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	son_n	33,152	5	6.0091	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A70678	Some notes concerning the life of Edward Lord North, Baron of Kirtling, 1658 by Sir Dudley North Lord North.	North, Dudley North, Baron, 1602-1677.	1682 (1682)	Wing N1286A; ESTC R678	21,672	50

such points of belief as had small relation to that competition for power But to return to our business the person whose Life we endeavour to describe soon found a difference between his old Master King Henry who already had gratified most of those which had shewed themselves active in his service and the Duke of Somerset newly made Protector of the King's person for this man that he may advance to places of honour and power those persons who have their dependance upon him must either find or force a way for the effecting of it with them who are in possession of those dignities And King Edward had not reigned two years before Richard Sackvill Esq had the Chancellourship of the Augmentations in his eye and with all so great an interest in the Protector as to engage him strongly in the pursuit For the Protector soon caused the business to be proposed to the person whom it chiefly concerned and he finding himself too weak to wrestle with a man that did little less than govern the whole Kingdom in those days thought fit so far to give way as to bring the matter to a treaty wherein he carried himself so like his arts Master though the Protector in person was witness to most of it as he parted with the place upon terms very considerable for honour security and profit and yet ordered the business in such a manner as the Protector could not but take himself to be obliged in it as may appear by the articles of agreement between Sackvill and him and by other writings under Seal belonging to that business where the expressions seem to lay all the weight upon the Lord Protector who is therein styled Mr. Sackvill's good Lord. Thus by his wisedom he not only prevented a mischief which might have befallen him in the opposition and preserved himself in the dignity of a Privy Counsellor but gained a fresh interest in the Duke of Somerset that might have made him great returns But it pleased God to dispose of matters otherwise for the Protector soon lost not only his power but his life being supplanted by the subtile practices of John afterwards Duke of Northumberland who though he assumed not the other's title of Protector yet bare no less sway in the government and demeaned himself with much greater insolence than Somerset About this time Sir Edward North finding way made upon him concerning his great office thought good to strengthen himself by alliance matching his eldest Son with the Lady Winifride Daughter to Richard Lord Rich then Lord Chancellor of England and Widow to Henry Dudley eldest Son to the said Duke of Northumberland but neither that alliance nor any of his other dependencies gave him encouragement to seek farther advancement during the reign of King Edward so as then he endeavoured as it seems only to make good his former station waiting for better opportunity In the mean time as appears by an account of his houshold expences he shewed himself worthy of greater honour by living in a way of more eminency than hath been usual with persons of his condition in those and the following times and then also his wisedom prompted him to have an eye to the Princess Mary next in succession to the Crown for he forgot not to put her in mind of him by presents This had been worthy of commendation if he had done it only as a testimony of gratitude to her Father but he may well be thought to have carried on a farther design in it for we find not any such thing done in relation to the Princess Elizabeth the other Sister and whether or no he did then discern some declination in the health of King Edward who is said to have died of a Consumption it is not easie to unfold Yet such was the iniquity of those times as his great foresight could not prevent his being involved together with the rest of the Privy-Council all the great officers and most of the eminent persons in and near the Court and City of London in a danger even by way of opposition to the said Princess Mary which in probability would have swallowed up any small number of them if they had been severed For the Duke of Northumberland foreseeing the certainty of the King's death had so wrought upon his tender age and weakness as to make him as far as in him lay to disinherit both his Sisters and to establish the Succession in the Lady Jane Grey his near kinswoman then joined in Matrimony to the Lord Guilford Dudley one of the Duke's Sons This was done by Testament and because there was an Act of Parliament to the contrary the Duke thought it not of sufficient validity without the concurrence and confirmation of all those who were then in power wherefore he caused a Subscription to be tendered to every one of them and so apprehensive were they of his displeasure with the consequences of it as there is no refusal recorded but that of Sergeant Hales one of the puney Judges for it seems that all the rest subscribed This action of his may seem to question both the Integrity and wisedom of our Progenitor and to vindicate him in it will require a digression of some length To plead infirmity as a defence is not worthy of a person so eminent for wisedom though Metus qui potest cadere in virum fortem doth very much excuse and though it may very well become a Statesman to prevent a present danger with the hazard of a much greater in the future for as the Italians say Chi ha tempo ha vita He who hath time hath life which consideration made the then chief Justice of the King's Bench upon this very occasion when his Brother of the Common Pleas told him that they might both of them be hanged twenty years after if they should subscribe the Testament to return this Answer That it was most true but yet as true that if they subscribed it not the Duke of Northumberland might chance to hang them presently But in my opinion it is not much to be doubted but Sir Edward North had for his security a better reserve which is this a knowing that the Princess Mary had received assurances from him to be faithfull to her and to her interests in the way of allegiance next to her Brother's person and Posterity if any should be which made her notwithstanding this Subscription not only to continue him in his former dignity but to advance him a degree higher in the very first year of her reign And this course of his to hold himself in power with an intention to serve his lawfull Sovereign who knew that intention could not but be very serviceable to her and being so how could it give any great offence in a thing so generally done And as for his own concernments it cannot well be doubted but they would prompt him to his then compliance self preservation at that very time being conceived necessary by so many persons