liuer and euerie man that hath authoritie is bounde both to correct the offence and to enquire after the offender If euerie man in his calling woulde thus truely doe the office of a good Common wealthes man Enuie and all euill woulde bee easilie withstoode men woulde soone looke into the dueties of their proper vocation for feare that others looked into the abuses thereof I haue with the authoritie of the wise and learned set downe what is needefull for euerie man to consider of his calling if they will striue against vertue and the credite of their vocations they are worthy of double punishment both for the fault and for wilfulnesse being warned of which I hope the godly reader will be admonished MIRROVR Lib. 3. CHAP. 1. Of the excellency of Royal dignities and dueties of a good King and of the short raignes and violent ends of Tyrantes THE dignitie Royall is so greate and holy as kings that are protectors and defenders of humane society imitate the prouidence of God whose office action is to gouerne al things and therfore rightly and properly are they called Uicars and Ministers of that most soueraine puissant and vniuersall gouerner And he himselfe calleth them gods figuring in that sacred name two hie charges the one that kings crowned with so glorious a name should imitate God whose lieuetenants they are in their religion Iustice and gouernement the other that subiectes knowing the honour that God giueth vnto kings should adore and worship them with all possible reuerence S. Paul saith he that resisteth the ordinance of the king resisteth the ordinance of God Looke what dignitie instruction is giuen vnto the king the Lord vouchsafeth to say that he bestoweth the same himselfe as in these passages of Scripture By me kings raigne Harken then you kings for power is giuen you of the Lord. Dauid thus singeth the Lord teacheth the kings hands to mannage Armes and his fingers to war And to the like effect are many other authorities Porrus king of the Indians being taken in battaile Alexander demaunded of him how he would be intertained Porrus answered as a king Alexander demaunded againe if he would say any thing else Porrus said no for all honor is contained in this word king This name king was held of so great reuerence among the people of many nations as the Indians and the Persians worshiped their kings as deuine Idols held the incounter happie if by chance they saw their king The Ethiopians so reuerenced their king as they adiudged him worthie of death that did but spit in their kings presence The Poets celebrated Iubiter more by the name of king than any other title It is wonderfull with what patience the Romanes and other Nations suffered the tyrannie of their vitious Emperors and barbarous kinges and if by Gods Iustice any of them were cut off the vnciuile multitude were the instruments thereof for the graue and wise senators were seldome guiltie of their destructions At this day the Turkes so reuerence their Emperors commaundements as they execute themselues if their Emperour pronounce the sentence Christian kings are nothing so seuere towards their subiectes but Christian subiectes are farre lesse obedient to their kings well euill will fal vpon his house that resisteth against the ordinance of the king for he that resisteth receiueth vnto himselfe damnation Yea albeit the king bée a tyrant so long as his commaundements are not to the dishonour of God He that resisteth because the king is a tyrant encreaseth his sinnes and doubleth Gods wrath who sendeth Tyrants to punish the sinnes of the wicked who saith I will do vengeance on my enimies by my enimies God saieth Iob maketh the hypocrite to raigne for the sinnes of the people In O see God speaketh thus I will giue thee a king in my furie And in Esay Assur is the Rodde and staffe of my furie By these and many other testimonyes it is apparant that God setteth kings in their kingdomes by they good or euill and will not haue them remoued at their subiectes pleasure A man that placeth an euill steward ouer his house in no case will allow that his seruaunts shall put him out of office for that such boldnesse would lessen the authoritie of their master who hath the prerogatiue to place and displace his officers much more presumption is it if subiects displace their prince who hath a greater power ouer them than a master ouer his seruaunts for the master in some cases shal answere the sute of his bond-man but the king in no case de Iure shall answere a trespasse done to his subiect for his prerogatiue is aboue the law although many good kings suffer themselues to be gouerned by their good Lawes God setteth them in their kingdomes and God alone will haue the authoritie to remoue them Saul vniustly persecuted Dauid yet Dauid hauing aduantage to slay him said to Abisai distroy him not for who can lay his hands of the Lords annoynted and bee guiltlesse And he further saide The Lord keepe me from laying my hands of the Lords annoynted In auncient times kings not onely gouerned the common wealth but also tooke charge of the Sacrifices and Ceremonies The Hebrewes annointed their kings with the selfe same Oyle that they did their hie Priestes which prooueth that kings are sacred and who so euer layeth violent hands vppon them cannot but bée guiltie of Irriligion Wée sée dignitie of Royall gouernement which dependeth vppon one soueraigne heade to be liuely figured in man himselfe in whom reason gouerneth as soueraigne Quéene The world it selfe where aboue our eyes we behold infinite bodies and motions which hindreth not one an others course belowe we sée a Sea that continually threateneth the earth and yet ouerfloweth it not The earth being verie waightie and massiue we may perceiue to be set or rather hanging in the aire and yet stirreth not all which would soone be out of order if it were not gouerned by the wisedome of one onely God Euen so a kingdome which as Plato defineth is composed of a mightie number of people and as the prouerbe goeth So manie men so many iudgements would soone haue come to naught through the couetous desire to raigne and disdaine to obey if there were not one soueraigne commaunder of these infinite affections which prooueth that Monarchia which is the gouernement of one is far more sacred excellent and perfite then Aristocratia Democratia Oligarchia Laocratia or any other compound gouernement for it is a harder matter to finde out many than one that is good The contrarietie of affections where there are many heads can hardly but bring forth enuie deuision and to conclude continuall dissention Considering then the worthines of Monarchia and the maiestie of a king obedience is not onely required of a subiect but the daunger that followeth counselleth and forbiddeth so much as to murmure against princes There is an auncient
reported that his notorious crimes exceeded the dayes of his age which I ouerpasse as examples necessary for other purposes and vnto this impious parte I will ioyne this following crueltie Upon a day one tolde this naughtie Emperour that his cosen Mamertius Antomenes resembled him in comelynesse of bodie and magnanimitie of minde vpon which report Commodus pronounced death both vpon the reporter and his innocent cousen holding it for reason that it appertained to no man to vaunt lesse to resemble him and in my opinion if Antomenes resembled him in deuilish qualities death was too easie a scourge for so lewde a life Mulla Abdula father of Moley Mahumet commonly called the blacke king in whose cause the mortall battaile betwéene the king of Portugall and Amoley Muluco king of Fees was fought the 5. of August 1578. as in the alteration of the latter common weales by enuy shal be more largely shewen vpon an enuious suggestion that his brethren by the priuity in nature and bloud loked to liue in greater liberty then subiectes by the assistaunce of a noble man of the countrey called Alcatho Alley caused the throates of a eleuen of his brethren to be cut in one morning Now to conclude these particular tyrannies of enuye vnto which millions of notorious examples may be enserted the monstrous murders of king Richard the third a tyrant of our nation is worthy note in whose wretched end yet worthy his wickednes the happines of Englande began againe to florish and enioyed her auncient renowne This tyraunt at such time as he was Duke of Glocester with an enuious eye behelde the soueranity of king Edwarde the 4. his brother and yet inforced by necessity obeyed him For annoynted kinges with weake policies are not depriued but vnable to hold his hand from their throates who for their dignities toke the vpper hand of him against the lawes of honor with his impious handes he stabbed Prince Edward to the hart beeing taken prisoner at the battaile of Tewksbury Next like an Alehouse ruffen with his dagger he slew the infortunate good king Henry the sixt in the tower of London Then heaping murder vppon murder he caused George Duke of Clarence his naturall Brother to be drowned in a Butte of Malmesey And last though not the least to rowle vp a number of noble subiectes endes with the death of king Edward the fift and Richard Duke of Yorke the kinges brother his nephewes whom he caused to be murthered in the Tower and buried without honor to infame the name of king Edward the fourth and his posterity he pronounced his mother like a filthy harpye to be a strumpet and that the sayd king Edward was a Bastard and him selfe onely legitimate as I think sonne of the diuel for it séemeth wonderful that so inhumane a creature should take life of humane séed CHAP. 3. Enuy originall of warre and capitall cause of the destruction of the first Monarchies MAny yéeres after the beginning euery king qui etly enioyed the countries in his own possession vntil Ninus king of the Asserians enuying the soueranity of his neighbour kings put him self in armes vnlawfully to inlarge his owne dominions by deposing other froÌ„ their kingdoms Thus byenuy froÌ„ the bottom of hell came war by war confusion of deuine humaine blessings the aduauncement of thousandes of diuelish iniquities For whereas lawes giue place to armes the honor of God is wounded his word is misprised Iesus Christ is blasphemed and persecuted his Gospell is reiected and his Sacraments are prophaned fire is put to the house of the lord Wolues are thruste into his stéepefolde and wilde Bores among his vines truth and equity is peruerted charity is cold innocents and the iust are oppressed youth bee ill instructed publicke orders are broken discipline and rules of good life are abolished ignoraunce is raysed knowledge is abased proud ambitious and men of leaste estimation doe gouerne the learned wise and vertuous are disofficed as ideots and men of no merite countries bee vnpeopled fayre Cities are burned peaceable citizens are murthered their wiues and daughters are rauished their groundes lye vntilled goods compassed by the trauels of a mans whole life in one hower doe become the spoyle of a riotous souldiour And to conclude though short of a number of other curses which follow warre vice mounted in her chariot of triumph arrogaÌ„tly treadeth pore vertue vnder foot therby they that shold cry out of this outrage against God and man are dumb and the reformers of these enormities deafe these vengeances by war the enuious eye and ambitious hart of Ninus bred in the worlde which died not with the destruction of Th'asserian monarchy Notwithstanding enuy the erecter was the destroyer therof For Arbactus leiftenant of the Meades enuiyng the soueranity of Sardanapalus a man more effeminate then a woman by the assistaunce of other lords gaue battaile vnto the king Sardanapalus discomforted â—…led into his pallas there enuiyng the fortune of Arbactus more to reaue him of the glory of his triumph then moued by sorrow of his own defeat Sardanapalus set fire of his Pallas his wealth him selfe so by the prodigall spoyle of his life recouered the reputation of a man for manhood is most truely tried by constancy in the trembling passage of death The like enuious part was committed by Ariathes king of Capidocia who being ouercome in battail by Perdicas one of Alexanders successors fled into the Citye enuiyng Perdicas good fortune more then he lamented his owne mischance caused the city to be set on fire incouraged his souldiers citizens to slay their wiues children holding it lesse euill to die by the violence of friends then to liue a seruile life vnder the controlment of their enemies And by this means in truth he reaued Perdicas of the spoyle of his victory but did both vnto him selfe and countrey an iniury against nature and reason against nature in committing wilful murder vpon him selfe posterity against reason in that time was able to repaire his ruines of fortune But to kéep an order in discoursing the actions of enuy by the victory which Arbactus had ouer Sardanapalus the empyre of Th'asserians was traÌ„slated into the Meades which corse most conquerors adopted Princes euer since haue taken to crown their natiue countrey with imperiall title to leaue the places conquered or by other meanes gayned to the tyrannye of leifetenants Well this monster enuy which mortifieth the naturall affection of a father robbeth dutifull obedience from the son made the one of these the cause the other the ouerthrow of this second empire For Astiages the last king of the Meades receauing answer of the Oracle that his daughters sonne should gouerne his empire as it were to despight the Gods that had fore destined this honor vnto his daughters sonne vpon an enuious thought first
only taketh that place but will thus be called Domine Deus noster Papa O Lord our God the Pope they may perceiue in him a fulfilling of the prophet Daniel that he should place himselfe aboue all things in the worlde that he should distribute lands kingdoms to such as should take him for a God worship him Leauing to write further of this monsters other damnable sinnes which being past number shall purchase him torments wtout end I will in his enuious tyrannies towards such Princes as were not the seruants of his will reueale this prophecie continue my purpose Morrall Esope reciteth a fable of a snake which being nie frozen to death was by a good husbandman pitied and brought vnto the fire but when the fire had giuen strēgth to this viper he forthwith stung the husbandmans children euen so this Apostata or reuolter from Christ did with all the venime he coulde afflict weaken the Emperiall dignitie whose rulers gaue him first earthly promotion and from time to time sustained him in all his troubles Behold how Pope Benedictus the third enuyed the soueraintie of Emperors anointed Kings who condemned for heretiques one Okan and Dant two persons blinded with al his idolatries superstitions saue that they maintained that Emperors helde their Empires of God and not of the Pope this Pope might more properly haue bene adopted Maledictus then Benedictus as one wiped out of the booke of life which it seemeth he little read and lesse regarded for if he had studied the sacred Bible the perfect mirror both of heauenly grace morrall gouernement it is like he might haue light vpon these passages of holy scripture By me kings raigne and Counsailours discerne iustice by me kinges rule and rulers iudge the earth hearken then you kinges c. for power is giuen you of the Lord. Dauid thus saith The Lord teacheth the kings hands to mannage armes and his fingers to war c. the Lord establisheth Kings hath power ouer kingdoms and disposeth them at his pleasure and to whome he please The great King Artaxerxes acknowledgeth that the most great good God gaue him his forefathers their kingdom And briefely to conclude the excellencie of imperiall and regall dignitie there is no superiour power but of God well though the least of these vnreproueable authorities suffice to condemne these tyrannous Popes to hel no wonder that they all stopped not his accursed mouth that pronounced the vniust sentence against these two innocent persons for he the Pope I meane who striueth to matche the Maiestie of God enuyeth the recordes of his power and feareth not what is writte of his vengeance much lesse can endure that Emperors Kings and such potentates should be Gods Lieutenantes on earth his pride bewrayeth the one and his enuie dayly discouereth the other The Chronicles of euery christian common wealth are testimonies that since Princes became the subiects of this proude Pope their kingdomes were neuer free from curses excommunications nor Kinges cleare from depriuement of kingdomes their subiects free from priuie seditions nor their countreyes vnoutraged with open rebellions if his worde gouerned not the sworde and his will stood not in steade of law so that it is a question whether his hypocrisie haue wrought more mischiefe in the West or the Turkes open tyrannies in the East Upon some enuious suggestions Gregory the ninth and Innocentius the fourth Pope of Rome did depose the Emperour Fredericke the second excommunicated and banished his faithfull and obedient subiects absolued the rest of their othe and furthermore graunted great indulgences and pardon to such as would rebelliously rise to confound him yea after he had with an hundred and twentie thousand markes redeemed himselfe from this excommunication he was notwithstanding that once againe banished and accursed The perfect histories of Fraunce witnesse that Pope Vrbane the fourth about the yeere of our Lord 1264. violently did depose Conradus of his kingdome of Scicilia being his right inheritance and gaue the same to Charles Earle of Angion and brother to Lodouicke the French king to frustrate which gift Pope Nicholas the thirde about the yeere 1268. caused Peter king of Arragon to come out of Italie to depriue the said Charles and to possesse him thereof hee wrought a practise that in one night all the French both men women and children within the Iland of Scicilia were murthered by the inhabitants thereof In remembrance of which crueltie to this day there is a worde called the Scicilian euensong Pope Boniface the eight enuiyng the maiesty of the Emperour Adelphus de nassan predecessor of the Prince of Orenge for challenging to be the Popes superiour stirred vp Albert the first Duke of Austriche of that name and race to take armes against the Emperour for the imperiall seate and assisted him with the secreat councell and strength of Gerrard Archbishop of Maience in which battaile the Emperour was slaine and Albert succéeded in the Empyre In so much as puffed vp with pride for the lucky successe of his vngodly practises this vngratious Pope in his Iubile caused two swoordes in triumph to be carried before him making the bearer of the one to cry O Christ see there the Vicar on earth And the other O Peter see there thy successour In so much as the French king called Philip le Bell hating his pride refused to acknowledge him for his superiour For which contempt he pronounced the recited Albert king both of Rome and Fraunce whervpon the said Phillip secreatly in the night vnder the conduct of Sarra Colomna sent out 400. horse men tooke the Pope at Anagnia and from thence ledde him prisoner to Rome To whom the king in this scoffing maner wrote Sciat fatuitas vestra c. and after his beastlye death which shortlye followed his arriuall at Rome he was long remembred with this reproch Intrauit vt vulpes regnauit vt leo morritur vt Canis Sée what large coates Pope Gregorye the 7. cut of other mens cloath because he could not make the Emperour Henry the fourth the vassaile of his will he firste excommunicated the sayde Emperour and cursed all his adherentes and after gaue Ralphe Duke of Swaben his kingdome with an imperiall crowne bended with this trim verse Petra dedit petro petrus diadema Radulpho A diadem the rocke gaue Peter and his race And Ralph receaued a royall crowne from Peters holy grace But although the Pope were prodigall in his gift yet his holines nor power could shield the vnfortunate Ralphe from the vengeaunce due vnto traitours who shortly after was pitifully slayne who hauing his handes first cut off lamentablye exclaimed before the bishops that through the Popes their prouocations he and his confederates were accursed for rebelling against his owne lord supreme head Not long after this succéeded pope Paschalis the seconde who excōmunicated the emperor a freshe
commanded Robert Earle of Flaunders to destroy with fire swoord the territories of Lueck and Camericke because the inhabitaunts remained loyall to their soueraigne lord the emperor yea he gaue the imperial crowne with al the iewels of the empire to Henry the 5. son vnto the sayd emperor Henry the 4. herein preuailed so much as he mooued his son to persecute his lord with such horrible and vnnatural malice as after he had miserably sterued him in the prison at Lueck he wold not receaue the Lukeners to grace nor the pope discharge them of excommunication vntil they had vntombed the buried carcas of the emperor had caste the same into the open field as the carrion of a dog This enuious act of Pope Alexander the 3. is no lesse notorious who after manye excommunications curses arrogantly treading vpō the neck of the emperor Fredericke Barborossa vpon the top of the stayres of the great church of S. Marke in Vennis before all the people did vsurp pronounce this saying in this Psalme Super aspicem basilicum equitabis conculcabis leonem draconem That is to say thou shalt ride vpon the lion the Adder the yong lion the dragō thou shalt tread vnder thy foet Pope Clement the 4. for penance inioyned Franciscus Dandalus to creepe a long the Popes pallace vpon his hands knees with a collar about his neck like a dog Pope Alexander the 6. gaue vnto Ferdinando king of Castile motu proprio all the newe Indians which lie vpon the Ocean seas west ward frō Spaine for which gift Artabaliba king of Peru though he cursed fortune for his defeat in battaile by the Spaniards saide that he estéemed not the pope that woulde giue a way to an other that which was none of his owne Leo the 10. offered Frauncis the French king the whol empire of Constantinople but the king giuing him harty thanks refused his gift vnles he would put himin possession therof as he that wisely fore dreaded the fortune of the Dukes of Germany who to conquer the kingdō of Boemia vpon this weake title Pope Paule the 2. by sentence deposed George the right lawful king gaue it vnto the sayd Dukes with this condition that they should goe at their owne proper charges take it perforce in which attēpt who lostaboue 100000. men a horse back a foot yet did preuaile very litle These many other outrages the enuy which this proud byshop bare towards the maiesty royall estates of those emperors kings which refused to giue him soueraigne place with most extremity tirannised vpon thē selues subiects realmes smal is the wonder how he came to this intelligences of forraine princes procéedinges yea to the vnbowelling of the secrets of their harts when the chiefe of their priuy counsels the head rulers of their parliaments the principall ambassadours for matters of common weale by the cunning of this Soule queller vngratious college were Cardinals Archb. bishops other of the cleargy who hauing to doe in the affaires of the common weales of princes so handled the matter as they kept euery Christian king for the most part busied either with enemies at home or abroad the they thereby shoulde haue little leasure to look into the smoth hipocrisie of this wicked pope his shameles brood of shauelings And which is more after that his subtilties had set thē togeather by the eares he so handled the matter the it was reputed vnto him a matter of fatherly loue singular holines to make them friends againe not vnlike to a knauish phisition that superficially poysoned a number of people to get vnto him selfe a name credite by the curing of them againe in the gouerment of princes there could be nothing irreuocably done if he said not Amen And by your leaue what other fruits might grow of the ambitious humors of his proud prelates what wonder is it if they enuied that Dukes Marqueses Earles Barrons all tēporal magistrats should take their places aboue them The seruaunt is priuiledged by the honor of his Maister these temporall estates are the seruants of their princes and the emperors them selues are the Popes inferiours ergo the Popes sworne seruauntes are more worthy then the Emperours subiects a good argument for sooth where the maior is false the minor foolishe and the conclusion the scourge of common weales Well according to the Prouerb as the olde Cocke croweth the young Cocke followeth that the Pope will haue Emperours and Kinges his inferiours in aduauntage of that which is reported Pope Gregory the seuenth suffered the Emperour Henry the fourth in the dead of wynter to stand thrée daies bare headed and bare foot at the gates of Gamisen while he passed the time in daliaunce with the Dutchesse Matildes and would not vouchsafe to loke vpon him vntill the Dutchesse of a more generous disposition made intercession for the receauing of the Emperour yea to shew them seruauntes rather then inferiour companions when the Pope is determined to ride a horse backe the Emperour or king present must hold his styrrop when the Pope will be carried in a chayre the Emperour or king present is bound to bow downe his necke to take vp the chayre vpon his shoulders The emperour or king present at diner must giue the Pope water and waite till the first course be serued To this seruitude the Pope brought mighty Princes and to bondages more thē sufferable his prelates inthralled right noble Péeres yea too tedious would be the particulars of this vipers his venemous broodes procéedings in their tyrannies wold instruct the tormenters of hel in vengeance with whom Sic volo sic iubeo stet pro ratione voluntas So I will so I commaund For lawe let my pleasure stand What féend may be more gracelesse then this hipocrite or people so miserable as those subiected to his power when the law of God is no brydle to hold him from tiranny nor the law of man a shield for the others safetye who besides the daylye example of his workes by the warranties of his Bull which followeth sheweth a will to violate either Non obstantibus constitutionibus ordinationibus apostolicis caeterisque contrariis quibuscunque In English thus notwithstanding all constitutions ordinances apostolicall nor any other thing what so euer here vnto contrarye mary sir it is no maruaile although he take vpon him to bee a God a Creator a disposer in heauen earth and hell as many substantiall Doctors woulde prooue him that will vndertake to ouerrule the ordinances of God and institutions of men A king which is the most soueraigne title that euer God gaue vnto man is bound vnto the law vnlesse he be a tyraunt that is obeyed for feare yet ruling liues neuer out of feare With this preposterous corse of the Pope agréeth the pleasant answer of a good Abbot who being
Sebastian Henry a Cardinall and a very old man the fifth issue male of king Emanuell was presented vnto the crowne Don Anthonio being then prisoner in Africa and his right vnknown by reason that he was thought not legitimate Within a few dayes after by Gods prouidence Don Anthonio was both deliuered forth of prison and by probable witnes ses was assured of his legitimation the knowledge whereof so mooued the old and foreworne king Henry his vncle as poysoned with enuy malice he not onely banished him the court but stopped the course of iustice in the pursuite of Don Anthonioes lawfull clayme and not finding his malicious humor satisfied because Don Anthonio had procured the Popes inhibition to disable the sayde king Henrye to attempt anye thing preiudiciall to his right he therefore tooke an other course to disgorge his rancour which was vnder pretence that Don Anthonio disobeyed his commaundement in comming with in sixe miles of the court he commaunded him vppon paine of death within fiftéene dayes to depart out of his realme How iniuriously this old king that by course of nature coulde not liue long dealt with his naturall countrey and kinsman the calamities of the one and oppression of the other largely testifie This old and withered king Henry if enuy and disdaine had not both mortified reason and naturall affection vpon the certaine knowledge of Don Anthonioes right to the kingdom had great cause to thanke God and comfort his affections that when the glory of Portugal lay a dying for want of linall succession of the heyre male that so worthye a personage as Don Anthonio in whom there wanted no commendable vertue a naturall Portugall and of the bloud royall was by deuine prouidence reserued to raigne and receiue the glory of the kingdome I haue read of many aged princes yet more able to gouerne then this king Henry the estate of whose kingdom so hastely required not a sufficient and able king as Portugall that haue voluntarily resigned their gouernment to yong and sufficient men but I haue seldome heard of anye that euen at their entraunce into their graue haue furthered the clayme of a straunger before the right of their naturall kinsman countrey man But whether malice or feare or both were the causes king Henry banished Don Anthonio and suspended his right and shortly after died before anye order taken for the strength and succession of the kingdome after whose decease who in most of all his claimes maketh force his iudge would not tarry the determination of the estates but with fire and swoord made his passage to the crowne The estates of Portugall the Cleargie nobilitie and comminaltie now too late looked about them and foorth with elected and made Don Anthonio their king they annoynted and swore him with all kingly ceremonies but they prouided not a strength to settle him in his kingdome which if king Henries rancour had not banished him his wisedome would haue foreséene they perswaded the king of Spaine to retyre his army vntill that iustice had determined his claime A weake perswasion where the victory was so swéet a kingdome and the king of Spaine a party whose desire coueteth vniuersall rule And as Euripides saith to gaine a kingdome the breach of lawes are halfe priuiledged but so or no he stood in awe of no iudge The munition and Gunpouder by the corruption of the Gouernours of Portugall Sede vacante was conuaied into Castile so that he made an easie conquest of a rich kingdome king Anthonio by Gods prouidence miraculously hath sundry times escaped his cruelty although the kingdome dayly fele his tiranny Out of their calamities of Portugall I speciall obserue this counsell of Gods iustice to admonith semblable traitours to their country Iohn Masquerannas Francis de Sa and Diego lopes de Sosa thrée of the Gouernours of the realm who by bribes and fayre promises of promotion by the king of Spaine solde the munition in effect their country Al which thrée vpō the election of Don Anthonio fledde into Spaine where they all with griefe that they had sold their countrey and melancoly that the king kept not his promises with them soon after died Iristan vazde vegna without any necessity yéelded the strong Castile of S. Iohn by Lisbone to the duke of Alua vppon the promise of a great pension during his life who presently vpon the deliuery without other rewarde then the iust rewarde of traitours vpon a slender quarrell was banished into Aphryca to serue ten yéers against the Mores and truely therein the king did both iustly and honorably for he that will be false to his countrey will be true to no man neither deserueth he to haue any promise kept with him yea as Phalaris made Perillus to be firste executed with his owne torture and tirannicall deuise it is sound counsell to receiue suche traitours seruice and to hang them for their labours or at the least to banishe them for euer For such heades are apt to dammage more then they profite whose mindes seldome leaue groning vntill they clymbe to the Gallowes CHAP. 14. The true report of the chaunge of the gouernment of Florence in the yeare 1478. and the outrages and murthers which followed the enuye which the Archbishop of Pisa they of the howses of Saluiati and Pazzi beare towardes the family of Medices for the authority which they administred in the common wealth SAint Paule declaring the offices of a bishop among manye other duties sayeth that a bishop ought to be no fighter him selfe yea to abhorre fightinges and dissentions in others intending with all that fighters the sustayners of fraies and vnnatural murders were the sworne enemies of charity and publicke prosperity vpon whom bishops are bound to pronounce the curse and vengeaunce of God least the Gospell which they shoulde preach being it selfe true loue peace and charitye rebuke in them selues the sinne they might blame in others But small is the wonder though Frauncis Saluiati archbishop of Pisa contraried this doctrine being the true Disciple of the Pope and S. Paule the faithfull Apostle of our sauiour Iesus Christ betwéene whom there is no vnion neither in life nor doctrine For our sauiour Christ attyred with humilitie preached the vnmeasurable power of God and peace vnto men and the Pope cloathed with the riches of the worlde proudly aduaunceth his owne traditions aboue the glory of the almighty and laboureth to so we sedition in the bowels of mightye Princes This vngratious Archbishop as an earnest follower of the Popes errours or rather wilfull sinnes beholding with an enuious eye the estimation and authoritye of Iulian and Laurence de Medices brethren and of the people of Florence high ly fauoured with a malitious hart desired the ruine of their glorye and to giue successe to his naughty wishe he conspired with the families of Pazzi and his owne of the Saluiati two of the most auntient and famous houses
wicked practises haue compassed the death of a great many with all which procéedinges the Cronicles will largely acquaint the Reader And certainely if outward actions of barbarous crueltie may condemne the blasphemie of the Pope his ministers in Fraunce Flaunders and Scotland haue already sent the same vnto hell haue elected him to be the Archtyrant of the earth For where was there a more sauage crueltie euer coÌ„mitted then the massacre of Paris where by the traine of amitie the celebration of a marriage betweene the King of Nauarre and the Kinges sister which in outward appearaunce promised much peace and honour to the long afflicted realme the peeres of bloud and nobilitie of the religion to honour that wished accorde repaired vnto the Court where the good Admirall was slaine and by that stratageme or rather deuice of the Deuill many a thousand innocent and fearelesse Protestants in Paris and other cities of Fraunce were cruelly murthered which monstrous massacre although many other trecherous murthers in Fraunce reproch the Papistes with the extreamest name of crueltie is remembred with the blame and exclamation of the cruellest Pagans in the worlde This traiterous and butcherly warfare waspractised with the murther of the King and many noble men of Scotland The pretence of the tyrannical gouernment of the Spaniards in the low Countries and contrary to the auncient lawesof priuiledges â—…he said Countries at their first entraunce their killing and destroying of the principall nobilitie and persons most worthie of gouernement was coloured with the maintenance of the Romish religion but what excuse by religion haue they for the destroying and dishonourable murthering of many Romaine Catholiques among whome the right noble County of Egmond was that wayes especially affected euen forsooth some such reason as the theefe had who said he robbed none but Papistes when he spared not any that had a crosse in his pursse which crosse he tooke to be the marke of a Papist so the Spaniardes tooke these noble men for Protestants because they were of honourable dsspositions maintainers of their countries liberties and louers of vertue which are not the ordinarie markes of Papists the riches of these countries by common estimation aunsweared the vallew of the king of Spaines Indias and from this root procéedeth all their ruines The proud Spaniardes enuied the greatnesse of these Lordes and the prosperity of the people and to féed their owne wastefull humours they hungred after absolute dominion and possession of their riches In all matters of obedience that appertayned vnto the king they serued his maiestie with all faithfulnesse so that the Spaniard could pickt no quarrell of disloyaltie They were driuen to square about the Pope though these people obeyed the king they charged them with Catholicke disobedience vpon this cause as they alleadge more then these twenty yéeres the insolent Spaniardes with swoorde famine and many other cruell maners of death haue afflicted and destroyed the naturall people of those countries and haue ransacked spoiled the most of their fayre and rich cities And yet these proud Spaniardes vpon a true account haue neither gayned honor nor profit by the ruines of these most rich countries While the godly Prince of Orange liued the Spaniardes had many foyles and few honorable victories the compassing of whose death with the worthy destruction of their own mur thering instruments testifie the tiranous spirites both of the Pope and the king of Spaine that neither obey the lawes of God honor nor humainitie by working by anye meanes the deathes of their enemies After the good Prince of Orange was traiterouslye slaine the order whereof is vniuersallye knowne and condemned the afflicted people of these countrys by their increasing calamities soone missed the benefite of his graue counsels But God be praised for the life and happines of her sacred maiesty euen good Quéene Elizabeth who with a mercifull eye and a Princely hand hath both beheld and giuen large sucker to their afflictions to the afflictions of these appressed people of the low countries to them I say with royall defence publicke succour and to the persecuted ChristiaÌ„s of all nations as their calamities required her sacred maiesty euen her onely zeale and vertue hath preserued Scotlande from forraine outrage and ciuill destruction the yonge kinge of Scots whom God blesse with deuine and heroicall vertues confesseth her maiesty to be his mother by whom next vnder God he liueth and raigneth she hath giuen him a kingdome in redéeming of it foorth of the tyranny of straungers and disobedience of awelesse subiects Her mediation hath much pacified the furies of Fraunce and her clemencye hath refreshed the woundes of Portugall her mercy is the Phisition of forraine afflictions and her holinesse the sure grounde of Englandes peace and prosperity England at this day and from the first hower of her maiesties blessed raigne the wonder of nations England I say of absolute gouernments onely in peace onely in prosperity onely free from féeling the vengeance of enuy many enemies be thou thankful for this deuine protectioÌ„ Englande or rather Englishe men be you counceled by the ouerthrowes of the fore recited monarchies kingdomes and common weales I haue presented you with these conquestes of enuy that you may be fore warned of your worst enemy euen this monster enuy which euer more contendeth against peace and prosperity you are plentifully blessed with both the blessinges and vniuersally besieged with enuy It is miraculous that you haue escaped the mischiefe of all her stratageames and dangerous war The Athenians were ignoraunt of no pollicy to withstaÌ„d their enemy yet could find no defence against enuye but to tame and kéepe vnder their prosperitye they yéerly banished their noble men not such as had offended the law but those which the common people woulde haue banished their wisedomes made the common weale to florishe but neither their wisedomes nor force could banishe enuy out of the hartes of the people they feared this passion more then Alexanders power and good cause why for her venime poysoned Alexander her pollicy murthered Caesar and quelled most of the worthies We néede not search forraine examples to teach vs the power of enuy she destroyed the house of Brut at whose gouernment we begin our Englishe cronicles for Ferrex his brother Porrex striuing for sole soueranitie sought each others confusion Porrex slew Ferrex and their mother murthered Porrex in his bedde in whose deathes the linage of Brute was ended Enuy was the cause of the chaunges of gouernment by the Saxons Danes Britans and lastely the enuy betwéene Harold and his brother after the death of king Edward the confessor was the meane that crowned William the conqueror with the Diadem of England The mischief which enuy sowed in king Richard the secondes dayes brought forth continuall murders ciuill warres and deadly quarrelles during the raignes of sixe kinges that succéeded him To be short this passion since
titles that anye monarch can possesse And more then was due to Alexander Caesar Tāberlaine and others who contrarywise were the rods of Gods ire and quellers of many millions of innocentes Cronicles expose their vertues at large and who so euer shall ioyne regard with his reading in the gouernments of these eight Henries shall find many worthy obseruaunces which degression this place will not beare the summary of whose vertues containing a larger volume then is determined for this subiect so much as concerneth this purpose I am bound to report of the two latter noble Henries the one béeing the root the other the trée which brought foorth the fruites of Gods glorye of the greatest peace plentye and prosperity that euer Nation people or subiects enioyed euen the graue Henrye the seuenth Grandfather and the victorious Henry the eight father of our gracious soueraigne Lady the most good Quéene Elizabeth Upon whose vertues heauen and earth fixeth regard A princesse I say regarded of God with the eies of fauour regarded of the world with the eares of enuy and regarded of good and happy subiects with the harts of true obediēce A Quéene and more the visible image of God as well in respect of the happinesse and deuine giftes which her maiestie possesseth but principally for that mercy is chiefe of her vertues which enuy and her maiesties worst enemies are bound to witnesse in whose royall person the perfection of all good Princes are contained For what may be iustly sayde of all their righteousnesse wisedome and clemency are but wordes of her workes and written examples of her maiesties liuelye vertues the which the godly in their comfort the wicked through selfe destruction and enuie by continuall defeates haue ingraued in the Capitals of the whole world the triumph of whose peaceable victories to Gods glory and vniuersall wonder followeth CHAP. 2. An introduction to the peaceable victories of the Queenes most excellent maiesty against enuy and all her enemies THe nobility and commons of England impatient of the misgouernment of K. Richard the second deposed by maine force the saide Richard and possessed Henry Bolingbroke Duke of Herteford with Emperiall dignity a prince indued with many great vertues And albeit he entered vnlawfullye he gouerned his subiects like a gracious and prudent Prince But this good which followed an euill attempt acquited not the realme from the vengeaunce which God inflicteth vpon disloyall subiects The father which taketh the rod to chasten his sonne if the sonne taketh correction patiently in hope of amendment burneth the rod. But if the sonne stubbornly and violently catcheth at the rod the father dubleth his wrath trebeleth the sonnes punishment euen so God which appointeth tirauntes to be the scourges of his ire conceiued against wicked and vnthankfull people if in patient suffering they acknowledge his wrath to be iustlye imposed vpon their sinnes he dealeth with the tirant as the good father doth with the rod. But if they spurne at his vengeaunce and offer to reuenge the tiranny of their princes he causeth tirauntes to rise like Hydraes heads which shal torment them as in the bitternes of their affliction they shal be driuen to pray for their worst prince as the old Romane did for the prosperity of wicked Nero This Nero was a most cruell emperor he set Rome his emperiall city on fire for seuen dayes together and commaunded that the people should neither saue their goods nor quench the fire He slew his owne mother put to death the husbandes of Octauia and Sabina and tooke them for wiues but shortly after sent them the way of their former husbands And to shew that he passed all other in enuye hearing one to pronounce a Greeke verse which containeth this desire After my death I wishe Heauen and earth to perishe And I quoth he rather wish the same while I liue he so much enuied that so glorious a work should remaine after his death Upon a time Nero passing by a poore old man hartely prayed for the life and prosperitye of Nero Nero which knew by the accusation of his own euill that no man had cause to wish him good demaunded the reason why he contraried all mens desires in wishing his welfare that would nothing but mischiefe to the Romanes The old man boldly aunswered Tiberius thy predecessour was a cruell Emperor and him the people slew After him succéeded Caius Caligula a more cruell and barbarous Emperor and him likewise did the people sley and now thou most inhumaine and sauage Nero raignest for thy life and prosperity I pray least if thou be likewise slaine the diuel him selfe come and raigne ouer vs. Thus heaped God his vengeance vpon the stiff-necked Romanes which would not bow vnto his yoke the more they resisted his chastisement the more sharply he scourged their disobedience The senators of Rome thought the emperiall authority a seuéere bondage and therfore by their mutuall assents Iulius Caesar their first emperor was slaine in the Senate house But when they saw Brutus Cassius that firste sette hande to the swoorde to die likewise by the swoord when they afterwardes saw the bloudy euentes that sprong of the contention betwéen the Triumuirate of Octauius Antonius and Lepidus they most ioyfully receiued imperiall seruitude and afterwardes how wicked so euer their Emperours were the grauer Senators tollerated their gouerment or voluntarily banished them selues so that they for the most part were destroyed by Gods iustice in the common peoples outrage God by a seueere commaundement threatneth that he will visite the sinnes of the parents vpon the children vnto the thirde and fourth generation of those that in their spirituall worship adore any other God or the likenesse of any other creature in heauen or earth The same God annoynteth kinges as the visible images of him with the semblable maiestye concerning temporall worship he calleth them Gods and S. Paule saith he that resisteth the ordinaunce of the kinge resisteth the ordinaunce of God He then that striueth to depose his naturall king and to exalt a straunger committeth earthly idolatry in likewise as the worshippers of false Gods commit spirituall And therefore Princes in all gouernmentes heathen and christian the one by reuelation the other by imitation of holy scriptures haue publike lawes to lay the trespasses of traitours vppon their children the landes and goods of traitours are forfaited and the reputation of their posterity is corrupted The emperor Vespatian commending the vertues of Iosephus vnto his sonne Titus willeth him to trust him as one no wayes corrupted saying further vpon occasion that the son of a traitour ought not to liue To lay violent handes vpon the Lordes annoynted is a damnable thing Saule vniustly persecuted Dauid but Dauid hauing Saules life many times in his power refused to offer him any violēce saying the Lord kéep me from laying my handes of the Lordes annoynted Which prooueth though subiectes may flye from the
tiranny of Princes they war without warrant that rebell against their worst kinges Were there neither authority deuine nor prophane to reprooue rebellion yet in their best quarrel destruction which is the ende of traitours sheweth their beginning to be naught God manye times suffereth both good and bad Princes to fall into the handes of their subiectes but woe be vnto those subiectes by whom either perishe We need no other torment to relish our present peace and prosperity then the remonstration of the ciuill warres bloudshed and manye grieuous calamities which for the space of 85. yéeres yea during the raignes of 6. kinges afflicted this small kingdome After the violent depriuement of king Richard the second from his crowne and dignity but in the end the Lorde hauing compassion of our manifold miseries séeing our priuate dissention ready to grow to publicke destruction euen when his wrath séemed to be moste hot euen then the beames of his mercy sodenlye comforted vs by the destruction of our arch tyraunt Richard the third who caused and committed more wicked saluadge murders then fiftéene of the most tirannous kinges of England But humbly confessing Gods prouidence with this old age Nullum violentum perpetuum This tiraunt that was giltye of the death of king Henry the 6. Prince Edward his sonne and his own naturall brother George Duke of Clarence and afterwardes within the space of thrée yéeres of his vsurped raignes caused his nephewes king Edward the 5. and Richard Duke of York his brother to be murthered in the Tower not caring for his alleageaunce towardes the one nor fearing to breake the sanctuary for the other who repudiated his owne mother offered to marry his brothers daughter as is a fore saide After these and many other murders without the procéeding of law this manifest monster the ende of Englandes ciuill misery was slaine at Boshworth field by that prudent Prince king Henry the 7. by Gods planting the root of Englandes happinesse and naked like a hog was carried vpon a bare horse backe to Lecester there buried who meriteth neither the monument of King nor Man CHAP. 3. A sommarie of the vertues of the prudent prince King Henry the seuenth THE fayrest buylding hath a foundation and the fruitfullest trée his root and albeit the beuty of either be in the outward attyre yet the strength of both consisteth in the inwarde substaunce And certainely in all discriptions the cause ought to be as well set downe as the effect that Anatomie is perfect that discouereth all the inward as well as the outward workemanship of man Uertue I grant conuayeth honor simply from a mans owne good actions yet the same is much inlarged if from desent to desent honor be issued from the monumentes of his auncestours vertues And sure the glorye of a man is much iniured or eclipsed that is blasoned but by his owne proper regardes when the same maye bee truely illustred by such auncient graces But touching my purpose some will suggest that as it is a needlesse labour to seeke a Diamonde with a torche which glimmereth in the darke so as bootelesse is the curiositie to deriue her maiesties glorye further then from her owne sacred vertues when her wicked enemies renowne her perfections and wilfully pursue their owne destruction through presumption that her excellencye is composed all of grace and mercye I am bounde reuerentlye to acknowledge that her maiesties perfection is the true discouery of imperfection and in this regarde absolute that enuye and the worste sworne enemies of God assault her prosperity yet if anye thing maye be added to extoll her name this meriteth regarde that the fruites of vniuersall comfort which her deuine and heroicall graces plentifully distributeth grow from the root of Englandes happines which no priuie conspiracy could vnplant euen king Henry the seuenth And of that gréene trée which the stinging Locustes could by no meanes wither king Henry the eight And doubtlesse who so shal zelously contemplate how that the prouidence of God euen in our greatest destructions alwaies sustained vs may easily perswade him selfe that God would haue his glory to sâ—…ine ouer the world next his word from the lights of this little Iland seperated as some write from the world or at the least ioyned to the outermost end thereof How easie a praye had we béene for the ambitious desire of some bordering king during the blouddye contention betwéene the two illustrous houses Yorke and Lancaster for imperiall dignitye but God would not our subuertion The history of Richard the thirds tiranny is a most lamentable cronicle yet the same considered by Gods prouidence assureth vs by that sharpe remembrance a remembraunce of his mercifull goodnesse in deliuering vs from a continuall calamity in she wing vs through the vnlawfull procéedings of the tirant a lawfull meanes to accord these two puissant houses But before this great blessing his incomprehensible wisedome so sharply scourged this realme as all her estates suppressed their priuate desires and hartely praied and laboured for this happy vnity who mercifullye regarding our patient bondage crowned king Henrie the 7. with title of both houses by taking to wife Lady Elizabeth eldest daughter to king Edward the 4. And albeit the end of our ciuill destruction in the beginning of his prudent raigne be sufficient alone to crowne king Henry the 7. name with euerlasting fame yet to gouerne vs right God indued this noble Prince with vertues answerable to so great a blessing as a general peace And certainly if Alexander surnamed Seuerus be reckoned among the number of the most wise emperors King Henry the 7. meriteth semblable title as the true imitatour of Alexanders gouernment King Henry the 7. entered vpon a kingdome no lesse disordered with continuall tumults then did Alexander with the vnmeasurable voluptuousnes of Helyogabalus the necessitye of time made him a seuere executioner of his lawes and testifieth the same to be deriued from perfect iustice he punished offences without respect of persons Honor was no plea for the mighty he iudged the trespasses of Lawyers with his owne knowledge of the law he onely pardoned ignoraunt offences and graciously relieued his poore subiectes oppressions he was thought somewhat too seueere in punishment But such murmuringes were no lawfull complaints to a fore that is deepe festered with corruption sharpe corsiues are to be applyed Euen so in a disordered common wealth seueere lawes are to be ministred He was a iust vertuous valiaunt and learned Prince a true distributour of peace plentye and prosperitye to his subiectes who in his life time had had a moste liberall portion of happinesse if in his dayes the Gospell of IESVS had had a free passage But leaue we Gods will therein who would not haue his outward temple builded in Dauids time but in his sonne Salomons and yet was Dauid a righteous man after the Lord in whose hand the harts of princes are had established a setled peace
kingdome by suffering the bloodie Bishops to misuse her Emperiall sword she in their procéedings outragiouslie tyrannised the true professors of the Gospell which God her noble father and good brother his instruments bée therefore praysed had taken a sound holde in the hart of England whose crueltie and contrarietie in Religion may no wayes slaunder her godlie father and his off-spring We sée the Rose trée that bringeth foorth the swéete Rose lykewise bringeth foorth sharpe prickels but to come more néerer the matter the kyrnell of the best apple will growe to be a crabbe vnlesse some good fruite bee grafted on the stocke and looke what the Sience is suche will be the trée looke what is â—…owen in youth is euer séene in age the following example teacheth a good pollicie to haue an eie vnto Schoolemaisters and the education of Papistes children The séede of Idolatrie superstition and send Ceremonies were sowne in the heart of Ladie Mary béeing a childe which grewe to the disworship of God and the destruction of the godlie Ladie Mary béeing a Quéene But God no doubt suffered thys prickle to growe of thys gréene Rosier and thys irreligion to be grafted of thys religious stocke to chasten the sinnes of England who hauing a righteous Prince peace and plentie both of spirituall and temporall blessings neyther saluted the giuer of thys goodnesse with hartie thankes nor sought the continuance thereof with a dutifull regarde of the Kings Maiestie but in some of her members hauing an eye fixed vppon the Kings tender yéeres and not an hart setled vppon hys firme vertues she began to worke matters hatefull to GOD offensiue to the Prince and most hurtfull to her selfe and therefore God 〈◊〉 Englande of the most milde vertueus godlie and well disposed Prince King EDWARD the sixth and in wrath sente vs euen suche a Prince as the Prophete speaketh of that shoulde oppresse vs with most greeuous bondage that should by taxes great impositions take froÌ„ vs the fruites of the feeld vineyards oliue trees and should giue them to his lords and seruants Euen Quéene Mary that imposed many great summes of money vppon vs to enrich strange Lords that by committing the waightie affaires of the publike weale to Bishops almost wilfully lost Callis an auncient ornament belonging to England which Citie the notorious Atheist Gardener vaunted that he would kéepe with a white wand an vnlikely matter that his courage serued him to defend Callis against the power of a puissant King with a white wand that armed troupes to gard the vnresisting Martyrs to burning but which stained her gouernement with euerlasting crueltie she by her ministers in fyue yéeres tyrannouslie burned fiue times more innocent and quiet Protestants then good Quéene Elizabeth in 27. yéeres raigne by her lawes hath executed notorious Papists that committed treason when my soule durst sweare that there be double the number of the poore Protestants that then constantly professed the holie Gospell that now in their harts wish her Maiesties depriuement both of life and crowne and yet liue This persecution made many to flée the Realme for their consciences sake but they sought not libertie by rebellion they confessed this bondage and persecution to procéed from the Lords heauie displeasure and humblie awaighted his fauour for their deliuerance No one hath more cause to exclaime of this hard gouernement then our gratious Quéene Elizabeth She was not entertained like the daughter of a mightie King and heire apparant of a rich kingdome Good Lady she was emprisoned her attendance small her libertie nothing When her innocencie disprooued publike accusations the Cleargie sought her life by secret tyrannie sought it do I say yea they had wrought it had not God beyond mans expectation wonderfully deliuered her Maiestie her assured friends despaired of her worldly welfare her Maiestie that behelde the bloody knife a sharpning misdoubted not her deliuerance Her friends trembled because there was no measure in the Papists crueltie her Maiestie looked chéerefully because she knew the Diuell had no might but such as God suffered In the holie Bible the louing embracements whereof was her Maiesties persecution her excellencie had learned these pretious comforts and in them reposed The Lord sayeth Who so honoreth me him will I make honorable In another place Dauid sayeth Who so dwelleth vnder the shadow of the almighty him God couereth with his wings and keepeth safe vnder his feathers I know saith he the Lord helpeth his annointed and euen from heauen heareth them Some trust in chariots some in horsses but we in calling vpon the Lord. God can and oft times doth pine man and beast euen in the middest of plentie God where he setteth too his hand worketh wonders and sturdie strength standeth in no stead God thus speaketh to Dauid and yet by a spiritual interpretation maketh like promise to all kings and princes that hartely séeke his glorie Because thou hast set thy loue vpon me I will see thee rid from all thy troubles I will defend thee why so it followeth Thou hast knowen my name thou seekest my glorie and therefore whensoeuer thou callest vpon my name I will heare thee yea I am with thee in all thy calamities and will deliuer thee from them I will set thee higher in honor send thee long life and shew thee thy saluation Her Maiestie builded vpon these comforts her soule desired and hoped to be an instrument of his wonderfull glorie examples of Scripture told her that those whome God had appointed to any speciall seruice euen those he guided through mortall dangers he preserued Ioseph from the murthering enuy of his brethren to saue old Iacob his father his malitious brethren and al Israel from the sharp death of famine Against the tyranous decrée of Pharao which was that the Midwiues should kill all the male children of the Hebrewes his prouidence saued Moses from drowning and made him his instrument to leade the children of Israell out of the bondage of Pharao vnto the land of promise God in the deapth of the sea fetched Ionas the Prophet foorth of the Whales belly to saue Niniuey from destruction God deliuered Peter forth of the prison tirannie of Herod the Iewes that he might open the gates of faith and preach the way of saluation euen vnto his enimies God sundry waies miraculouslie deliuered Paule from the vengeance of death to preach the Gospell of saluation vnto the Gentiles at Philippos in Macedonia he caused him Sylas to be deliuered forth of prison In Lycaonia the Iewes the people stoned him and drew him forth of the City as a dead man God raised and reuiued him againe God againe redéemed him out of the hands of the Iewes when as forty of them swore they would neither eate nor drinke vntill they had slaine Paule yea God in his extremitie stood by him comforted him saying Be of good cheere Paule for as thou hast testified of me at
gouernment of Fraunce no otherwise then the auncient statutes of the Danes Britans or Saxons doe at this day the Gouernment of Englande This vnnaturall Lawe had a barbarous beginning for the reporters thereof confesse that anno 420. the Franconians hauing abandoned their Countrey inhabited along the Rhine and especially about Treues The manners of these people being barbarous they liued vnciuilly without Lawe Which considered by Pharamonde their first Kinge the sonne of their Duke Marcomir He chose foure of the principall men of the Sicambrians whom he authorised by their wisedomes to giue a Law vnto the people The names of these foure were Vsucast Losocust Salgast and Visogust These foure made the Lawe Salique by which Lawe Emperiall gouernment say they is taken away from the daughters and heires of the Kinges of Fraunce This dead Lawe and many other to as little purpose were reuiued to bury the true and lawfull title of King Edwarde the 3. to the kingdome of Fraunce in the right of Quéene Isabell his mother the daughter heire of King Phylip le bel But King Edward nor his successors would not loose their right vpon such canterburie suggestions And some of them subiected the Frenchmen to English obedience And to this day the Armes and Imperiall title of Fraunce are ioyned to the honour of Englande To what purpose doth the law Mentall in Portugal forbid feminine gouernment King Philip deriueth his title from Marie the daughter of Iohn the third of that name king of Portugal and by that title is possessed of the kingdome It is God that disposeth kingdomes and the works of busie heads that vnlawfully séeke to withstand the law of nature in succession To be briefe this inuectiue prooued but a scare-crow it was indiscreatly written and negligently regarded King Francis or more truely the family of the Gwyses ancored their hope vpon the Popes sentence and in all the kings patents and other instruments caused to be intituled Frances of France Scotland England and Ireland king and in his shield quartered the Armes of England and to conquer the kingdome Come era apparente as Guiccerdine reporteth dyuers french forces were daily conuayed into Scotland who tooke and by force kept the strong townes and fortrises there The inhabitants oppressed thus with straungers were for their owne safegard driuen to sew vnto the Quéenes maiesty of England for aid to expel the french who sought the spoile and subuertion of Scotland The malicious purpose of the Guyses ioyned with commyseration of the daungerous affiction of Scotland the Quéene whereof was married and gouerned in France and so barred to vse the lybertie of her Crowne bound the Queenes Maiesty by the vertue of honour pollicie and charitie to sucker them with expedition To accomplish which matter her Maiestie sent a sufficient power towards Scotland by the Duke of Norfolke as generall who remained at Barwicke and the Lord Greay of Wilton being Liuetenaunt entred into Scotland and with her royall power ioyned with the Scots against the french who were soone weary of the English-mens comming But almightie God had set downe a more milde order to honour her Maiesty with the vanquishment of her enimies then by dynt of sword to accomplish which her highnesse sent Syr William Cycill knight at that time her Maiesties principall Secreatorie and nowe Lord Treasorer of England for the full knowledge of whose excéeding worthynesse I retourne the good reader to the Athenians commendation of the Philosopher Euxin and with him accompanied the learned and graue Gentleman Master Doctor Wotton to treat with the french who with their wisedomes so vanquished the french as to the quietnesse and safetie both of England and Scotland they forced them to depart with this following dishonour as Guicherdine reporteth who if he be pertiall it is in fauour of the french First that the King and Quéene of Fraunce and Scotland should leaue the Armes and title of the King of Englande and Irelande and that within sixe monethes at the furthest they shoulde cancell and renewe all their writings and instruments if there were any so made with the former Armes and Titles Further that the Realme of Scotland should be gouerned by the Counsell of twelue persons of the Nobilitie of the said kingdome whereof seuen shoulde bée nominated by the Scotish Quéene and siue by the thrée estates of the Parliament That the iniuries and trespasses committed on either part during the commotion should be forgotten and for the better assurance should be confirmed by the said Parliament That the Garrisons of french souldiers should retourne into Fraunce sauing onely in two fortes sixtie a péece subiect to the Iustice and paie of the Parliament of Scotlande That euerie man shoulde be restâ—…red to his office in the saide Realme and that no french man should haue any more office benefite or administration what so euer in Scotland That the french shoulde not at anie time conuay Munition of warre or souldiers into Scotlande without consent of the saide Parliament with sundrie other straight obseruaunces on the behalfe of the french which Guicherdine concludeth Con grandissimo vantaggio honore della regina Inglese with the greatest aduauntage and honour of the Quéene of Englande a victorie no doubt of great glorie and honour Whereby her Maiestie not onelie deliuered her owne Countrey from the daunger of inuasion but also fréeed Scotlande from the bondage of forraigne Gouernment and thus her enemies hungring after an vnlawfull spoyle lost the disposement of an assured benefite which fortune befall to all those that miswish her Amen CHAP. 9. Of her Maiesties peaceable victorie against the rebels in the North ioyned with her quiet vanquishing of sundry other conspiracies to the vniuersall benefit of England PIus Quartus who succéeded Paulus 4. in the Popedome finding an abasemeÌ„t of the glorie with which his predecessours were honoured and fearing with all that the example of England Scotland Denmarke and Germanie would draw other Nations from the obedience of the Romishe erronious Church to the profession and receiuing of the Gospell of our sauiour Iesus Christ the life of the soule and destruction of this accursed Antichrist laboured with the consent of manie Princes to reuiue the Counsell or more properly the conspiracie of Trent A conspiracie I may iustly say the pollicy whereof was to kéepe vnder the glorious merite of our sauiour Iesus and to aduaunce to the highest degrée of reuerence the painted Idolatrie of the Pope And appointing for his Legates 5. Cardinals who with a great number of Bishops and other doctors of their Church the eyght day after Easter 1561. beganne this vnholy Counsell And truely as in the intent of their assembly was séene this saying of the Psalmist The kinges of the earth stande vp and the rulers take consell togither against the Lorde and his annoynted So likewise in their vaine idle successe this continuance of the Psalme is further séene He that
and knowledge that he might worthelie iudge the people Plutarke and Aulus Gelius recite that when Alexander was borne king Philip his father wrote in this manner vnto Aristotle I thanke not God so much for that I haue a sonne as for that he is borne in the time of Aristotle c. to whose instruction Philip committed him and truely his worthy actions bewrayed the wisdome of his education This Alexander shewed the loue he bare to learning when hearing that Aristotle had written certaine bookes of naturall Philosophie hee wrote vnto him in this manner Truely Aristotle thou deceiuest my desire in publishing of this speculatiue philosophie which I thought should properly haue honored my selfe for know thou I had rather exceed all men in knowledge and learning than in riches and dominions Antigonus king of Macedone to be instructed in wisedome knowledge by his letter thus saluted the Philosopher Zenon The king Anty gonus wisheth health to the Philosopher Zenon I know well that I passe thee in riches and fauours of fortune but I must confesse that thou farre passest me in the true felicitie which consisteth in the knowledge discipline and studie of the lyberal sciences Alexander afore named so loued Homers Illyads as he appointed the magnificēt Iuel box of Darius to kéepe the same Cesar the best Captaine that euer was by his singular learning raised a question whether he was more honored with the lance or the penne Certainly they be both so necessarie as without the knowledge and vse of either a royal prince is maymed The multitude as Sophocles saith is a beast with many heads and therefore to gouerne such a monster requireth many pollicies in which the works of learned men will liberally instruct a prince but to acquire perfite knowledge the principall induction is the feare of the Lord which as Salomon saith is the beginning of wisedome The prince that will haue good subiects ought chiefely to instruct them with the example of his owne good life for for the most part the manners of the people incline to the affections of the Prince The noble prince ought to shake the flatterer from his eare and to raise the oppressed that fall at his féete for the one lieth in waite to disgrace the good and the other by opening their wrongs discouer the bad Hard and bitter words of a prince is the cause of much murmuring discontentment in the subiects where the prince is noted to be temperate no man wil be so hardy as to demand a wicked vile request O happy art thou Marcus Cato saith Cicero of whom no man dare demaund a wicked thing He is worthy of a kingdome and soueraigne rule and giueth hope of a good prince that pursueth the wicked hateth the intemperate reiecteth the lyars as the pestilence flieth the counsels of voluptuous persons for who so effecteth the desires of such counsellers his infancie wil be shameles his youth effeminated and his age infamous The preacher saith wel is thée O thou land whose king is come of nobles whose princes eate in due seasō for necessity not for lust king Lamuels mother counsaileth to giue the king no wine nor princes strong drink least in being drunken they forget the law and administration of iustice When king Alexander became a drunken Epicure in his drunkennesse he slewe his deare friends and by misgouernment hastened his owne death King Balthafar in his general banquet to his thousand Lords when he was drunken with wine commaunded his vessels of gold and siluer which his father Nabuchodonosor had taken out of the Temple at Ierusalem to be brought vnto him that he his wiues concubines might drink in them in contempt of the liuing Lord. but in the middest of his banquet the vengance of God with a visible hand wrote his destruction vpon the wal Dronkennes containeth all vices and the least vice is a great blemish in a prince Temperance in dyet bredeth sobrietie in manners reposed words are the glory of a Iuditial throne The sound safetie of a king is in the cherishment of religion and maintenance of his Lawes for the one vpon pain of damnation kéepeth subiectes in loyall obedience the other for feare of temporal punishment brideleth the dispositions of the wicked it is not ynough for the honor and maiestie of a prince to administer the vertue of all these vertues to his subiects alone but as Xenophon in his Cyropedia writeth a prince well quallified ought so to vse his enimies as his enimies may become his friends Pompey the great hauing vanquished Tygranus king of the Armenians hée established Tygranus againe in his kingdome saying that it was as Magnanimous a thing to giue a king his kingdome as to take it from him but the magnificent clemencie of Philip Maria Duke of Mylaine toward his vanquished enimies deserueth more than mortall honour This Philip Maria by victorie in a battaile vppon the Sea tooke Alfonsus king of Aragon and Sicile with two of his brethren Thierry king of Nauare the Prince of Tarent and three hundred men of great reputation all which he sent backe freely into their owne countries and where by the Law of Armes he might haue taken great ransomes of these Estates such was the honour of his mind as hée gaue vnto euerie one of them rich presents The senate of Rome deliuered 2700. Carthagenian prisoners without ransome I coulde resite manie of the like examples but small perswasions instruct the wise the vertuous desire glorie rather by their owne Actions than by the examples of other men And aboue all men a Royal Prince ought to be bewtified both with diuine and heroycall vertues for that the names dispositions and doing of the meanest princes are regestred in the Capitols of the whole world writers so narrowly search the doings of Princes as the prudēt Emperour Alexander surnamed Seuerus would oftentimes say that he stoode in more feare of one writer than of a hundred souldiers for that the wound of a pen remaineth after death when the sharpe stroke of a launce bereaueth a man but of life it is not onely conuenient that a Prince doe exercise pietie Iustice Temperance and all other offices of vertue for his honour and good renowne but it is néedfull that he do the same for his owne safetie for albeit there be no penall Law to chasten a Royall king yet Tyrannie is so odious to God and man as we seldome reade of any that raigne long and of as few that die peaceablie A number of whose ignominious deathes briefely to touch I hold not impertinent that other Princes may by the terrour thereof be feared and warned from Tyranny The Tyrant Abimelech slew 70. of his brethren and in the end a woman from a hie tower tombled a stone vpon his head the wound being mortall he willed his Page to runne him through with his sword that it might not be said a woman slew
to bring him to the agréement of his pleasure Necessitie maketh many of these conclusions contrarie to the law of charitie and good conscience which the diligence and charge in duetie of these popular Maiestrates would administer to the glorie of god and generall peace and commoditie of men CHAP. 6. Of the worthy reputation of the godly Lawier and the especiall benefite of his seruice in the common wealth THE enuious that raise mispleasing questions of the most morrall institutions as the Spider draweth poison out of the swéetest flower are like inough to slaunder my honest intent concerning the former Chapter with a suggestion that I couertly reproue Lawiers and reproch the vertue of the Law but their reasons censured by the wise will proue as vaine as their heads are void of vertue no man that hath sense will say that to prescribe rules of health it is any discredite to Phisicke or dishonour to the Phisition when the health of man sheweth the reputation of either as weake is his iudgement that saieth a perswation to concorde and quietnesse among neighbours is either a reproch to Law or blame to Lawiers when the commendation of the one and office of the other is to administer publike peace and prosperitie The pollicy of this gouernement hath made especiall choise of Lawiers to be Iusticers of Peace and for their profession they are abled for this commission albeit they cannot spende the yearely lande contained in the statute Fortescue saieth that humaine Lawes are no other than rules that instruct men to do Iustice it then followeth that Lawers are the principall instruments and amners of iustice yea so necessarie is the studie and knowledge of the Lawe as a man can hardlie discharge his duetie to God his Prince and countrie that is ignorant in the Lawes of the Realme The Romaines when they had banished their Tyrannous kings and had erected their Aristocratia or Decemuirate gouernement they trusted to the strength of their Lawes the which faire written in tenne tables they caused to be set vp in the market place to the intent that ignorance might be no plea for any man that trespassed against the weale publicke In all good gouernements there is a common Maxime Non excusâ—…t ignorantia iuris The ignorance of the Lawe excuseth not And in this blessed gouernement that euerie man might knowe his duetie the greatest part of the penal lawes ought to bée plainely opened vnto the multitude by the Iusticers or Iustices of Peace at their quarter Sessions and the like is the charge of Stewards in their Leates that the people may knowe the Lawes which they are bound to obey so that it were an vnexcusable folly to reproch the Lawe which according to the iudgement of Fortescue is an vncorrupt holinesse and a daungerous madnesse to enuie generally against Lawiers who are honored with right reuerende dignities in the common wealth and yet with fauour let the Trueth bee spoken from thinges of the greatest vertue the worst vices are growne Religion is the holiest of holy things and yet Heresie of sins the most damnable procéedeth of the wresting of holy scriptures Euen so Lawe which in trueth containeth the verie iudgements of Iustice vnto couetous and naughtie persons openeth an hundred gappes to robbe and vndoe their poore neighbours and truely vpon the temptation of their opressions a man sauing the honor of the good may say by lawyers as Cicero did by Poets when he alowed the sentence of Plato and yet Cicero honoured good Poets as appeareth by his Oration for the Poet Archias in which he perswaded the Citizens to receiue him as one that would greatly honour and benifite the Citie The like reputation and reuerence I and all good men ought to giue to godly lawiers how be it my censure is that next vnto the heriticke the wicked Lawier is the most daungerous person CHAP. 7. Of the honest reputation of the Yemonry or husbandmen the commoditie of their seruice their aptnesse to rebellion with a direction for their quietnesse and commoditie WHO so shall consideratiuely looke into the necessarie seruice of the Yemen and husbandmen of England he may with the graue Cato rightly cal them Aratores optimos ciues in republica Tyllers of the ground and best Citizens in a common wealth and as their trauell and continual labor profiteth or more properly féedeth the whole Realme so their inconstant and seditious humors are apt vppon euery light temptation to worke the disturbance of the whole Realme and therefore the pollicie of our gouernment within the compasse of euery foure or fiue mile in most shires hath appointed some one of the better sort of the Gentlemen to be a Iusticer of peace among them who as is before showne is bounde to haue an eye vnto their behauiours and an eare readie to heare and appease their murmurings and truely if any good counsaile may take place among the stubborne multitude besides the admonition of sacred Scripture which in maniâ—… places commaundeth obedience and forbiddeth rebellion the assurednesse of their myserie vndoing and vtter confution forbiddeth them to runne from the motion of sedition as swift if it were possible as the fearefull Hare doth from the hungrie Grayhounde for their daunger is farre more apparent the Hare many times saueth her selfe by the recouerie of some woode but the poore and popular rebell lyeth open to all destruction Noble men Gentlemen and the better sort if they sée themselues in perrill as they are neuer safe that rebell they haue swift horse secreat friends and many couerts to shrowd them but the shiftlesse countrie men haue no sucker but the princes mercie which they neither deserue nor yet haue friends to acquire the same if there were not innumerable examples to proue that they headlong runne vppon their destruction and swiftly flie from their safetie and profite it were a thing almost vnpossible that the meanest sort of men would be drawne into rebellion I haue in many places of my booke shewen sundrie examples of their vnconstancie and therefore heere will onely set downe what Chauser writeth of their dispositions vnder Osterne people vniust and vntrue Ay vndiscreete and chaunging as a fane Delyting euer in rumors that be new For like the Moone you euer wax and wane Your reason halteth your iudgement is lame Your dome is false your constance euil preueth A ful great foole is he that on you leueth But questionlesse this mutabilitie and anke-ward disposition of the multitude would be much reformed if the Maiestrates and godly mynisters would sufficiently remember them of their dueties towards God their Prince and countrie It is great pittie that such profitable members in a common wealth should runne into daunger of disloyaltie for lacke of good instruction yea it is great pittie vnlesse in time of warre that they should be carried farre from their labor a poore countrie man that vseth a Lawâ—…ers chamber is in as great a daunger as
authoritie or dissention Yea about this time that the fall of Antichrist might be visibly séene by the taking awaie of such Christian princes as were his setled supporters when as Lodowicke Guiccerdine reporteth ther was not any where either brute of pestilence or extraordinarie disease there died within the space of one yeare the Emperour Charles the fifth the Quéene of Hungary Quéene Mary of England two Kings of Denmarke Bona Sforza Quéene of Polonia Henry the third king of France Ierolme Priuli Duke of Vennice Hercules da este Duke of Ferrara and Paule the fourth Pope of Rome a change verie vniuersall wherein Gods prouidence is not to be ouerpassed with a light consideration whose will vndoubtedly was by the change of these princes the most of them drunken with Poperie to make a ready passage through Europe for the gospel of our sauiour Iesus Christ which vpon this change began to florish in most of the recited gouernements And albeit the fall of Antichrist in many places of the scripture be liuely presaged vpon the authority whereof there is sure and sound building when the prophesies and dreames of a number are but rotten foundations yet I hope I may without iust reprehension say that God many times acquainteth the minds of some good men with an imaginatiue knowledge of things to come which many yéeres after falleth out according to their presagement and for example belōging to our matter the reformation of the Church vnder her Maiesties raigne before her noble fathers death was set downe in this following prophesie Post H sequetur E post E quod mirum M M coronabitur breue confundetur Post M sequetur E vel A Et tunc conuertetur ecclesia In English E shall follow H next E with wonder M M shall be crowned and soone confounded Next vnto M E or A shall raigne Then shall the Church conuerted be againe Noble King Henry the eight first vnmasked this proude Pope King Edward the fixt the parragon of yong princes helped to vncase him Quéene Mary fauoured but liued not to strengthen him and now our soueraigne Elizabeth hath geuen him a mortall disgrace his painted Church abideth not the tuch Gods Church is vniuersally reuerenced The multitude are more delighted to reade a fewe godly sentences written vppon the Church wall then to sée his rarest rotten reliques layde vp in a golden chest Against her Maiestie he principally warreth as the chosen instrument of almightie God to abase his imperious mind to the wonder of the world and comfort of all good Christians CHAP. 8. Of the peaceable and honorable victorie that her Maiestie had against the french forces in Scotland which were raised with a determination for the inuasion of England the second yeare of her Maiesties raigne AFTER the death of Henry King of France his sonne Frances the second succéeded in the kingdome of France a prince of the age of sixtéene yéeres who being married vnto Mary Quéene of Scots and néece to the Duke of Guise suffered the affaires of the estate to be gouerned by the ambitious policy of the Duke and family of the Guises who hauing wished successe in their practises in Quéene Maryes dayes about the winning of Callice hoped and hungred after the spoile and conquest of England And the better to colour their purpose they intituled the King of France in the right of the Quéene his wife to the Crowne of England and knowing the difference betwéene the Quéenes Maiestie of England and the Pope in matters of religion they easily obtained of Paulus the fourth a disablement of the Quéenes Maiestie and an approouement of the Quéene of Scots right but King Frances had béene well aduised if he had not accepted this gift vntill the Pope had set him in possession of the kingdome which would haue troubled both him and his whole Colledge of Cardinals This depriuation by the Pope the Guises practised to moue the Papists of England to their part taking and arming theyr purpose by degrées to worke a feare in her Maiesties loyall subiects they wrote a booke of the weakenesse insufficiencie of feminine gouernement and by their owne reasons wounded the strength of their owne title which they deriued from the Quéene of Scots This scandale of feminine gouernemente was soundlie aunswered by an vnnamed authour in an english printed book at Strasbrowgh entituled A safe harbor for good subiects And truely although the soueraigne place of rule the chiefe credit of knowledge in Artes and Mecanicall craftes together with all other giftes of grace nature and education be giuen vnto man yet there haue béene women that in all maner of artes qualities and vertues which haue equalled the perfitest of men Innumerable are the testimonies of womens profound learning pure chastitie rare constancie patient martyrdome and a number most valiant whereof Chawcer reciteth nine Woorthies aunswerable to the nine Woorthies of men And touching regall gouernement from whence this question is deriued the Iewes recorde the sage gouernemente of Quéene Alexandra with more renowne then they did the tyrannie of her husband Alexander with reproch whose bodie they were determined to haue giuen vnto the dogs as also to haue murthered his two sonnes to haue rooted out Alexanders name if that her wisedome had not redéemed out either Theodosia the Empresse of Constantinople with admired prudence ruled the whole Empire during her life The gouernement of Senobia was no lesse renowmed Dydo the Amazones and many other were absolute Quéenes Semiramis enlarged the bounds of her Empire and Quéene Tomyris slewe Cyrus and his whole hoaste c. But if the enuy of men would suppresse and murther the worthines of women yet the diuine vertues of our soueraigne Quéene Elizabeth doth and will alwaies kéepe aliue their diuine memorie Of whome Guiccerdine in his Commentaries although all his writing defendeth the pope and reproueth Religion thus reporteth The good Queene Mary being dead without issue Elizabeth her sister was proclaimed Queene c. a Princesse of great learning and ouer and aboue the Laten and her mother toong she is possessed of the French and Italian language which she eloquently speaketh a yong Lady of a hye spirit wise and endewed with rare and noble qualities He might haue added the Greeke Spanish and some other ordinarie tongues with many extraordinary vertues which may as hardly be sampled by anie other lyuing Creature as the Sunne by the fairest of the Planets The worthinesse and strength of whose Gouernment euen from the beginning confuted the scandule of this lybell which was grounded vppon noe generall Lawe of God or man There haue béene priuate Lawes in some perticular Gouernments to take away and to disable the absolute gouernment of women when the generall Lawe possessed them with Imperiall authoritie As in Rome the Law Voconia so called because Voconius Tribune of the people pronounced the same In Fraunce the law Salique which they fetch from king Pharamond which bindeth the present