in France during Peace they are protected by their Edict For their two Agents at Court defend the Generall from wrong and their Chambres-impartyes euery particular person And if troubles should arise some scattered particulars might be in danger but the maine body is safe safe to defend themselues though all France ioyne against them and if it breake out into Factions the safest because they are both ready and vnited The particulars of their strength are first their Townes of surety two of which command the Riuer of Loyre Secondly their Scituation the greatest part of them lying neere together as Poictou Zanningtonge High Gascoigne Languedoc and Daulphin neere the Sea so consequently fit to receiue succours from abroad and remote from Paris so that the qualitie of an Armie is much wasted before it can approach them The third is the sufficiency of their present Gouernours Bulloigne and Desdeguiers and other second Commanders And for the Princes of the Blood whom the rest may in shew without emulation obey when they come once to open action those which want a party will quickly seeke them The last is the ayde they are sure of from forraine Princes For whosoeuer are friends to France in generall are more particularly their friends And besides the Protestant partie being growne stronger of late as the Low-Countries and more vnited as England and Scotland part of that strength reflects vpon them and euen the King of Spaine himselfe which is Enemie to France in generall would rather giue them succour then see them vtterly extirpated And yet no Forraine Prince can euer make further vse of them then to disturbe France not to inuade it himselfe For as soone as they get an Edict with better Conditions they turne head against him that now succoured them as they did against vs at New-haven Concerning the proportion of their number they are not aboue the seuenteene or eighteenth part of the people but of the Gentlemen there are 6000. of the Religion but since the Peace they haue increased in people as principally in Paris Normandy and Daulphin but lost in the Gentrie which losse commeth to passe by reason that the King when he findes any Gent. that will but hearken tempts him with preferment and those he findes vtterly obstinate suppresseth And by such meanes hee hath done them more harme in Peace then both his Predecessors in Warre For in all their assemblies hee corrupts some of their Ministers to betray their Counsell in hand and of the 100 6000. Crowns a yeare which he paies the Protestants to entertaine their Ministers and pay their Garrisons hee hath gotten the bestowing of 16000. of them vpon what Gentleman of the Religion he pleaseth when by that meanes he moderates if not gaines and besides they were wont to impose vpon him their two Deputies which are to stay at Court but now he makes them propose sixe out of which he chuseth the two and by that obligeth those yet notwithstanding all this in some occasions hee makes good vse of them too For as towards England he placeth none in any place of strength but firme Catholikes so towards Spaine and Sauoy he often giues charge to
Protestants as to la Force in Bearne Desdeguiers and Boisse in Bresse Concerning the King himselfe hee is a person wonderfull both in War and Peace for his Acts in Warre hee hath manumized France from the Spaniard subdued the League being the most dangerous plot that hath bin layd weakening it by Armes but vtterly dissoluing it by wit that is by letting the Duke of Guise out of Prison and Capitulating with the heads of it euery one a part by which meanes hee hath yet left a continuall hatred among them because euery one sought by preuenting other to make his Conditions the better so that now there remaines little connexion of it amongst the Gentrie onely there continues some dregges still among the Priests and consequently the people especially when they are angred with the increase and prosperitie of the Protestants For his Acts of Peace hee hath enriched France with a greater proportion of Wooll and Silke erected goodly Buildings cut Passages betwixt Riuer and Riuer and is about to doe the same betwixt Sea and Sea redeemed much of the Mortgaged Demaynes of the Crowne better husbanded the Money which was wont to bee drunke vppe two parts of it in the Officers hands got aforehand in Treasure Armes and Munition increased the Infantrie and supprest the vnproportionable Caualry and left nothing vndone but the building of a Nauie And all this may bee attributed to himselfe onely because in a Monarchy Officers are accordingly actiue or carelesse as the Prince is able to Iudge and distinguish of their labours and withall to participate of them somewhat himselfe Sure it is that the Peace of France and somewhat that of Christendome it selfe is secured by this Princes life For all Titles and Discontents all factions of Religion there suppresse themselues till his Death but what will ensue after what the rest of the House of Bourbon will enterprise vpon the Kings Children what the House of Guise vpon the House of Bourbon what the League what the Protestants what the Kings of Spaine and England if they see a breach made by ciuill Dissention I chuse rather to expect then Coniecture because God hath so many wayes to turne aside from humaine fore-sight as hee gaue vs a testimony vpon the Death of our late Queene The Countrey of France considering the quantitie is the fairest and richest of all Christendome and containes in it most of the Countries adioyning For Picardie Normandie and Bretaigne resemble England Languedoc Spaine Province Italie and the rest is France Besides all the Riuers that passe through it end in it It abounds with Corne Wine and Salt and hath a Competency of Silke but is defectiue in Wooll Leather Mettals and Horses and hath but few very good Hauens especially on the North side Concerning the People Their Children at first sight seeme Men and their Men Children but who so in negotiating presumes vpon appearance shall bee deceiued Compassionate towards their owne Nation and Countrey louing to the Prince and so they may haue liberty in Ceremony and free accesse to him they will be the better content that hee shall be absolute in matter of substance impatient of Peace any longer then whiles they are in recouering the ruines of Warre the presentnesse of danger inflames their courage but any expectation makes it languish for the most they are all Imagination and no Iudgement but those that proue solid excell Their Gentlemen are all good outward men good Courtiers good Souldiers and knowing enough in Men and businesse but meerly ignorant in matters of Letters because at fifteene they quit bookes and begin to liue in the world when indeed a mediocritie betwixt their forme of education and ours would doe better then either No men stand more punctually vpon their Honours in matter of Valour and which is strange in nothing else for otherwise in their Conuersation the Custome and shifting and ouerspeaking hath quite ouercome the shame of it FINIS