Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
lord_n	earl_n	king_n	viscount_n	14,472	5	11.3612	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A02329	The historie of Guicciardin conteining the vvarres of Italie and other partes, continued for many yeares vnder sundry kings and princes, together with the variations and accidents of the same, deuided into twenty bookes: and also the argumentes, vvith a table at large expressing the principall matters through the vvhole historie. Reduced into English by Geffray Fenton.; Historia d'Italia. English	Guicciardini, Francesco, 1483-1540.; Fenton, Geoffrey, Sir, 1539?-1608.	1579 (1579)	STC 12458A; ESTC S120755	1,623,689	1,210

the importance and daunger of the thing to handle so great an enterprise sought to communicate perswade all things with the Pope in whō he knew had most dominion two stirring humors ambicion disdayne he told him that not by the fauors of the Princes of Italy and much lesse by the meane of their armies and helpes he should be reuenged of Ferdinand nor haue hope to compasse estates worthy and honorable for th aduancement of his sonnes He found the Pope to beare a vehement and ready wil to the matter perhaps for a desire to innouate and alter thinges but more likely to constraine the Aragons by feare to come to that which by consent wil they would not accord to him After they had communicated their councells they dispatched secretly into Fraunce personages of trust to sound the will of the king such as gouerned him who shewing them selues not farre from their intencion Lodovvyk turning his whole witts to the deuise of this enterprise sent in the sight of all the world but shadowing it with other occasions one Charles Balbyan Earle of Belioyense who soliciting the king certeine dayes in priuate audience working particularly with sundry of his principal fauorits was at last introduced into open councell the king present where in a publike hearing of the Prince his Lordes and Prelates of the Court he deliuered this forme of discourse Most christian king Thexperiēce of the disposiciō of harts diuersly inclined ▪ makes me dowtful whether vnder a direct absolute forme I should begin my discours or vsing the custome of Orators bring into question such obiectiōs as may be opposed against the presēt matter for in causes of perswasion the one with the other must orderly cōcurre least for want of due office in the speaker the matter seeming to suffer imperfectiō error do not bring forth resolucion effect according to thexpectacion of the parties for whom he solicites And albeit the vniuersal coniecture opiniō of your maiesties many vertues the graue aspect face of your right wise coūcel here assēbled promise no lesse ready cōsent liking thē the matter is iust innocēt ▪ yet for your maiesties better inducemēt general satisfactiō of your Lordes Prelats assisting I wil ioyne my self to the refutaciō of that general dout which in negociaciōs of this nature are cōmonly obiected more by custō thē iust cause arising If therefore right Christian king any man for what occasion so euer will hold for suspected the integritie of mind and faith with the which Lodovvik Sforce comes to councel you to beare armes to cōquer the kingdom of Naples he may easily deliuer his mind of that ill grounded suspicion if he either loke into the offers offices cōdicions wherwith he doth accompany his perswasion councell offering you the cōmoditie of his treasors men all other oportunities or at least wil cal to his memory with what deuociō both he Galeas his brother originally Francis his father did honor the late king Levvys your father continued with no lesse constancie faith piety to the glorious name of your maiestie Let him consider also that by this enterprise Lodovvyk standes possible to many great daungers with a very naked hope of any profit yea in this is conteined the only benefit he shall haue to see a iust reuenge of the ambushes wronges done by them of Aragon where your maiestie by meane of the victory shal happily aspire to a most florishing kingdom bringing with it a greater glory oportunitie of farre more high and honorable merite an action wherunto the thoughts of mighty Princes ought to be fashioned And of the other part if it happen that you come not to the end of this enterprise yet your maiestie loseth no reputacion nor your greatnes the more diminished for that onely the fortunes of Princes are subiect to opiniōs but not their estate maiesty impaired But for Lodovvyk he is of nothing more sure then to suffer general ill wil contempt of nothing more vnsure then to find remedy in his perils for that in him would concurre all the displeasures slaunders which may concerne his estate life or reputacion And therfore I see not how should be suspected the councels of him whose cōdicions fortunes are so vnequal inferior to yours But there be reasons stirring you to this honorable expedicion which for the simplicity roundnes innocency they conteine will admitte no dowt for that in them are liberally concurrant all the groundes foundacions which inconsulting of enterprises merit chiefest consideracion that is to say the iustice of the cause the facilitie of the conquest the great frut of the victory it is manifest to all the world how resolute apparāt be the rights which the house of Aniovv to whom you are lawful inheritor hath to the realme of Naples how iust is the succession which this crowne pretendes to it by the yssues of Charles who first of the blood royall of Fraunce obteyned the same kingdom both with thauthoritie of the Pope and by his proper valour And it is no lesse easie to conquer it then the action is iust for who knowes not howe much the King of Naples is inferior in force authoritie and fortune to the most mightie King of all Christendom And no nation dowteth with what terrour and renowne the name of the french thundreth throughout the regions of the world neyther with what astonishment the brute of your armies keepeth other contreys in dread At no time did the inferior Dukes of Aniovv assaile the kingdom of Naples that they put it not in great hazard And it is to late to be forgotten how Iohn sonne of Rene had in his hand the victorie against Ferdinand now reigning if Pope Pius had not taken it from him but much more Francys Sforce who forbare as is well knowen to obey Levvys the xj your father If those small forces trained with thē so great fortunes what may be hoped for of the armies authoritie of so mighty a king all oportunities being increased and the difficulties obiected against Rene and Iohn diminished seeing the Princes of those estates which gaue impediments to their victories haue now vnitie confederacion with you in them be no small meanes to offend the kingdom of Naples for the Pope by lād by reason the territories of the church are frōtiers to Naples the Duke of Myllan by sea applying to you the cōmoditie seruice of Genes will be furtherers of your victorie with many helpes ▪ fauours and commodities besides these there is no potentacie or iurisdiction in Italy wil oppose against you for it can not be iudged of the Venetians that they will throwe them selues into expenses and daungers and much lesse depriue their estate of the amitie wherein so long time they haue bene interteyned with the kinges of Fraunce to preserue or protect Ferdinand an auncient

of the author for that Ferdinand esteeming it much to his indignitie to giue place to Lodovvyk and Ascanius by whose workings he supposed the Pope was setled into those discontentements and indignations which he shewed gaue secrete councel to Virginio by thincitation of his sonne Alphonso not to delay to take by vertue of his purchase the possession of the castells promising to defend him against all displeasures that might happen And of the other side gouerning himselfe with his naturall industrie he communicated with the Pope diuerse meanes of composicion secretely incensing Virginio notwithstanding not to consent any but such as might keepe the castells in his possession satisfying the Pope with some portion of money which comfortes set Virginio into such a courage resolucion of mind that many times afterwards he refused certein of the condicions euen such as Ferdinand not to incense the Pope to much solicited him instantly to be accepted By these actions it was plainly perceiued that Peter de medicis perseuered to follow the authoritie of the king that all that was done to draw him away was in vaine without frute therefore Lodovvyk Sforce deepely reuoluing how much it imported that the citie of Florence should be at the deuocion of his enemies whose temperature and good gouernment was wont to be the principall foundacion of his securitie and seming to see in his secret cogitacion many impressions of daungers threatning him on all sides determined to prouide for his proper safetie and to those newe perills to appropriate new remedies specially his conscience interpreting vnto him with what vehement desire the Aragons thirsted to take from him the gouernment of his Nephew which iust ambiciō albeit Ferdinand to whom nothing was more familiar thē to dissemble his intentions had sought to couer in all his actions yet in Alphonso of nature more open and liberall was not so great continencie and moderacion but that he complayned publikely of thoppression of his sonne in lawe pronouncing with more great libertie of wordes then temperance of discression many iniurious speeches tending to manifest threatning To these coniectures Lodovvyk added this argument of suspicion He knew well that Isabell wife to Iohn Galeas a young Lady of high stomacke would vse a perpetuall diligence to incense her father grandfather that if thindignitie which was done to her husband and her would not moue them at least the consideracion of the perills whereunto their owne liues were exposed togither with the lamentable ruine of their children might draw them to compassion But that which chiefly occupied his mind with perplexitie and torment was that by the suggestion of his proper conscience he knew how hatefull his name was to the subiectes of the Duchie of Myllan as well for the greeuous and vnaccustomed money tributes which he had imposed vpon them as also for the compassion that euery one had of Iohn Galeas their rightfull lord And although he trauelled by all his best wayes to make them of Aragon suspected of a desire to impatronise them selues of that estate as though they did assume a title by the auncient rightes of the testament of Philip Maria Viscounte who had instituted his heire Alphonso father to Ferdinand and vnder that pretence ment to wrest from him the gouernment of his Nephew yet he found himselfe vnable by all these meanes to remoue the hatredes that were conceyued agaynst him and much lesse so to satisfie the world but that all men might consider to how many miseries and wickednes the ambicion and wretched desire to beare rule leades mortall men Therefore after he had made discourse and conference with no small study and trauell of minde of the state of thinges present and the daungers likely to happen casting aside all other thoughts his deuises at last brought forth this resolution to search newe confederats and new friendes Touching this resolucion he found a great oportunitie in the Popes disdaine against Ferdinand and in the desire which he beleued the state of Venice had that this confederacion should chaunge and alter which of long time had giuen no small impediments to their purposes he made solicitation to both these to contract in common a new confederacie for the publike benefite But the Pope reiecting all passions of anger and all other affection had his mind onely possest with an vnbridled couetousnes to rayse and make mighty his sonnes in whom hauing setled a blind fancie he was not ashamed contrary to the custome of former Popes who to cast some cloke ouer their infamie were wont to call them their Nephewes called them his children and expressed them to the world for such And not finding as yet other fitte occasion to giue beginning to his ambicious intention he made instance to marry one of his two sonnes to the bastard daughter of Alphonso demaunding a dowrie of some rich estate in the kingdom of Naples from which hope so long as he was not excluded he harkened rather with his eare then his hart to the confederacion offered by Lodovvyk And if in this desire he had bene satisfied the peace of Italy had not perhaps falne into so sodein alteracion trouble Ferdinand happily had not his mind much estraunged from that motion but Alphonso to whom was hatefull the ambicion and pride of the Pope denied constantly his consent and yet keeping his intencions dissembled they made no open chalenge or dislike to the mariage but laying all the difficultie vpon the qualitie of the dowrie that was demaunded they satisfied not Alexander who rising for this cause into discontentement resolued to embrace the councells of Lodovvyk his humors being turned all into disdaine and ambicion and his mind trauelled with feare for that not onely Virginio Vrsin was mercinary to Ferdinand And for the many fauours he had receiued of him and them of Florence and being withall of the faction of the Guelffes was at that time very mighty throughout the whole dominions of the Church But that which more was Prosper and Fabricius principall heades of the familie of the Collonnoys and the Cardinall of S. P. ad vincla a Cardinall of great reputacion then retyred to the Castell of Ostie which he held as Bishop of the place least the Pope should dresse some ambush against his life was now become a great friend to Ferdinand to whom before he was a professed enemie and had many times stirred the Popes Sixtus and Innocent against him But the Senate of Venice contrary to the opinion and expectation of the world made no great shew of readines to this confederacion for albeit they tooke it to happen to their commoditie and held withall very agreeable the disunion of others yet they tooke occasion in the infidelitie of the Pope being euery day more and more suspected to euery one to be slow to harken to the league the remembrance of the alliances made by them with Sixtus Innocent the Popes latest predecessors seruing much to their present

out of Fraunce two hundreth thowsand ducketts Touching the king he was bound to the defence and protection of the Duchie of Myllan against all men with particular mencion to preserue the authoritie of Lodovvyk to enterteine during the warre within the citie of Ast belonging to the Duke of Orleance two hundreth launces to giue succours to the necessities of that Duchie Lastly he promised either at that time or soone after by a writing subsigned with his owne hand that hauing once conquered the realme of Naples he should giue to Lodovvyk the principalitie of Tarente But let vs looke somewhat into the variacion of times and thinges of the worlde Albeit Francis Sforce father to Lodovvyk a Prince of rare wisedom and valour was a professed enemie to those of Aragon for the many displeasures he had receiued of Alphonso Ferdinands father and an auncient friend to the house of Aniovv yet this was his moderacion in the actions concerning those two families that in the yeare 1457. when Iohn sonne of Rene inuaded the kingdom of Naples he ministred succours to Ferdinand with such a wonderfull diligence and readines that the victorie was acknowledged to happen wholly by his helpe he was stirred to this for no other reason then that he saw it was to perillous for his Duchie of Myllan that the french his neare neighbours should make them selues Lordes ouer so mighty an estate The same reason induced Philip Maria Viscounte abandoning them of Aniovv to whom he had alwaies before borne fauour to deliuer Alphonso his enemie who taken of the Geneuoys in a battell at sea neare to Caiette was brought to him prisoner to Myllan with all the nobilitie of his realmes on the other side Levvys the xj father to Charles being often times perswaded by many and not with light occasions to harken to the thinges of Naples and being withall with great instance called by the Geneuoys to be Lord ouer their contreyes as Charles his father had bene afore him Did alwayes refuse to intangle him selfe with the doings of Italy as matters full of expenses and difficulties and in the ende hurtfull to the realme of Fraunce But now the opinions of men being chaunged but perhapps not chaunged the reason of thinges we see how Lodovvyk calls the french ouer the mounteynes not fearing by so mighty a king if Naples should fall into his handes that daunger which his father no lesse valiant in armes then he would haue feared if but a litle Earle of Prouence had conquered it And of the other side we see Charles now raigning inflamed with a desire to make warre in Italy preferring the rashnes of men of base place and vnexperienced afore the councell of his father A Prince of singular wisedom temperance and forecast It hapneth too often that new Princes haue newe councells and of newe councells commonly resort new effectes euen such as in a ship when a rawe man is put to the helme the course must needes alter It is not vnlikely that Lodovvyk was drawne to so great a deliberacion by Hercules de Este Duke of Ferrara his father in law who nourishing a vehement appetite to recouer Polesine de Rouigne a contrey consining and importing much the sewertie of Ferrara which the Venetians had taken from him in the warres ten yeares past foresaw that the onely meane to recouer it was to set all Italy in trouble and innouate the states with most great emotions Besides this many beleued that albeit in Hercules appeared a disguised apparance and will to wish well to his sonne in law yet in secret he followed him with an extreme hatred for that in the same warre all the residue of Italy which had taken armes for him being farre more mighty then the Venetians Lodovvyk gouerning then the state of Myllan and regarding his proper respectes particular interestes constrayned the others to make peace with condicion that Polesine should remayne to the Venetians And therefore Hercules hauing no meanes to reuenge so great an iniurie by armes and warre sought to execute his long smothered malice by giuing him a daungerous councell such are the operacions of malice working in mindes mighty who seldom hold it any breach of iustice to be reuenged of him that offereth the first iniurie But now Italy being possessed with a brute of those thinges which were in practise on the otherside the mounteynes and whose first authors at the beginning were vncerteyne many thoughtes and discourses appeared in the vnderstandings of men to many waighing with the power and strength of the french king and the readines of that nation to new broyles and innouacions the present diuisions and factions of thitalians it seemed a busines of great qualitie and importance others interpreting the age and greenes of the king and iudging much of the negligence naturall to that nation and lastly looking into the great impediments which great enterprises haue construed all not to a councell well grounded but to a hotte and vnbridled affection of youth which after it had a litle throwne out his fume and fire would easily vanish and dissolue Ferdinand him selfe against whom all this busines was conspired shewed litle appearance of feare saying it was an enterprise intangled with many difficulties for that if they made their inuasion by sea they should find him furnished with a plentifull nauie armed able to giue him battel in the plaine sea his portes being furnished and his fortes well manned and vittelled neither was there any baron in the realme able to receiue them as had bene done afore to Iohn of Aniovv by the Prince of Bossane and other great ones of the land And touching their expedicion by land it was full of incommodities suspicious to many and a painefull march farre of for that their way lying all a long the length of Italy the residue of the Princes could not be without their particular feares and perhaps Lodovvyk Sforce more then the others notwithstanding he made shew of the contrary seming as though a common perill brought interest to euery particular for that the proximitie and neighbourhood of Myllan with Fraunce gaue vnto the king a greater oportunitie but in true likelyhood a greater desire to possesse and occupie that Duchie And seeing the yong and true Duke of Myllan was of neare kinred to the king Lodovvyk could not other waies assure him self but that the king caried an intencion to deliuer him from his oppression hauing not many yeares before protested openly that he would not endure that Iohn Galeas his cosin should be so vnworthely restrayned and kept vnder That the state of them of Aragon stoode not vpon such tearmes and condicions as the hope of their weaknes might induce the courage of the french to make inuasions vpon them for that they were plentifully furnished with many numbers of valiant men at armes great trowpes of horses of seruice many stoares of municions and artilleries and all other necessary things for the warre togither with so rich