then himself For why should he render himself as an Hostage to Fortune when he needed not Or what could mend his present Condition but a contented Mind Pol si est animus aequus tibi satis habes qui vitam colas Plaut Aul. He that hath much and wants nothing hath yet as little as comes to nothing if he wants Equanimity It was generously spoken of Esau Gen. 33.9 I have enough my Brother And they that lose a good Portion which they had before because their Appetite did over-drive them let them look upon Children playing at a petty Game they will not stand but ask for another Card which puts them out Though these things were so maturely considered an Occasion came about which did lead him quite aside yet it was in the King's High-way He was at Royston in Attendance on the King and in the Marquess his Absence The King abruptly without dependance upon the Discourse on foot asked him When he was with Buckingham Sir says the Doctor I have had no business to resort to his Lordship But wheresoe'er he is you must presently go to him upon my Message says the King So he did that Errand and was welcom'd with the Countenance and Compliments of the Marquess and invited with all sweetness to come freely to him upon his own Addresses Who mark'd rather from whom he came then to whom he was sent And gather'd from the King's Dispatch That His Majesty intended that he should seek the Marquess and deserve him with Observance From henceforth he resolved it yet not to contaminate his Lordship with Bribery or base Obsequiousness but to shew himself in some Act of Trust and Moment that he was as sufficient to bring his Lordship's good Ends to pass as any whom he employed both with readiness to do and with judgment to do well Which thus succeeded to his great Commendation My Lord Marquess was a Batchelor and ripe for a gallant Wedlock His Youth his comely Person his Fortunes plentiful and encreasing his Favour he held with the King being as much or more then the Cardinal-Nephews in the Pope's Conclave What Graces could be sweeter in the Girdle of Venus that the Poets speak of Cestum de Veneris sinu calentem Martial He could not seek long to be entertained who was so furnished for a Suitor The Lady with whom he desired to match was Lady Katherine Manners Daughter and only Child surviving to Francis Earl of Rutland Hereby he should marry with a Person of Honour her Family being very anciently Noble and draw to his Line an access of Wealth and Revenue as the like not to be expected from the Daughter of any Subject in this Realm The Motion was set on foot in the beginning of the Year 1520 which stuck at two Objections The Earl of Rutland was slow or rather fullen in giving way to this lusty Woer who came on the faster directed it seems by Proverbial Wisdom That faint Heart never won fair Lady Certain it is that he kept not such distance in his Visits as was required Which put the Earl into so strong a Passion that he could not be mitigated though great Ones had attempted the Pacification In this distraction Dr. Williams took the opportunity to go between the great Men and to Umpire the Controversie He had often in former times made Journeys from Lincoln to visit the Earl at his Castle of Belvoir who was Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Lincoln and held some Leases of that Church whereof the Doctor was a Residentiary and Precentor The Earl had found him so true and fortunate in many Offices of Service which he had manag'd for his Lordship's sake that he prefer'd him before all his Neighbours for Wisdom and Fidelity Therefore he gave him very patient Hearing to his Propositions about the Lord Marquess his Amours and took down the heat of Inflammation with cool Advice All youthful Dalliances were clear'd from sinister Jealousie and had Allowance to be inoffensively continued To speak all together The Doctor brought the Earl about so dextrously with his Art and pleasant Wit that his Lordship put it into his hands to draw up all Contracts and Conditions for Portion and Joynture which he did to the fair satisfaction of both sides the noble Earl being so glad of a good Understanding between him and the Lord Marquess that the Counsellor at his Elbow induced him to settle more upon the Marriage then the Marquess and his Mother had demanded The first Door that was shut against the young Lord in Cupid's Court was thus opened to him Nothing is so good to soften that which is hard as the Language of a discreet Man Therefore the old Gauls did carve the God of Eloquence not after the shape of Mercury but of Hercules says Lucian carrying his Club in one hand his Bow and Shafts in the other But innumerous small Rings were drawn through his Tongue to which a multitude of Chains were fasten'd that reach'd to the Ears of Men and Women to which they were tied meaning by this Picture that he performed all his hard Labours by his Tongue and not by his Club 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And that which the Doctor brought to pass in the preceding Matter is fit for the Application of the Apologue Of whose Performance the Mother-Countess her Noble Son with the Ladies of the Kindred gave the best Account to the King that Thankfulness could make 51. The King commended it and was right glad that they were well out of the Mire where they all stuck before And now the Progress of the Suit seemed so easie as if a pair of Doves might draw the Chariot of Love when His Majesty put a strong Spoke into the Wheel which I may call The Second Obstruction For the Lady Katherine though she and her Family were not rigid forbearers of our Church yet she was bred a Papist This was no Straw at which the King stumbled For he knew it would sad the Spirit of some good People most tender of the Religion established when they should hear that the Noble-man in whom His Majesty did most delight was wedded to a Lady of that disaffected Superstition Therefore he liked not that the Marquess should proceed in that Marriage till the Lady were tried with sweet Perswasions to serve God together with her Husband constantly and without Hypocrisie after the Confession of the Reformed Church of England So His Majesty called for Dr. Williams and laid his strict and highest Commands upon him to use his best Skill upon the Conscience of that tender Lady misled by Education to make her a true Proselyte Before that was done He would be loth to give his Blessing to the Nuptials This He required of him before all his other Chaplains as well because he had the Ear of the Family more then any Man of his Coat whereof Proof was made in his late Actions as because he knew he had the Gift of Wisdom mixed with Learning to cure
would now quiet his eager Spirit but to put it to the question whether the Lordships were not content to open their Doors wide and to let all the Bishops out if they would The Lord Keeper Replied with a prudent Animosity That if he were Commanded he would put it to the Question but to the King and not to the House of Peers For their Lordships as well Spiritual as Temporal were call'd by the King 's Writ to sit and abide there till the same Power dissolv'd them And for my Lords Temporal they had no Power to License themselves much less to Authorize others to depart from the Parliament With which Words of irrefragable Wisdom that Spirit was conjur'd down as soon as it was rais'd But when the House was swept and made clean it returned again in our dismal Days with seven other Spirits worse than it self The Motion was then in the Infancy and we heard no more of it till it was grown to be a Giant and dispossessed our Reverend Fathers of their ancient Possession and Primigenious Right by Club-Law Let my Apostrophe plead with our Nobles in no Man's Words but Cicero's to Cataline In vastitate omnium tuas possessiones sacrosanctas futuras putas Could your Lordships imagine to limit Gun-Powder and Wild-Fire to blow up one half of the Foundation and to spair the other half When the Pillars of the Church were pluckt down could the Pillars of the State be strong enough to support the Roof of their own Dignity They should have thought upon it when they pill'd the Bark off the Tree that the Tree would flourish no more but quickly come to that Sentence Cut it down Why cumbereth it the Ground 92. Our Forefathers when they met in Parliament were wont to auspicate their great Counsels with some remarkable Favour of Priviledge or Liberality conferr'd upon the Church And because the Prelates and their Clergy were more concern'd than any in the Benefit of the Statutes made before the Art of Printing was found out they were committed to the Custody of their Religious Mansions The Reward of those Patriots was like their Work and God did shew he was in the midst of them They began in Piety they proceeded in Prudence they acted marvelously to the Maintainance of the Publick Weal and they Concluded in Joy and Concord But since Parliaments of latter Editions have gone quite another way to hearken to Tribunitial Orators that defamed the Ministry to encourage Projectors that would disseize them of their Patrimony when the Nobles from whom better was expected wax'd weary of them who were Twins born in the same Political Administration Samnium in Samnio We may look for England in England and find nothing but New England How are we fallen from our ancient Happiness How Diseased are we grown with the Running Gout of Factions How often have those great Assemblies been cut off unkindly on both sides before their Consultations were mellow and fit for Digestion We look for much and it came to little Was it not because the Lord did blow it away Hag. 1.9 It is not good to be busie in the Search of Uncertainties that are not pleasing yet they that will not trouble themselves to consider this Reason may find divers Irritations to Jars in the Causes below but I believe they will not reduce them better to the Cause of Causes from above From hence came Fierceness and Trouble upon this Session and God sent evil Angels among them Psal 78.49 For the House of Commons seem'd to the King to step out of their Way from the Bills they were preparing into the Closet of his Majesty's Counsels which put him to make Answer to them in a Stile that became his Soveraignty The King's Son-in-Law taking upon him the Title of King of Bohemia sore against the Father-in Law 's Mind the Emperor being in lawful Possession of that Kingdom over-run the greatest part of the Palatinate with some Regiments of Old Soldiers whereof the most were Spanish under the Conduct of Marquess Spinola Our King received the Injury no less than as a deep Wound gash'd into his own Body And all true English Hearts which did not smell of the Roman Wash were greatly provoked with the Indignity Prince and People were alike affected to maintain the Palsgrave in his Inheritance but several Ways They that are of one Mind are not always of one Passion The King assay'd to stop the Fury of the Imperialists by Treaty The Votes of the bigger Number of the House of Commons propounds nothing but War with Spain and this they could not do but in Civility they must first break off the Treaty of Marriage then in Proposition between the King 's dearest Son and the Infanta Maria. Neither of which pleased his Majesty in the Matter and but little in the Form that his Subjects should meddle in those high Points which he esteemed no less than the Jewels of his Crown before he had commended them to be malleated upon their Anvil The Matter that the Match with the Spanish Princess should be intended no more was dis-relishable because he esteemed her Nation above any other to be full of Honour in their Friendship and their Friendship very profitable for the enriching of Trade The Lady her self was highly famed for Virtue Wisdom and Beauty The Noble House of which she came had ever afforded fortunate Wives to the Kings of this Land and gracious with the People Her Retinue of her own Natives should be small and her Portion greater than ever was given with a Daughter of Spain And in the League that should run along with it the Redintegration of the Prince Elector in the Emperors Favor whom he had offended should be included Therefore his Majesty wrote thus to the Parliament We are so far engaged in the Match that we cannot in Honour go back except the King of Spain perform not such things as we expect at his Hands Some were not satisfied of which more in a larger Process that our Prince should marry a Wise of the Pontifician Religion For as Man's Soul contracts Sin as soon as it toucheth the Body so their severe and suspicious Thoughts were as consident as if they had been the Lustre of Prophetick Light that a Protestant could not but be corrupted with a Popish Wedlock Therefore the King took in hand to cure that Melancholy Fit of Superstitious Fear with this Passage that he sent in his Message at the same time If the Match shall not prove a Furtherance to Religion I am not worthy to be your King A well-spirited Clause and agreeable to Holy Assurance that Truth is more like to win than lose Could the Light of such a Gospel as we profess be eclips'd with the Interposition of a single Marriage A faint hearted Soldier coming near in his March to an Ambush unawares Plut vit Pelop. Cry'd out to his Leader Pelopidas Incidimus in hostes We are fallen among the Enemy No Man says his
this Rate he must buy the Soldiers Pay or be Scandaliz'd in the Army to the endangering of a Mutiny that he would yield nothing to save them from Starving who had jeoparded their Lives for him and his Children All this praemised I cannot dive into his Nature as some do that knew no more than I to say he was no Man of Courage but out of the Pith of his Arguments I can collect he was a Commander of Reason Happy those that liv'd under his Scepter who could say Claudian land Stil Hujus pacificis debemus moribus omnes Quod cuncti gens una sumus Plutarch compares Romulus and Numa that the former did all he could to train the People to Fight Numa did his best to suppress Wars Non ob ignavia sed innocentiae causa not out of Timorousness but of Harmlesness This is he that they say had the Goddess Aegeria to his Dry-Nurse whereas Romulus had a Wolf to his Wet-Nurse So I will define it in the Peroration that it was Harmlesness and Innocency that taught King James not to leave his Kingdom naked to the Storms of War and disrobed of the Mantle of Peace 94. Now to go on If the Matter debated about breaking of the Match and Proclaiming War with Spain had not disgusted the Modus Procedendi or Form how the Commons took in hand would have given less Displeasure But to keep them from hunting after such Royal Game his Majesty confines them into their own Purlues Not to meddle says he with any thing concerning our Government or deep Matters of State and namely not to deal with our dearest Son's Match with the Daughter of Spain nor to touch the Honour of that King or any other our Friends and Confederates And also not to meddle with any man's Particulars which have their due Motion in any Our Courts of Justice To which they Answer That they acknowledge it belonged to his Majesty alone to resolve of Peace and War and of the Marriage of the most Noble Prince his Son Nor did they assume to themselves any Power to determine of any Part thereof but to demonstrate those things to his Majesty which they were not assured could otherwise come so fully and clearly to his Knowledge which are mannerly but plain Shifts In the L'enocoy they rise higher That his Majesty did seem to abridge them of the ancient Liberty of Parliament for Freedom of Speech an Inheritance received from their Ancestors The Apple of Contention at last grew only upon the Stalk of those Words The King rejoyns unto it thus Although We cannot allow of the Stile calling it your ancient and undoubted Inheritance but could rather have wished that ye had said that your Priviledges were derived from the Grace and Permission of our Ancestors and Us for most of them grew from Precedents which shews rather a Toleration than inheritance Yet We are pleas'd to give you Our Royal Assurance that as long as you shall continue your selves within the Limits of your Duty We shall be as careful to maintain and preserve your Lawful Liberties and Priviledges as ever any of Our Predecessors were nay as to preserve Our own Royal Prerogative Had Queen Elizabeth sent such Lines to any of the Parliaments called in her Blessed Reign her Name had been advanc'd for a gracious and a renowned Lady It was this if not alone yet chiefly that made her Government more Popular at Home and Glorious Abroad than the Kings her Successors for they wanted nothing of Piety Wisdom and Justice that she never encountred with Harsh Gainsaying Tumultuous Parliaments But what Requital had King James sot his gentle Words perfum'd with sweet Gums Why they begat another Remonstrance full of strong Contestation That the Liberties Franchizes Priviledges and Jurisdictions of Parliament are the ancient and undoubted Birth-right and Inheritance of the Subjects of England and so forth along with every Note above Ela. Yet that no Diversion might be made nor Cessation of weightier Business for this the Lord Keeper writes to the Lord Marquess Decemb. Cabal p. 65. 16. in these Words His Majesty infers that the Priviledges of Parliament are but Graces and Favours of former Kings Most true for where were the Commons before Harry the First gave them Authority to meet in Parliament They claim those things to be their Inheritance and natural Birth-Right Both these Assertions if men were peaceably disposed and affected the Dispatch of the common Business might easily be reconciled Those Priviledges were originally the Favors of Princes and are now inherent in their Persons in their Politick Body His Majesty may be pleased to qualifie that Passage with some mild and noble Exposition This wise Letter cuts the Controversie by a Thred And this Office to mitigate that Passage Sir Humphry May performed singularly to his Praise yet nothing to Success Hereupon on the 21st of December this Session was Prorogued till February the 8th but utterly Dissolved by Proclamation Jan. 7. Surely every good man wish'd that the King and they had embrac'd at Parting Plutarch in the Life of Dion tells of a small Error in Nature which hapned in Syracusa That a Sow Farrow'd and her Pigs had no Ears That the Sooth-Sayers portended to Dionysius the Governor a great Mischief upon it that the People would be Disobedient and hear nothing that was Commanded There cannot be a more ominous Presage of Evil to come than when the Magistrate hath lost the Happiness of a persuasive Tongue and the People of a listning and obedient Ear. 95. An Evill befall that Archimago that Fiend of Mischief that set Variance between the Head and the Body The Lord Keeper who saw about him and before him understood who would have the worst of it in the End For the next Parliament is not weakned in its Power or Priviledges by the Dissolution of the Former but a King grows-less than himself if he depart asunder from that publick Assembly in a Paroxism or sharp Fit as Paul and Barnabas went one from another Acts 15.39 Therefore he read nothing so much to his Majesty as to study it next to his Faith in Christ how to close with the Desires of that High Court when it assembled again that it might be like a Mixture of Roses and Wood-binds in a sweet Entwinement And for his Part he was willing to serve him in it rather than in any thing to be unto him as the Black Palmer was to the Fairy Knight in Mr. Spencer's Moral Poem to guide his Adventure from all distemperate Eruptions Which was put home And let it rest a while till time brought it on that he was the Days-man of Success For now I remove him into his Place in Star-Chamber a Court though buried now yet not to be forgotten Cambden who kept the Nobleness of his Country from Oblivion says of it Curia camâ—rae sâ—llatae si vetustatem spectemus est antiquissâ—ma Si dignitatem honoratissima For the Antiquity the Lord
which all Convenencies that were formerly thought upon will cease The Remedy which he propounds to fail without all these Shelves I never did light upon out of this Letter 'T is thus The Emperor as your Majesty knows by his Embassador desires to Marry his Daughter with the King of England ' s Son and I doubt not but he will be glad to Marry his Second Daughter to the Palatine's Son So all the Conventencies of Alliance will be as full in this For it accommodates the Matter of the Palatinate and the Succession of his Grand-Children without Blood or Treasure Here is a new Bride appointed for his Highness the eldest Daughter of the Emperor which is unlikely to be intended because it comes from none but such an Author as Olivarez and in as much as when Count Suartzenburg came about eighteen Months before Embassador to our King from Caesar this was not moved at that Oportunity and when the Prince came to Spain no shadow of it remained but it was vanished like a Morning-mist before the Sun Now follow their Whimsies and their In and Ou ts at the Consulto when the Prince was among them The first Onset that Olivarez gave was That they were ready to follow all the Demands of the King of Great Brittain concerning the Match for his Son to the Demands for his Son-in-Law he said they were not in their Power to effect his Country was extended upon by the Emperor his Electoral Dignity invested in the Duke of Bavaria And within this Charm they kept us long till we were weary with their Obstinacy and sate down a while as when Boys Scourge a great Top till they make it sleep At last the Prince's Highness offended that he could gain nothing by this Alliance for his dear Sister 's Good offered to give King Philip a Farewel that he might look timely at Home for the Relief of her Misery On this no man courts his Highness to stay so much as Olivarez and to slacken his Return revives the Consult of the Restitution promiseth the strongest Mediation that the King his Master could make with the Imperialists and Bavarians which if it were rejected but they hoped better he would be forward for his Part to stir up his Catholick Majesty to give his Brother the King of England Assistance by Arms to procure him his Satisfaction Yet whatsoever he said his Heart lay a thought farther and he had a Trick to redeem himself out of this Promise for he told his Highness in a Weeks space after that he found their Nation so linked to the Love of the House of Austria that they would never march chearfully into the Field against it For all this the Weather-cock turn'd and he was affrighted in a moment into a good Mind again So did his Highness report at St. James's that a false Alarum being brought to Madrid that Count Tilly with his whole Body of Foot and Horse was routed in Germany instantly the Conde Duke came with as much Fear as Hast unto the Prince and with as much Lowliness as his Knee upon the Ground vowed he would give him a Blank for the Restitution of the Palsgrave's Interest but when the Second that is the worst News came that the Duke of Brunswick was quite defeated the Mood was changed with the Man and he spake as loftily from that Matter as if the great Armada had been failing again upon our Brittish Ocean Into how many Paces did Hipocrisie put him Sincerity would have got him Honour dispatch the Work and saved him all this Trouble for with the same Study nay with far less men may attain to be such as they ought to be which they mis-spend in seeking to be such as they are not Quibus id persuasum est ut nihil mallent se esse quà m bonos viros iis reliquam facilem esse doctrinam Cic. de orat lib. 3. After that great Don Jasper had put himself to the Expence of all this Folly he riveted in two Straws more like than Wedges to cleave the Knot First Let the Marriage be Consummated and then despair not but the Princess Infanta would beg the Palatinate with her earnest Prayers that she might be received with Honour and Applause among her Husband's People That is Seal their Patent and we shall have an empty Box to play with Or else marry the Lady and leave her behind till the Business for the Palsgrave's Patrimony were accommodated which is like Velez's Trick in Gusman of Alfarach to 〈◊〉 away both the Bride and the Bride-Cake The great Projector held close to one Proposition at the last that since Prince Frederick the Elector had highly offended Caesar in the Attempt and Continuance of it in the Matter of Bohâ—mia no Account should be had of his Person but Restitution should be made to his Eldest Son by Marrying the Second Daughter of the Emperor in which Clause the Prince concurred But the Sting in the Tail was that he should be bred up in the Emperor's Court to mold him into a Roman Catholick Upon which his Highness broke off the Earl of Bristol as a sharp Letter chargeth him written by the Prince Cab. Pag. 17. swallowing down that Difficulty at a Gulp because without some such great Action neither Marriage nor Peace could be had But Sir Wal. Aston flew back saying He durst not give his Consent for fear of his Head Now we have the Duke Olivarez in all his Party-colours who knew that the Breach of Alliance with England would be transcendently ill for Spain yet he would hazard a Mischief unless he might tear a Princely Limb from the Protestant Religion not unlike to the Paeotlans in Justin lib. 8. Tanto edio Phoâ—sunn ardentes ut obliti cladium 〈◊〉 perire ipsi qâ—à m non perdere eos praeaptarent How the Duke Olivarez smoothed it a Letter of his which would make a Pamphlet for the length will manifest which to this day hath lain in Obscurity but is worthy to come abroad It follows 161. HIS Majesty being in the Escurial I desired these my Lords the Embassadors that they wou'd repair hither to the end that we might treat of perfecting those things which concern the Palatine forasmuch as might be done from hence wherein we procure as you know to give Satisfaction to the King of Great Britain through whose Intercession together with that of the most Excellent Prince his Highness we have procured to dispose things in Germany and have used those Diligences which you know The Means which hath ever seemed most easie and apt for the well addressing of this Business is to Marry the Eldest Son of the Palatine to the second Daughter of the Emperor bringing him up in the Court of his Caesareal Majesty whereby the Restitution both of the States and Electorate to the said Son might be the better and more satisfactorily disposed And in this Conformity we have ever understood and treated and propounded it here But now coming close to
strong and violent Machination in hand which had turn'd the Prince a most Obedient Son before to a quite contrary Course to his Majesties Intentions Thirdly That the Counsel began last Summer at Madrid but was lately ripen'd and resolv'd in England to restrain his Majesty from the Exercise of the Government of his three Kingdoms and that the Prince and the Duke had design'd such Commissioners under themselves as should intend great Affairs and the Publick Good Fourthly That this should be effected by beginning of a War and keeping some Troops and Companies on Foot in this Land whereby to constrein His Majesty to yield to any thing chiefly being brought into Streits for want of Monies to pay Souldiers Fifthly That the Prince and Duke inclosing his Majesty from the said Embassador and other of his own Loyal People that they might not come near him in private did Argue in them a fear and distrust of a good Conscience Sixthly That the Emissaries of the Duke had brought his Majesty into Contempt with the Potent Men of the Realm traducing him for slothful and unactive for addiction to an inglorious Peace while the inheritance of his Daughter and her Children are in the Hands of his Foes and that this appear'd by a Letter which the Duke had writ into Holland and they had intercepted Seventhly That his Majesties Honour Nay his Crown and Safety did depend upon a sudden Dissolution of the Parliament Eighthly They Loaded the Duke with sundry misdemeanors in Spain and his violent Opposition of the Match Ninthly That the Duke had divulged the King's Secrets and the close Designs between his Majesty and their Master K. Philip about the States of Holland and their Provinces and labour'd to put his Majesty out of the good Opinion of the Hollanders Tenthly That the Duke was guilty of most corrupt dealing with the Embassadors of divers Princes Eleventhly That all things were carried on in the Parliament with a headlong Violence and that the Duke was the Cause of it who courted them only that were of troubled Humours Twelfthly That such Bitterness and Ignominies were vented against the King of Spain in Parliament as was utterly against all good Manners and the Honour of the English Nation Thirteenthly Is a flat Contradiction to the Precedents wherein they made the Prince privy to dangerous things yet in this they say That the Puritans of whom the Duke was Head did wish they could bring it about that the Succession of the Kingdom might come to the Prince Palatine and his Children in Right of the Lady Elizabeth Thus lay the Notes of the Lord Keeper This is the Dirt which the Swallows or rather unclean Birds pickt up and made their Nest of it And this is not all But that which remains shall be burnt in the Fire Latere semper patere quod latuit diu Saepè eruentis veritas patuit malo Senec. in Aedipo In a Postscript the Paper prayed the King That Don Francisco Carondelet Secretary to Marquess Inoiosa might be brought to the King when the Prince and Duke were sitting in the Upper House to satisfie such doubts as the King might Raise which was perform'd by the Earl of Kelly who watch'd a fit Season for Francisco at one time and for Padre Maestro the Jesuit at another time who told their Errand so spitefully that the King was much troubled at their Relations 202. He that says U. Sanderson P. 562. that not a day past but that he was present and acquainted with all the Transaction of these pernicious Delators to the end should have said he knew it at the end when the Monster was brought to light then his History indeed will justifie it self that it did not startle the King But his Majesty's Sorrow increased while it was smothered and Fear set in apace till a wise Remonstrance resisted it And it was no Wonder that he was abused a while and dim sighted with a Character of Jealousie For the Parliament was about to land him in a new World to begin and maintain a War who thought that scarce any Mischief was so great as was worth a War to mend it Wherein the Prince did deviate from him as likewise in Affection to the Spanish Alliance but otherwise promised nothing but Sweetness and Obedience He stuck at the Duke most of all whom he defended in part to one of the Spanish Ministers yet at the same time complained that he had noted a turbulent Spirit in him of late and knew not how to mitigate it Thus casting up the Sum he doubted it might come to his own Turn to pay the Reckoning The Setters on expected that their Pill could not choose but have a most violent Operation And it wrought so far that his Majesty's Countenance fell suddenly that he mused much in Silence that he entertained the Prince and Duke with mystical and broken Speeches From whence they gathered all was not right and questing for Intelligence they both heard that the Spanish Secretary and the Jesuit Maestro had been with him and understood that some in the Ambassador's House had vaunted that they had netled the Duke and that a Train would take Fire shortly to blow up the Parliament While his Majesty was gnawn with this Perplexity he prepared for Windsor to shift Ground for some better Ease in this Unrest and took Coach at St. James's-House-Gate in the end of April being Saterday Afternoon He received his Son into the Coach and sound a slight Errand to leave Buckingham behind as he was putting his Foot in the Boot which brought Tears from him and an humble Prayer that his Majesty would let him know what could be laid to his Charge to offend so gracious a Master and vowed it by the Name of his Saviour to purge it or confess it The King did not satisfie him in it it seems the time of Detection in his deep Judgment was not come and he had charged all that were privy to the Occasion to be very secret Cab. P. 77. But he breathed out this Disgust That he was the Unhappiest alive to be forsaken of them that were dearest to him which was uttered and received with Tears from his own Eyes as well as the Prince's and Duke's whom he left behind and made hast with his Son for Windsor The Lord Keeper spared not for Cost to purchase the most certain Intelligence of those that were his feed Pensioners of every hours Occurrencies at Court and was wont to say That no man could be a Statesman without a great deal of Money Of this which had hapned his Scout related presently what he could see for he heard little Which News were no sooner brought but he sought out the Duke at Wallingford-House and had much ado to be admitted to him in his sad Retirement Whom he found laid upon a Couch in that immoveable Posture that he would neither rise up nor speak though he was invited to it twice or thrice by courteous Questions The Lord Keeper
in that kind to press an Injury against any Man but might come about to be Scann'd Little did a greater Man than the Duke the Emperor Ludovicus called the Holy Dream That he should be Persecuted so far by his Son Lotharius and Edo Bishop of Rhemes to set under his Hand an Acknowledgment of his Errors in forcing Judges to do unjustly Yet it was so as it is in Baron An. 833. Com. 17. Inter Ludovici crimina quae publicè agnouit Quod Judicantes ad falsum Judicium induxit Of two Evils the less was to be chosen by the Keeper rather to provoke one Man then all Men nay rather to provoke Man than GOD That some will be provok'd it cannot be avoided It is best to instance in a whole Nation to give no Offence Aristides in one of his Orations Censures the Old Romans and the Modern are no better They held all that were under them for Slaves and all that would be Freemen and not Slaves for Enemies The King heard the noise of these Crashes and was so pleas'd that he Thank'd God before many Witnesses that he had put the Keeper into that Place For says he He that will not wrest Justice for Buckingham 's Sake whom I know he Loves will never be corrupted with Money which he never Lov'd His Majesty would have a Judge to be such a one as Justinian aimed at Novel 17. Vir optimus purus his contentus quae à fisco dantur A good Man that took nothing of the People but was contented with such Wages as the King gave him He had found the Man And because the Lord Keeper had Husbanded that Stock Three years and half and lived fairly upon it and was not the Richer by the Sale of one Cursitors Place in all that time His Majesty Granted him a Suit by the Name of a New-Years-Gift after the size of the Liberality of that good Master which was enough to keep a Bountiful Christmas twice over The Giver did not repent him but thought himself repaid with a Conceit that this most useful Counsellor produc'd at that Season about the Children of the Prince Elector The Spanish Treaties were laid aside and new Ones from France rose up in their Room which being Examin'd it could not appear that they did portend any Comfort to the Recuperation of the Palatinate His Majesty bewailed that his Grand-Children then Young and Tender would be very Chargeable to England when they grew to be Men. It was their Sole Refuge They might Seek their Fortune in another place and come home by Spills-Bury Sir says the Lord Keeper Will you be pleased to listen to me taking in the Prince his Consent of which I make no doubt and I will shew how you shall furnish the Second and Third Brothers with Preferments sufficient to maintain them that shall cost you nothing Breed them up for Scholars in Academial Discipline keep them strictly to their Books with such Tutors as will Teach them not to abuse themselves with vain Hopes upon the Greatness of their Birth For it is a Folly to gape after the Fruit hanging upon a high Tree and not to know how to Climb it If they fall to their Studies design them to the Bishopricks of Durham and Winchester when they become void If that happen in their Nonnage which is probable appoint Commendatories to discharge the Duty for them for a laudable Allowance but gathering the Fruits for the support of your Grand-Children till they come to Virility to be Consecrated George Duke of Anhault having Ministerial Gifts was Ordain'd into that Holy Calling at Magdeburg and yet put to no Shifts as Melancthon is my Author and many more The Priestly Office was esteem'd from the beginning fittest for the best Gentlemen for the First-Born among them that serv'd the Truo God And the Romans who serv'd them that were no Gods learn'd it at Athens from Theseus Plut. in vità 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That Citizens of the Noblest Blood should be train'd up in knowledge of Sacred Things and be made the Administrators of Divine Mysteries And I am at another Benefit wherein I praise God that I am assured Your Majesty will concur with me That the Office of a Bishop imprudently by many Mâ—lign'd I might charge them with a worse Crime will be the more Inviâ—lable when the Branches of Your Royal Stock have so great an Interest in it And such Provision is Needful against Schismatical Attempts both for Religious Sake and the Publick Weal For if such great Superstructions should fall all would come to Ruin that is round about them I will yet go further If Your Majesty think a Bishoprick though of the best kind too little for either of them you may please to annex to each of them one of your principal Offices of State as You find them Trusty and Discreet When he had ended As I Live says the King I will fellow this Direction I thank you heartily for it and I attend it that it will save me more then the worth of a Subsidy Thus far these Matters were well Chewed But because they were not followed when others bore the sway they never came to a second Concâ—ction 215. The Peaceable Period of King James's Reign drew on when the times were active about a Marriage between our Prince and a Daughter of France the youngest of Henry the Great 's Posterity for she was a Posthuma a Princess eminently adorn'd with many Rays of Honour celebrated far and wide for Beauty Wit and sweet Disclosures of Behaviour The Lord Keeper was not us'd in Counsel about it till after many sendings to and fro Yet what fell out at last for his part to the better Understanding of Conditions of Agreement is worthy to hang upon the File of Honourable Registry Viscount Kersâ—ngâ—â—â— Created of Holland in the pursuance of that Service was sent into France almost a Twelve-Month before to discover what Approbation was like to follow if this Match were offer'd The Earl had an Amorous Tongue and a Wise Head could Court it Smoothly as any Man with the French Ladies and made so Fortunate an account into England after Three Months of his Introductions that he saw no fear of denial in the Suit nor of Spinosity in the Articles But because he was 〈◊〉 put in Trust by the Lord Duke and our King would scarce acknowledge that he had given him Authority for all that he had done He sent the Earl of Carlile after him His Majesty much affying in that Lords Fidelity and put them both into the same Commission They were Peers of the best Lustre in our Court Elegant in their Persons Habit and Language and by their nearness to King 〈◊〉 apt Scholars to learn the Principles of Wisdom and the sitter to improve their Instructions to Honour and Safety While these Things went on the 〈◊〉 made it is Thought and Study what to do befitting a Counsellor and 〈…〉 upon the prospect of the