Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A72894
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A briefe discourse of royall monarchie, as of the best common weale vvherin the subiect may beholde the sacred maiestie of the princes most royall estate. VVritten by Charles Merbury Gentleman in duetifull reuerence of her Maiesties most princely Highnesse. Whereunto is added by the same gen. a collection of Italian prouerbes, in benefite of such as are studious of that language.
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Merbury, Charles.
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1581
(1581)
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STC 17823.5; ESTC S112612
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39,761
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95
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the ballances the kinge of BOEMIA And yet for all that the Electours were neuer so few the factions and ciuill discordes Difficulties and dissentions in the choosing of Princes that ensued were neuer a whit the lesse LEWIS of BAVIER and ALBERTE of AVSTRIKE were both chosen Emperours at one time whervpon they continued 18. yeares in warres one against the other In like maner the Colledge of the Cardinalles haue bene as is before saide sometimes two sometimes three yeares together in choosing of one Pope And at an other time they haue chosen three at a clappe and often times two together VVherfore they are now faine to shutte them selues into the CONCLAVE of Saint Peters Pallaice there to remaine vntill the two thirdes of them do fall to agreement As it is also more straightly obserued at MALTA now called VALETTA in the choosing of the great Maister of the order of Saint IOHN For there the 24. Electours appointed by the KNIGHTES of the great Crosse are walled into a strong place where within a certaine time limited vnto them they must without all delaye choose one that is not of their number So we see that the difficulties A number of Popes Emperour murdered about their Election and dissentions which proceede from such Elections are infinite The Murders also and massacres that do insue of them are no lesse frequent both amongest th'Ecclesiasticall Prelates and temporall Princes Of Popes there haue bene at the least 22. beheaded about their Election as the Registers of the VATTICANE doe certifie besides a number of Cardinalles and of common people that for the like cause haue gon the same waye with them VVe reade that in the Primatiue Church there were 600. Romanes slaine at one time about the choosing of DAMASVS and VRSINVS Of temporall Princes there haue bene within these 360. yeares since th' Empire fell into the subiection of the Lordes Electours eight or nine EMPEROVRS slaine and poisoned Of 15. SOVLDANES that haue bene chosen kinges of EGYPTE seuen of them dyed with the sworde Of Romane Emperours after the death of AVGVSTVS there were seuen all in a rowe murdered and three of them in one yeare It would greeue me to rehearse and weary you to heare all the piteous examples which might be recited in this behalfe wherof both English Latine and Italian histories are euery where full These few may suffice to shew what slaughters Murders Massacres haue bene cōmitted about The benefit of Succession the choosing of Princes Neither could there any order be found either for the sauftie of a kinge or for the quietnesse of a kingdome vntill such time as a lawfull sonne or sonne made by Adoption succeded vnto his father without Kingdomes assured by meanes of Succession any further Election As TIBERIVS TITVS TRAIAN ADRIAN ANTONINVS PIVS MARCVS AVRELIVS who all succeded prosperously one vnto th' other in the Romane Empire The Germaines also for all their great Titles of Election are faine at the last to flye vnto this refuge and to fetche their sauftie and quietnesse from Succession Suffering the house of AVSTRIKE these hundreth and three skore yeares solely and successiuely to possesse th' Empire As after SIGISMONDE FREDERIKE then MAXIMILIAN then CHARLES the fifth then FERDINANDE then MAXIMILIAN the seconde and so vnto RADVLPHE who now raigneth In POLONIA likewise BOHEMIA HONGARIE DENMARKE where the states stand so much vpon their Priuileges they are glad and faine of later yeares for the auoiding of ciuill warres and other of the aforesaid inconueniences to acknowledge the benefit of this Succession choosing for the most part him that is next of the blood Royall and next of kinne vnto the predecessed kinge So precious a thing it is as they that hate it are constrayned to seeke it And they that haue it are glad to holde it SPAINE NAPLES CICILLE NAVARRA SCOTLAND and FRAVNCE also whose Lawe SALIKE for ought that I can see is nothing else but a limited or nice kinde of Succession haue not for these many yeares knowen any other kinde of gouernement But of all nations there is none that more amplie How Succession is tendered in England hath enioyed it and which doth more willingly reteine it then our owne Seeing therefore that Lineall Succession is so sure a foundation as all good kingdomes both do and may boldly builde theron And contrarily ELECTION so weake a sande or rather so daungerous a Sea as it is able to sinke the tallest shippe of Citie or Countrey that saileth therin it is good reason that in this our discourse of ROYALL MONARCHIE as we desire to frame the same the best and the most perfecte common weale we embrace the one as a sure grounde and shunne the other as a most daungerous sande preferring Succession before Election and consequētly before all the other forenamed kindes of kingdomes the which all are either kindes of Election or else they are of lesse importance and such as are not to be estemed for their owne worthynesse but for some Necessitie sake As where Succession faileth that there is none lefte of the bloode Royall mall nor femall to inheritte the Crowne then men are faine to goe to drawing of Lottes to Neyinge of horses to choosing the Noblest the wisest the Eldest the Mightiest the Richest But the best and most Royall Prince is not to receiue his Scepter by any such happe or hazarde of fortune as DARIVS did his Nor to come to his kingdome by the vncertaintie of voices as all chosen Princes doe Nor yet by Gifte by Custome by Pollicie or by Conquest as it hath bene saide that kinge IVBA Duke COSIMVS and many other Princes did come to theirs But he is to come vnto his Crowne and kingdome first and principally by the grace of GOD and secondarily by the waye of lawfull and Lineall SVCCESSION It followeth that we speake of the maner of estate of this most ROYALL MONARCHIE and best kinde of kingdome Come sta how and in what case it standeth as touching the Power and authoritie appertaining thervnto For it is not sufficient that so ROYALL a Prince be descended Lineally and lawfully into his kingdome But he must also possesse and exercise such ROYALL and princely Power therin as is most fitte for his worthynesse and for his subiectes happynesse Neither in so extreame maner as to make A god of him selfe as ALEXANDER the great would haue done and slaues of his vassalles as the Great TVRKE at this daye doth Neither yet in so slender sorte as to haue the sworde caried after him as the Duke of VENICE hath and to be but a litle better then a sipher or shadowe of a Prince What power appertaineth vnto a Royall Prince He is for to haue therefore by the grace and Permission of Almightie God that Power which the Greekes call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Latines MAIESTATEM Th' Italians SIGNORIA The Frenchmen SOVVERAINETE That is Power full and perpetuall ouer all
and Swethlande adopted HENRY Duke of Pomerane for their heires and successours in all their dominitions So in king HENRY the fifth of England byside the interest of his auncesters and his owne interest vnto the Crowne of France was added an adoption by his father in law the french kinge CHARLES the sixte Some kingdomes are Kingdomes by Lotte translated from one to an other by lotte or Pâ—ouince of fortune as it happened vnto DARIVS one of the seuen Lordes of PERSIA who was made kinge because his horse first neyed Kingdomes by Pollicie Some estates are gotten by Pollicie as in olde time CECROPES HIERON GELON PISISTRATVS gotte theirs and as of later yeares COSMVS of MEDICES added the state of SIENNA vnto his Dukedome of FLORENCE Kingdomes by CoÌ„quest A number of kingdomes also are gotten by conqueste As FERDINAND of ARAGON the first king of Spaine got the kingdomes of NAPLES NAVARRA SICILE and after him his daughters sonne CHARLES the fifte got the kingdome of THVNES the dukedome of MILAN the Soueranitie of Artois and Flanders Kingdomes by Election Others go by Election as the kingdome of POLONIA doth And of this kinde there are diuers sortes For some are chosen kinges for their Noblenesse of birthe As CAMPSON kinge of Caramania was by the Mammelucs chosen for their SOVLDANE the Vycountes of ANGLERIE were for their noble birth made Lordes of MILANE Some for their Iustice as NVMA POMPILIVS was by the Romaines Some for their olde age as the auncient ARABIANS did choose alwayes the eldest Some for their great possessions and mightie power AS HARAVLDE sonne to GOODWINNE Earle of Kente was after the death of kinge EDWARD surnamed the Sainte because of the good and wholesome lawes which he in this our countrey instituted chosen the last SAXON kinge in Englande Some for their strenght of body as MAXIMINVS Others for their beautie as HELIOGABALVS Others for their greatnesse and tallnesse of stature As they were wonte to doe in AETHIOPIA All which are kindes of kingdomes and they may be good and lawfull according as they are well and lawfully vsed But they are not of that excellencie which is required in our best kingdome For there is yet an other kinde farre more excellent then any of them more commendable more sure lesse subiect to corruptioÌ„ more capable of perfection VVhich is when a Which is the best kinde of Kingdome kingdome descendeth by right of Succession vnto the next of the blood royall In the which point we are coÌ„tent to swarue from him whom hitherto in the waye of Philosophie we haue most followed who was of opinion that kinges were rather to be chosen calling them people Barbarous which did take their kinges by way of Succession preferring therefore the Carthaginians That Succession is to be preferred before Election before the Lacedemonians because these receiued their kinges by Succession those by Election But perhappes ARISTOTLE would haue differed herein from him selfe if he had liued a litle longer for to haue sene how the MONARCHIE of Macedone hauing continued fiue hundreth yeares from the father vnto the sonne in the right Line of HERCVLES was after for want of Royall and Lineall Succession brought vnto vtter confusion Or if he had liued in these dayes of ours to haue seene how kingdomes goe now how they florish how amplie they disteÌ„de them selues he would doubtlesse haue changed his opinion and neuer haue called Barbarous so many goodly countryes and so diuers sondry sortes of nations both of ASIA as the Persians Medians Parthenians Turkes Tartarres Arabians of AFRICA the Aethiopians Barbarians Numidians of EVROPE England Scotland Fraunce Spaine Naples Sicile preferring before all th'afore saide riche and florishing Estates a few colde countryes of Polonia Demnarke and Swethland because these haue their kinges by Election those by Succession But he neuer needed for to haue liued so long for this matter For if he would but haue looked backe with an indifferent eye into his owne countrey of Greece the which he commended to be so ciuill he should haue found that th' Athenians Lacedemonians Sicyonians Corinthians Thebanes Epirotes Macedonians for the space of sixe hundreth yeares neuer had any other gouernement but of kinges and those by the right and lawfull waye of Succession vntill such time as ambition pride and priuate Interest blinded their vnderstanding and made them change their kingdomes into DEMOCRATIES and ARISTOCRATIES missterming the same by the false name of libertie The like may be said of the auncient Toscanes and of the olde Latines who many hundreth yeares before the building of ROME had their kinges and gouernours descending lineally one vnto an other As we reade that AENEAS by the right of his wife succeded vnto LATINVS TIBERIVS of whome the riuer of Teuer or Tyber which runneth by ROME was so named vnto AENEAS and so forth vntill the kingdome came to ROMVLVS by the waye of his mother RHEA daughter to NVMITOR and Nece to AMVLIVS kinges of the Latines VVhereby we maye gather that in those dayes neither Election was vsed nor yet any exception made of kinde or Gender But some man will say O how happy is that couÌ„trey where the estates of the people do make choise of a iust and righteous Prince who feareth God aboue all thinges honoreth vertue oppresseth vice giueth rewarde vnto the good and punishment vnto the wicked that hateth flatterers keepeth his fayth and his promisse banisheth out of his Courte the Inuentours of new exactions reuengeth the iniuries that are done vnto others forgiueth those that are done vnto him selfe These are faire speeches and they seeme to cary with them great good apparences Sed lates anguis in herba they shew not id manticae quod in tergo est But as we are wonte to carie alwayes two sachelles about vs one before to put other mens faultes in and an other behinde wherin to hide our owne So they make no mention of the daungers and discommodities which are incident vnto such kinde of Elections As what What IncoÌ„ueniences do proceede from Elections a monsterous Inconuenience is that when Sede vacante after the Prince is deade and before a new can be chosen the whole state remaineth in a very ANARCHIE without kinge or any kinde of gouernement like a shippe without a Pilote in hazarde to be cast awaye with euery winde Then may you see all lewdnesse and licentiousnesse set at libertie Theeues robbe by the highe way side without punishment Murderers commit their treasons without controllment For the first thing that is done Sede vacante is to breake open the prisons kill the iâylors reuenge iniuries oppresse the poore with all insolent and vniust meanes As we reade that the MAMMELVCS were wont to doe sacking and spoiling the poore people of EGYPTE whilest their SOVLDANE was a choosing And this Impunitie of vice for the most parte lasteth vntill such time as the ELECTORS doe fall to agreement which happeneth not some times in