is de capite for which they seeke their owne ends not yours and though some of your puritan Subjects will dare to contradict it yet let traffique be heard and consult with your merchants who can best tell where entercourse and commerce is to be for their most advantage And I am sorry that so religious a King and so magnanimous as the King of France for privatum odium singulare commodum I should lay any block in the way of peace yet your highnesse knoweth that France hath their particular exceptions and piques against Spaine which no way concerne England and pretend what they will for your good it is their owne they seeke and keepe Spaine low and draw dry their finances but you shall shew to the world both great policy and vertue to glorifie your judgement if you can keep them both your friends albeit è duobus milibus utrum 〈◊〉 tibi ut your Majesty and Councell can best judge Therefore I beseech your Majesty consider what inconveniences may happen to England if either you should bee councelled to restore the Palatine or revenge his quarrell in despight of justice whom the law and justice have cast downe For cui bonos it can be no honour to defend a mans errours who might have said with Albinus Arma ameus capio let not a non putaram be laid to your charge The Realme hath no such interest in the quarrell of Forreigners but by alliance and I should pitty that Councellours weaknesse who should advise your Highnesse to the contrary for nothing is so neere and deare to a King as his Crowne and solus populi supreme lex est it is not your case but by consequence and participation and if you would attempt to restore or revenge him by indirect courses how are you provided to performe it Vana est sine viribus ira and to breake with Spaine and doe the Palatine no good is to damnifie England undoe your merchants and blemish the honour of your judgement CHAP. 7. Reasons why the Count Palatine is not to bee restored by Armes CAll therefore most gracious Prince true polici experience and vertue to give you councell and consult whether that your attempt be honourable falsible and for a King of England Cicero at Rome the best schoole of civill government being asked his opinion in a case like to this whether it were good for Lentulus and the common-wealth to undertake the charg to restore Ptolomy and put him in possession of his Kingdome out of which he was ejected he gave this advise li 1. epist familia si exploratum tibi sit posse te illius regni potiri non esse constandum si dubium non esse conandum and why totius facti tui judicium non tam ex concilio tuo quam ex eventu homines esse facturos si cecidisset ut volimus et optamus omnes te sapientur et fortiter si aliquid est offensum eosdimillos te et cupidè et temerè fecisse dicturos apply this to your selfe and you cannot erre Ptolomy was a Prince deposed and to be restored by force of armes who had cast his self into the protection of the Romanes and yet the danger hazard and uncertainty of that action did disswade and discourage the whole state I will shew another president to guide your judgment neerer to your case Christian the second King of Denmarke was deposed by his uncle Fredericke and his owne subjects his wife Isabella sister to Charles the 5th as the Palatines wife is to your highnesse and afterward hee was betrayed by Canutus Gulderstein who promised him in Fredericks name security and capitulations but notwithstanding he was taken and imprisoned many yeares yet the Emperour his brother maintained her and her children very nobly but though his cause was just his title without question his case lamentable Halfnia Malbogia and both Burgers and Paisants seeking his restoration and his cause depending in suite at Spires where he was like to have judgement for him as is manifest by the acts and records there Denmark contra Denmark in causa spolij as Melchior Geldastus testifieth yet for divers causes the Emperour resolved not to hazard himselfe and his people in a war so dangerous and unnecessary and for a man of forlorne hope and especially he himselfe being engaged in other occasions of more importance touching his honour and safety hee neglected this which though it were a crosse to his friends yet for their good hee was not to neglect himselfe and his State But if the practises of your predecessours may bee thought best to guide you Queene Isabell wife to King Edw. 2. flying to her brother the King of France for succour against the Spencers the Kings minions the French Kings Councell advised him to give her money and leave her to solicite such friends as she could procure but in no sort to appeare in the action nor give commission to levie men against the King of England for so he should give cause to renue the warre and set France in an uproare and danger which were a thing incommodious to himselfe and inconvenient to the State such was their warinesse and providence to preferre the place safety and prosperity of their Country farr above the respect of particular persons not regarding the Queene his sister so much as his crowne and safety And afterwards when Sir Iohn Heynault Lord Braumont undertooke to restore her both the heart of Heynault and his cheife officers opposed it as an enterprize of more courage then wisedome and although good successe made it seeme good yet it was not so of it selfe but by accident for the Queene having strong partie in England as now the Palatine hath in Germany the Barons sent over the Archbishop of Canterbury to assure her of their assistance and besides she carried over into England with her solem orientem Prince Edw. the Kings sonne and heire It was lately objected to me that the famous blacke Prince aided Don Pedro King of Castile against his Subjects who rebelled and wrongfully expelled him and therefore King Charles ought to doe the like for the aide of his sister I denie that he ought and I say also that the consequence is not good for the Prince aided a lawfull King against rebels you shall aide a usurper against a lawful King and an Emperour so in the cause there is odds Besides have you a blacke Prince the mirrour of all martiall Princes to be imployed in this expedition Or have you in Spaine or Ger. such a Rendezevous to let in your Forces with facility as he had in Aquitaine And besides you shall break a treaty of peace solemnly sworne which the Princes did not I adde also that valiant Candâ—is disswaded the Prince from undertaking the action you ought saith he to be content with the state you have and not to pull upon you the malice of forreign Princes but Prince Edwards owne reason why he
as Hen. 6. preserved amitye with the Netherlands he prospered and flourished Yea say the enemies of peace but now the case is altered Burgundy was then in mediocrity now it is in extreames for the King of Spaine is growne too great too potent and seekes to over shadow his neighbours and terrifie them with his titles of greatnesse as if Iupiter would ravish Europa These are vaine thunderbolts of fancie for the benefites which the Realme may reape by peace with Spaine being well setled are of farre more advantage then can any way be expected by joyning with Holland For thereby you shall againe establish commerce and traffique set all trades on work in the Realme enrich your merchants advance your Staples which bee your Maiesties Indies increase or at least continue your customes and so store and furnish your Exchequer by peace which the warres will continuâ—ally exhaust and draw drie Moreover by this peace you may better hold Holland in awe and a little restrain their insolency by a virtus unita and I see there is need to do so if you wil bridle their headinâ—sse you must keep them between hope and feare neither make them despaire of your aide by entertaining their enemies nor give them cause to presume by rejâ—cting the amity of Spaine And so holding them in suspence they wil seek by all good offices to win you for they know that England onely can curbe them and advance their enemie And so a state alwaies living in Armes must be used because they are more dangerous neighbours then all others and want neither will nor meanes to offend and by necessity are forced to respect onely themselves and to use all extreame shifts to uphold so broken and corrupt a state And for that argument of the greatnesse of Spaine I say it is therefore the greater honour to England to have so great a Prince to seeke and imbrace your amity Philip the third 1604. sent the great Constable of Castile with an olive branch in his hand to seeke peace bury al offences and reconcile the two Kingdoms with a perfect Amnestia here you see their greatnesse is no obstacle to amity and the rather because there never was till of late betweene England and Spaine any nationall contention nor any antipathy between the two crowns but now there is true but ab initio non fuit sic and cursed be he that would make variance continue perpetually betweene Kings and Realmes But that your Highnesse may know how great and entire the love and amity long continued betweene Spaine Portugall and England hath been the records shew that Anno 36. Hen. 3. Alphonsus King of Castile made a league with England for him and his successors solemnly contra omnes homines which he constantly observed So as when the French solicited a truâ—e betweene them he denyed cessation of armes and would hearken to no motions of a treaty till King Edw. 2. did mediate for it and the knot was so fast tyed betweene these two Realmes that Edw. 1. did marrie Elenor the Kings sister who proved a deare and loving wife unto him and plausible to the whole Realme in respect of which contract and marriage King Alphonsus renounced and râ—signed to King Edw. all his right and title to Aquitaine And his love and amity still increased for Iohn Protectour of Castile Anno 18. Edw. 2. sent a thousand horse and ten thousand foote to aide the King of England against France and so afterwards 18. Edw 3. before he made his challenge and invaded France King Peter of Castile agreed with King Edw. mutually the one to aid the other and the same King made the like league with Ferdinand King of Portugall But of all others John of Gaunt Duke of Lancaster by his actions his marriage and his titles did incorporate in a perfect union these two crownes as if nature had determined by an holy Sacrament inviolably to couple and linke together these three Kingdoms and by an union of blood to confirme that amity for of him all the Kings of Spaine and Portugal are descended Wherupon after the civil warres in Eng. were ended K. H. 7. a politick Prince sought to match his Sonne Prince Arthur with the Lady Katherine of Spaine that there might continue a perpetuall succession of consanguinitie between the two crownes and therefore renewed the old league with Philip the first of Austria an. 1505. the which continued warmely and faithfully untill the schisme and unkindnesse of Hen. 8. made some variance unfortunately betweene them But all this notwithstanding they object that the like is not hereafter to be expected of Spaine which by the union and accesse of Austria Portugall and both the Indies cannot be contained in any circle nor tyed by any pact to hold friendship with any Prince farther then he pleaseth These are the scar-crowes of Amsterdam vaine and untrue for Maximillian the Emperour after that great union made a league with King Hen. 8. 1507. and held so good correspondency with him that at Turvey he did his Maiesty the greatest honour that ever was done to England to take a hundred crownes a day to serve under his standard and he further promised King Henry to assist and aid him to take possession of the crowne of France Besides Carolus 5. on whom the greatnesse and glory of Spaine and Austria was most eminent and powerfull did be not come to visit King Henry in England did he not make the treaties of entercourse with him Anno 1515. and 1520 did he not confirme their amity by the treaty of Cambrâ—y 1529 So as there was a reciprocall and inviolable friendship betweene them till the Kings divorce from Queene Katherine the disgrace of his Aunt the schisme of England and King Henries confederation with the French King did much alien the Emperours heart from him but it was no rooted hatred For notwithstanding all his supereminent of titles and Kingdomes Anno 1543 they embraced one anothers friendship and renued it againe tractatu auctioris amicitiae And lastly King Edw 6. being dead the same Charles 5. as if hee had foreseene how one of these crownes stood in neede of the other married his legitimate son to Queene Mary with such conditions as were most honourable and profitable And after her death nothing but a quarrell of Religion ambition and faction broke the bond which prudently and out of his temperate disposition King Philip 3. laboured to tye a new and binde with a faster knot if his Royall offer had beene as wisely accepted as by the Count of Villa Mediana it was nobly tendred By all which appeareth their folly and vanity that thinke there can be no peace made with Spaine nor articles kept nor faith nor fidelity observed But consider who can oppose this peace with reason The Hollanders will I doubt not and they have meanes and spies in your Court I dare not say in your Councell as others here confidently affirme that know it but their quarrell
undertook it proveth strongly that your highnesse ought not to undertake the like for the Palsgrave for his argument was as heroicall as himself that he would attempt it for the right heir who was dispossessed of his inheritance by one who had no right to it the which was a matter of honour and such as the Kings son could not endure because it was a bad president and a wrong to the Royal state of all Monarchies whereupon King Edward 3 his father gave his consent to the enterprize Now if that argument were forcible to move him then it is as strong to move you not to assist the Palsgrave either for his restoration or revenge because hee dispossessed K. Ferdinand without any just title or claime and only upon quirks and cavills Queene Elizabeth shewed more wisedome and taught them a wiser lesson rather to have protected religion and the country then to usurp the crowne and though for the safety of her owne estate she went too far yet her colours were wel died and had a good glosse although in the end she repented and sought for peace Ann. 1588. when it was too late Lay this consideration to your heart before you strike up the drumme and learne by other mens harmes to prevent your owne When Queene Elizabeth began to aide the low-country-men I know she had 700 co l. in her Exchequer but before the 4. yeare of her raigne shee was forced to sell her land her people were taxed with subsidies tenths and privy-seals above two Millions and 800000. l. all which the realme lost and she gained nothing no not sure and thankfull friends I wil use no ominous predictions nor tell you the Astrologicall prophecy of Litenbergius who lived above 140. yeares before the battell of Prague I omit how that brave P. Sebastian King of Portugal ruined himselfe and lost his K. by iuvenile concilium by assisting a weak competitor against a strong adversary The world seeth that Man field and Alberstate are buried in oblivion and without a tombe and nothing prospereth that is undertaken to a perverse end or without good ground of justice The magnanimous King of Denmark albeit Tyeko Brabe had long before given him faire warning and a good caveat to looke to himselfe yet for his friends sake he hath dangerously run upon a rocke and hazarded his person his estate In land Holst the lives of his Subjects and his honour by taking armes against the Emperour First by assisting Halberstat and after revengeing the Palatine I wonder that so great a Prince did not remember that hee and his predecessours did hold Dith-Marsh in feodo of the Empire ever since Frederick the Emperour and also the Dutchy of Holsten for the which solemnly by an Embassador Pogge Wisch he did sweare homage and fealty to the Emperour and yet which was no small errour with his owne hands he did in contempt cast into the conditions of peace offered unto him by the peaceable Emperour Ferdinand for which hee may repent too late But Paulus Nagel who promised him mountains in his Kallender hath deceived him as Doctor Fink did the Hollanders and surely he is felix quem faciunt aliena pericula cautum For it is a safe Councell that Polibius gave non tantum praesentia spectare sed et futura prospicere et quis exitus in de futurus sit And as Niceas advised lib. 7. Thucid temeritas superbiaque populorum injusta bella suscipientium eos funditus perdit But Claud l. 11. annal. Taciti gave his friends this rule to rectifie all your judgements in this desperate case Princeps quantumvis graviter offensus prius securitati suae quà m vindicte consulat It is better to digest patiently some wrongs then stirre to revenge them and to keepe your owne estate securely guarded before you seeke to damnifie anothers And to say truely it is no policy in you to venture further in these actions then were fit and it were grosse folly to hazard your owne Crowne to recover a Coronet for another in a time of so dangerous practises And it is necessary to foresees whether the Palatine being by force put into possession of his Country the warre may so bee ended and you may bee sure to live in peace otherwise you shall enter into a laberinth and be entangled in a perpetuall incumbrances which your father did wisely foresee and if onely revenge must end the quarrell and satisfie you who then shall judge when the quarrell is sufficiently taken To conclude for the love and reverence I beare you I will not presume the councell your highnesse but to tell you the Councel of the state of Corsica lib. 1. Thucid non est semper prudentiae velle cum alijs periclitari sed ubi extra teli factum et periculum tutus in aliorum discrimine atque etiam post victoriam esse potiris But how much then more when there is doubt of the victory I will put your Majesty in mind of true judicious councellours Turpe est said Hermotinus in Thucid si quae respublica ut aliam ulciscatur acceptamque injuriam vindicâ—t ipsam majorem quam alias parat calamitatem incidat And how can you assure your state not to run this hazard Let them not abuse you and presse you with your honour for quicquid ex aequitate et justitia faciendum est licet sepè non ex dignitate reipub. fieri videatur ut bellum et calamitas imminens evitetur Remember that the Par. of England advised Rich. 2 to do homage for Callice and Guyen rather then to enter into war And the most glorious and fortunate Prince Edw. 3. told the Parliament anno 25. that to avoid the effusion of blood hee was content to disclaime all the right and interest he had in the crowne of France quietly and peaceably to enjoy his owne chart original de renunciat in thesaur If this King so great and victorious and fortified with an issue borne to inherite fame was desirous to imbrace peace upon tearmes of inequality and disadvantage though it concerne both the prosperity of the Realme and his own honour Hath your Majesty reason to precipitate your selfe and your Kingdome into an unnecessary war to endanger the state and prodigally spend your treasure and that which is dearer the lives of your Subjects for revenge of a quarrell ill begun and now in desperate termes A wise Prince will measure his undertakings by his power and great attempts need the directions of great judgments Forget not I pray you that Hen. 3. was driven to pawn his robes jewels and gold of St. Edwards Shrine and Edward 3. morgaged the crowne imperiall to Sir Iohn Wâ—senham a merchant invadavit magnam coronam Angliae for mony to supply him saith record Therefore without urgent cause be not by any giddy councell drawn hereafter to doe injuries to your neighbours or any more to invade Cales or Retz Hannibal invaded Jtaly and thereupon came the lest of Carthage King Iohn of France invaded Aquitaine and was led captive to England If by invadings then first the King of Spaine and the Emperor should invade you which God forbid how can the ill Councellours that misled you satisfie the the Realme and cleare your honour or how can they with conscience answer posterity for so much blood of their progenitors shed by reason of their folly Therefore this is my humble supplication and suite to your Majesty that your self would be pleased to peruse and ponder these few lines and to bee perswaded that nothing moveth me to this scribling presumption but my owne fidelity and the love of some of your servants here that pray for your happinesse Protesting and taking God to witnesse that I write by no instruction of Forreigners not for no pension nor obligation to any forreigne Prince whatsoever but this Hanc animum concede mihi ut caetera sunto FINIS