Selected quad for the lemma: land_n
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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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most remarkable place in that side is Antwerp which rose vpon the fall of Bruges equally strong and beautifull remaining yet so vpon the strength of its former greatnesse twice spoyled by the Spaniard and the like attempted by the French The Cittadell was built there by the D. of Alva but renued by the Prince of Parma after his 18. moneths besieging it the Towne accepting a Castle rather then a Garrison to mingle among them There are yet in the Towne of Citizens 30000. fighting men 600. of which kept Watch nightly but they allowed neither Cannon vpon the Rampier nor Megazins of powder In the Castle are 200. peeces of Ordnance and commonly seuen or eight hundred Souldiers Flanders is the best of the seuenteene Provinces but the Havens thereof are naught Obseruations on the State of France 1609. vnder Henry the Fourth By Sir THOMAS OVERBVRY HAuing seene the forme of a Common-wealth and a Prouince with the different effects of Warres in them I entred France flourishing with Peace and of Monarchies the most absolute because the King there not only makes Peace and Warres Calls and dissolues Parliaments Pardoneth naturalizeth Innobleth Names the value of Money Presseth to the Warre but euen makes Lawes and imposes Taxes at his pleasure And all this he doth alone for as for that forme that his Edicts must be authorized by the next Court of Parliament that is the next Court of soueraigne Iustice first the Presidents thereof are to be chosen by him and to bee put out by him and secondly when they concurre not with the King he passeth any thing without them as he did the last Edict for the Protestants And for the assembly of the three Estates it is growne now almost as extraordinary as a generall Counsell with the losse of which their Liberty fell and when occasion vrgeth it is possible for the King to procure that all those that shall bee sent thither shall be his Instruments for the Duke of Guise effected as much at the assembly of Bloys The occasion that first procured the King that Supremacie that his Edicts should be Lawes was the last Inuasion of the English for at that time they possessing two parts of France the three Estates could not assemble whereupon they did then grant that power vnto Charles the Seuenth during the Warre And that which made it easie for Lewis the Eleuenth and his Successors to continue the same the occsion ceasing was that the Clergie and Gentrie did not runne the same fortune with the people there as in England for most of the Taxes falling only vpon the people the Clergie aud Gentrie being forborne were easily induced to leaue them to the Kings mercy But the King hauing got strength vpon the Pesants hath beene since the bolder to inuade part of both their liberties For the succession of this Monarchie it hath subsisted without intermission these 1200. yeares vnder three Races of Kings No Nation hath heretofore done greater things abroad in Palestine and Egipt besides all parts of Europe but for these last 400. yeares they haue only made Sallies into Italie and often suffered at home Three hundred yeares the English afflicted them making two firme Inuasions vpon them and taking their King prisoner the second greatnesse of Christendome next the Emperour being then in competition betwixt vs and them And to secure themselues against vs rather then the House of Austria as it then stood they chose to marry the Heire of Bretaigne before that of Burgundy And for this last hundred yeares the Spantard vndertaking them hath eaten them out of all but France and endangered that too But for this present France had neuer as France a more entire greatnesse though it hath often beene richer For since the Warre the King is only got afore hand the Country is but yet in recouering the War hauing lasted by spaces 32. yeares and so generally that no man but had an Enemie within three miles and so the Countrey became Frontier all ouer Now that which hath made them at this time so largely great at home is their adopting into themselues the lesser adioyning Nations without destruction or leauing any marke of strangenesse vpon them as the Bretons Gascoignes Provincalls and others which are not French towards the which Vnions their nature which is easie and harborous to strangers hath done more then any Lawes could haue effected but with long time The King as I said enioying what Lewis the 11. did gaine hath the entire Soueraigntie in himselfe because hee can make the Parliament doe what he please or else doe what he please without them For the other three Estates The Church is there very rich being estimated to enioy the third part of the Reuenew of France but otherwise nothing so potent as else-where partly because the Inquisition is not admitted in France but principally because the Popes ordinary power is much restrayned there by the Liberties which the French Church claymeth Which Liberties doe not so much ensranchize the Church it selfe as conferre the Authoritie the Pope looseth vpon the King as first fruites and the disposing of all Spirituall preferments And by reason of this neutralitie of Authoritie the Church-men suffer more there then either in England where they wholly depend vpon the King or in Spaine and Italie where they wholly subsist by the Pope because the Pope is not able totally to support them and the King takes occasion euer to suppresse them as beeing not entirely his Subiects and to him they pay yearely both the tenth of all their Tithe and of all their Temporall land The Gentrie are the onely entire Body there which participate with the Prerogatiues of the Crowne for from it they receiue Priuiledges aboue all other men and a kinde of limited Regality vpon their Tenants besides reall supply to their estates by Gouernments and Pensions and freedome from Tallies vpon their owne Lands that is vpon their Demaines and whatsoeuer else they manure by their Seruants but so much as they let to Tenants is presently Tallie-able which causeth proportionable abatement in the Rent and in recompence of this they owe to the King the Ban and the Arriereban that is to serue him and his Lieutenant three Moneths within the Land at their owne Charges And as in Warre they vndergoe the greatest part of the danger so then is their power most perremptorie aboue the rest whereas in time of Peace the King is ready to support inferiour persons against them and is glad to see them to waste one another by Contention in Law for feare they grow rich because hee fore-sees that as the Nobilitie onely can doe him seruice so they onely misapplyed can doe him harme The auntient Gentrie of France was most of it consumed in the Warres of Godfrey of Bulloigne and some in those of Saint Lewis because vpon their setting out they pawned all their Feifs to the Church and few of them were after redeemed by reason whereof the Church possesseth at