Selected quad for the lemma: kingdom_n
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A01128
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Certaine miscellany vvorks of the Right Honourable Francis Lo. Verulam, Viscount S. Alban. Published by William Rawley ...
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Bacon, Francis, 1561-1626.; Rawley, William, 1588?-1667.
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1629
(1629)
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STC 1124; ESTC S100333
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51,832
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176
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years And as Tacitus noteth well That the Capitoll though built in the beginnings of Rome yet was fit for the great Monarchy that came after So that Building of Lawes sufficeth the Greatnesse of the Empire of Spaine which since hath ensued Lewis the eleuenth had it in his minde though he performed it not to haue made one constant Law of France Extracted out of the Ciuill Roman Law and the Customes of Prouinces which are Various and the Kings Edicts which with the French are Statutes Surely he mought haue done well if like as he brought the Crowne as he said himselfe from Page So he had brought his People from Lacquay Not to runne vp and downe for their Lawes to the Ciuill Law and the Ordinances and the Customes the Discretions of Courts discourses of Philosophers as they vse to doe King Henry the Eighth in the twenty seuenth yeare of his Reigne was authorized by Parliament to nominate 32. Commissioners part Ecclesiasticall and part Temporall To purge the Canon Law and to make it agreeable to the Law of God and the Law of the Land But it tooke not effect For the Acts of that King were commonly rather Proffers and Fames than either well grounded or well pursued But I doubt I erre in producing so many examples For as Cicero said to Caesar so may I say to your Maiestie Nil vulgare te dignum videri possit Though indeed this well vnderstood is farre from Vulgar For that the Lawes of the most Kingdomes and States haue beene like Buildings of many peeces patched vp from time to time according to occasions without Frame or Modell Now for the Lawes of England if I shall speake my Opinion of them without partiality either to my Profession or Country for the Matter and Nature of them I hold them Wise lust and Moderate Lawes They giue to God they giue to Caesar they giue to the Subiect what appertaineth It is true they are as mixt as our Language compounded of Brittish Roman Saxon Danish Norman Customes And surely as our Language is thereby so much the richer So our Lawes are likewise by that Mixture the more compleat Neither doth this attribute lesse to them than those that would haue them to haue stood out the same in all Mutations For no Tree is so good first set as by transplanting and Grafting I remember what happened to Callisthenes that followed Alexanders Court and was growne into some displeasure with him because he could not well brooke the Persian Adoration At a Supper which with the Grecians was a great part Talke he was desired the King being present because he was an Eloquent Man to speake of some Theme Which he did And chose for his Theme the praise of the Macedonian Nation Which though it were but a filling Thing to praise Men to their Faces yet he performed it with such aduantage of Truth and auoidance of Flattery and with such Life as was much applauded by the Hearers The King was the lesse pleased with it not louing the Man and by way of discountenance said It was easie to be a good Oratour in a pleasing Theme But saith he to him Turne your stile And tell vs now of our faults that we may haue the profit and not you the praise onely Which he presently did with such Quicknesse that Alexander said That Malice made him Eloquent then as the Theme had done before I shall not fall into either of these Extremes in this Subiect of the Lawes of England I haue commended them before for the Matter but surely they aske much Amendment for the Forme Which to reduce and perfect I hold to be one of the greatest Dowries that can be confer'd vpon this Kingdome Which Worke for the Excellency as it is worthy your Maiesties Act and Times So it hath some circumstance of Propriety agreeable to your Person God hath blessed your Maiesty with Posterity And I am not of opinion that Kings that are barren are fittest to supply Perpetuity of Generations by perpetuity of Noble Acts But contrariwise that they that leaue Posterity are the more interessed in the Care of Future Times That as well their Progeny as their People may participate of their Merit Your Maiesty is a great Master in Iustice and Iudicature And it were pity the fruit of that your Vertue should not bee transmitted to the Ages to come Your Maiestie also reigneth in learned times the more no doubt in regard of your owne Perfection in Learning and your Patronage thereof And it hath beene the Mishap of Works of this nature that the lesse Learned Time hath sometimes wrought vpon the more Learned Which now will not be so As for my selfe the Law was my Profession to which I am a Debter Some little Helps I haue of other Arts which may giue Forme to Matter And I haue now by Gods mercifull Chastisement and by his speciall Prouidence time and leisure to put my Talent or halfe-Talent or what it is to such Exchanges as may perhaps exceed the Interest of an Actiue Life Therefore as in the beginning of my Troubles I made offer to your Maiestie to take paines in the Story of England and in compiling a Method and Digest of your Lawes So haue I performed the first which rested but vpon my selfe in some part And I doe in all humblenesse renew the offer of this latter which will require Helpe and Assistance to your Maiestie if it shall stand with your good pleasure to imploy my Seruice therein THE HISTORY OF THE REIGNE OF KING Henry the Eighth LONDON ¶ Printed by IOHN HAVILAND for Humphrey Robinson 1629. THE HISTORY OF THE REIGNE OF King HENRIE The Eighth AFter the Decease of that Wise Fortunate King King Henry the 7 who died in the Height of his Prosperity there followed as vseth to doe when the Sun setteth so exceeding cleare one of the fairest Mornings of a Kingdome that hath beene knowne in this Land or any where else A young King about 18. yeares of Age for Stature Strength Making and Beauty one of the goodliest Persons of his time And though he were giuen to Pleasure yet he was likewise desirous of Glory So that there was a passage open in his Minde by Glory for Vertue Neither was he vn-adorned with Learning though therein he came short of his Brother Arthur He had neuer any the least pique Difference or Iealousie with the King his Father which might giue any occasion of altering Court or Counsell vpon the change but all things passed in a Still He was the first Heire of the White and the Red Rose So that there was no discontented Party now left in the Kingdome but all Mens Hearts turned towards him And not onely their Hearts but their Eyes also For he was the onely Sonne Of the Kingdome He had no Brother which though it be a comfortable thing for Kings to haue yet it draweth the subiects Eyes a little aside And yet being a married Man in those young yeares it promised hope of speedy Issue to succeed in the Crowne Neither was there any Queene Mother who might share any way in the Gouernment or clash with his Counsellours for Authority while the King intended his pleasure No such thing as any Great and Mighty Subiect who might any way eclipse or ouershade the Imperiall Power And for the people and State in generall they were in such lownesse of obedience as Subiects were like to yeeld who had liued almost foure and twenty yeares vnder so politique a King as his Father Being also one who came partly in by the sword And had so high a Courage in all points of Regalitie And was euer victorious in Rebellions and Seditions of the People The Crowne extremely rich and full of Treasure and the Kingdome like to be so in short time For there was no War no Dearth no Stop of Trade or Commerce it was onely the Crowne which had sucked too hard and now being full and vpon the head of a young King was like to Draw lesse Lastly he was Inheritour 〈◊〉 Fathers Reputation which was great 〈◊〉 ouâ— the World He had streight â—â—â—nceâ— with the two Neighbour States 〈…〉 Enemy in 〈◊〉 to times and an 〈…〉 Friâ—â—d Scotland and Burgundy He had Peace and Amitie with France vnder the Assuâ—â—â—â— not only of Treatie and League but of Necessâ—â—e and Inhabilitie in the French to doe him hurt in respect that the French Kings Designes were wholly bent vpon Italy So that it may be truly said there had scarcely beene seene or knowne in many Ages such a rare Concurrence of Signes and Promises of a happy and flourishing Reigne to ensue as were now met in this young King called after his Fathers name HENRY the Eighth c. FINIS